Merry Christmas to one and all!!! I so missed being with everyone last year due to the pandemic so this was an exciting and wonderful day! Dad and Janice planned a very special family get-together with a nod to days of yore. A real “old-fashioned family Christmas for the the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny Kaye.” (Chevy Chase ~ Christmas Vacation). In a moment of reflection, they realized that none of the grand kiddos nor Terry or Josh had ever experienced one of our family holiday hayrides that hold such fond memories for all of us.
So, a theme was set and plans were made and set in motion. The tractor, bedecked with garland and a bright, red bow was hooked up to trailer upon which bales of hay were piled and covered with vintage inspired quilts for maximum comfort and holiday cheer. And like any professional guided tour, we were provided an itinerary, each stop touching on a fond childhood memory as well as adding a few new attractions along the way.
A great big shout out to Jill, Josh and Levi for hosting all the craziness and making the homestead so welcoming and full of holiday spirit.
The kiddos help Dad load hay onto the trailer for our Christmas hayride.
Our first stop of the morning was Wanna Kiss? where we traveled across the field to Bill’s front yard and climbed a ladder to cut our own mistletoe to give smooches to the lovies of our choice.
Levi, Josh, Dad and Michelle grabbing their piece of holiday fungus.
Levi endures a smooch from his mama.
Roy, Elijah and Lily cutting mistletoe while Jack and Karma observe.
Next, On to Cow Plop Field to count cow patties and then with great trepidation, we Cruise by the Black Lagoon Pond where at the stroke of midnight, creatures lurking in the deep eat unsuspecting victims by the light of a full moon. Having safely escaped certain death, we then made our way through the Bottomless Mud Slough hoping we are not all lost to its mucky depths.
Cruising by Black Lagoon Pond
Thorn Tree City, a prickly place to be, was the next stop on our itinerary. Here we hopped off to select, wickedly sharp thorn branches to make gum ball trees. I know it sounds weird but they are totally cute and festive when put together.
Armed with limb cutters, branches are selected.
Onto Dead Cow Flats, an expanse of open field where bleached remnants of animals of the bovine species lie in repose. We stopped here so the kiddos could find the perfect skeletal souvenir. We didn’t do this as kids but I gotta say, nothing says Merry Christmas like mammalian corpus.
Quick peek at a sludgey pond. Jack loved it.
New stop our tour was Deer Terminator Station, where Bambis “reach their final destination”. Love Dad’s alliteration with that one. We hopped off the trailer and explored Josh and Levi’s deer stand. It doesn’t look imposing from the ground but climbing up was a bit unnerving but the view was magnificent.
We made our way through Fat Wagon Squeeze where we prayed we didn’t get “bounced out covered with mud or run over” then stopped for a quick game of catch with the football. Watch out for the cow patties.
We made our way to Grand View Ridge to pause and gaze at a gorgeous view of the Farm before crossing the Tilted Path back to where we began the hayride to Take Your Best Shot Station to try our hand at marksmanship.
Take Your Best Shot Station where we honed our marksmanship skills.
While we were acting silly and enjoying our hayride, Chris spent the afternoon tending to a turkey he was smoking for all of us to enjoy for our Christmas dinner. While checking on the status of said turkey and visiting with Chris, we paused to admire the beauty of an awe-inspiring sunset.
The culmination of our fabulous day together was a holiday feast and the opening of gifts. We gathered in the dining room which was decked out in holiday glory with the traditional Lenox Christmas plates with holly leaves and berries set atop red chargers and crocheted placemats. Vintage pink glassware sat alongside Fostoria goblets with First Love flatware while crystal candleholders shone with evergreen candles nestled in a runner of silvery garland and decorative gift boxes.
Next to each plate was a tiny, glass, gift-shaped place card holder each displaying a handwritten card with a number. To determine where you were seated, you had to figure out your birth order and/or addition by marriage to the family. For example, Dad was number one, Janice was number two and so on ending with Elijah at number 11. So fun!
Stockings, filled to the brim with sweet happy’s and red tissue paper were hung on a cedar bough in each of the windows adding a touch of holiday whimsy and nostalgia.
We indulged in an incredible feast; Chris’ slow smoked turkey, a giant sliced ham, Janice’s cornbread dressing, green beans, savory confetti corn, creamy mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, black olives (my favorite), sweet and tart cranberry relish and buttery yeast rolls topped with flaky salt followed by Dad’s exceptional, pecan pie and coffee for dessert.
After dinner, we excitedly dug into our stockings liked little kids and found fun and thoughtful little happy’s.
Santa made his rounds early this morning and visited all the good girls and boys kiddos but Levi, Lily and Elijah still had gifts to open from Dad and Janice, Josh and Jill, Terry and me.
Levi plays Santa and hands out gifts.
I just love my Christmas ornaments. I mean I am crazy sentimental and they make me positively giddy, each one imbued with a special memory. As I decorate our tree each year, Terry indulges my retelling of the story behind each one. With that in mind, I really adore finding the perfect annual ornament for the kiddos to mark a special event or a rite of passage. My hope is that one day, when the kiddos begin to have their own homes and eventually families, they’ll open their box of ornaments and as they place each one on the tree, they will remember the joys of their childhood and Christmases past.
So this year, since Levi bagged his first deer we found a steel ornament, very manly, with a die-cut deer along with the first book in a series titled, “The Legend of the Ghost Buck”.
Since Lily has become quite the righteous skateboarder, Santa left an off-road electric, skateboard under the tree and it is a rugged beast. A skateboard ornament seemed to be just about perfect.
And this school year, Elijah became a member of the BGA 5th and 6th grade concert band playing the baritone. He’s quite talented so, well…you know the rest.
Elijah playing with gravity defying Flying Orb.
Levi opening a vintage, WWII US Army compass.
Books for the avid readers and a Hamilton Beach hand mixer and teen cookbook for our burgeoning baker.
Set of new track pants and pj’s for the well dressed kiddo.
For the grown-ups, we drew names and the gift-giving theme Christmas was “As Seen on TV”. All gifts must have been seen on one of those commercials for quirky, gadgety things you didn’t even know you needed. The gifts were wide and varied: an iPad lap pillow, oven gloves, car windshield wipes and trash holder, a multi-plug, fold away vanity mirror, electric broom, battery organizer, flashlight pen, dash mount iPhone holder, mini-vacuum for tiny places, a skillet, a can of Flex Seal and a few other goodies.
Oven gloves, power strip and a handy litter bag for the car.
Magnificient gum drop tree creations.
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night…