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Winter Holiday Thread

Started by pyewacket, December 04, 2015, 12:33:34 AM

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 28, 2016, 07:12:08 PM
Is that where the South Park people got the idea for Mr. Hanky?  ;D Some traditions should not be kept- haha

How about the Yule Lads from Iceland

Oh those are great -- I volunteer to be the guy who sniffs out baked goods!  I also need to figure out what those homemade gaiters are, tied up with long hosebÃ¥ndene; lots of the nisser/tomter costumes have them, too, and they're very stylish.

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 28, 2016, 07:37:47 PM
Ha, I'm glad we didn't keep THAT tradition!

I think a lot is as you mention, practical and fun way to encourage good behavior, safety (don't go into woods or water alone, at night, etc) and social norms and mores but also clearly some ancient traditions were adopted into Christian ceremonies and practices. But also sort of fun I think (even today we like to be scared.) Frankly I think we should bring some of the 'bad element' back. There appears to be no "downside" for children these days, regardless of behavior, and they get far too many gifts to appreciate them in many cases. (I know that in many places and families this is not the case.) Not that we should bring the switch back, sack em and take them to Spain, or tie a ribbon on some shit for them! Haha.

I do think the way Christmas is celebrated here, where it is a month of relentless cheer, is unnecessarily fatiguing.  In the old world, the whole season was an elaborately choreographed series of observances -- fasts, feasts, sober reflection, celebration and generally running amok.

For example, there's Childermass on the 28th, where the lowest servant or youngest child was made king for a day, free to humiliate his betters as he saw fit.  We tend to see those old guys as hide-bound, but they knew how to mix things up.

albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 28, 2016, 09:10:59 PM
Oh those are great -- I volunteer to be the guy who sniffs out baked goods!  I also need to figure out what those homemade gaiters are, tied up with long hosebÃ¥ndene; lots of the nisser/tomter costumes have them, too, and they're very stylish.
For some reason this made me think of that Norskie guy who became an internet sensation for drinking vodka (maybe it was a viral marketing campaign for Vikingfjord vodka- though I wouldn't think a company would use this type of marketing for booze liability and socially conscious-wise) and ice-skating on thin ice in shorts, operating chainsaws, swimming in ice cold water, etc whilst swilling vodka.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EF1V8HFfpTE
This guy is likely a Bellgabber!

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 28, 2016, 09:32:18 PM
For some reason this made me think of that Norskie guy who became an internet sensation for drinking vodka (maybe it was a viral marketing campaign for Vikingfjord vodka- though I wouldn't think a company would use this type of marketing for booze liability and socially conscious-wise) and ice-skating on thin ice in shorts, operating chainsaws, swimming in ice cold water, etc whilst swilling vodka.


This guy is likely a Bellgabber!

Oh dear he's in Sandefjord -- I hope I'm not related!

albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 28, 2016, 09:39:23 PM
Oh dear he's in Sandefjord -- I hope I'm not related!
I don't know, he seems like a fun, albeit slightly dangerous to self, guy. I do question the swimming with hockey skates on, even if one wasn't imbibing and in freezing cold water! But I don't think he is a threat to others and likely a fun guy at parties. Look him up if you ever go over to trace your roots or just see some awesome scenery. (Bring him a bottle of duty-free booze as a gift. Booze is $$$ in Norge!)

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 28, 2016, 10:37:27 PM
I don't know, he seems like a fun, albeit slightly dangerous to self, guy. I do question the swimming with hockey skates on, even if one wasn't imbibing and in freezing cold water! But I don't think he is a threat to others and likely a fun guy at parties. Look him up if you ever go over to trace your roots or just see some awesome scenery. (Bring him a bottle of duty-free booze as a gift. Booze is $$$ in Norge!)

I wouldn't be surprised if it's sneaky marketing for Vikingfjord based on what these guys say about advertising restrictions -- they're a riot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BoUFp2UZeY

Never had pinnekjøtt.


albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 28, 2016, 11:33:55 PM
I wouldn't be surprised if it's sneaky marketing for Vikingfjord based on what these guys say about advertising restrictions -- they're a riot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BoUFp2UZeY

Never had pinnekjøtt.
Thanks for posting that! Awesome and hilarious. My experience was that: my, especially younger, relatives sort of poke fun at the American branch for various dishes (esp lutefisk) and church stuff. But also there is still an interesting feud in Norway about where you live/accent/language- many "mixed" over-here but to go back they make fun of each other...and language etc. Like "country-folk" to "city-folk" and also have all kinds of arguments about best areas, views, nature in their area etc. So funny. And, better, to me is how the Danes and Swedes, since I got a few mix in there including removed a great aunt I'm told who only spoke French and thought gutter language of Danish, are having since Norway got the last joke on them with oil&gas! Trolls won! Like our election?

ps: found this helping a relative move stuffi. Ha. Figured you might appreciate.

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 29, 2016, 12:25:40 AM
Thanks for posting that! Awesome and hilarious. My experience was that: my, especially younger, relatives sort of poke fun at the American branch for various dishes (esp lutefisk) and church stuff. But also there is still an interesting feud in Norway about where you live/accent/language- many "mixed" over-here but to go back they make fun of each other...and language etc. Like "country-folk" to "city-folk" and also have all kinds of arguments about best areas, views, nature in their area etc. So funny. And, better, to me is how the Danes and Swedes, since I got a few mix in there including removed a great aunt I'm told who only spoke French and thought gutter language of Danish, are having since Norway got the last joke on them with oil&gas! Trolls won! Like our election?

ps: found this helping a relative move stuffi. Ha. Figured you might appreciate.

Haha yeah Grandma cooked lots of fish for Christmas; I think the lamb and pork was more interior.  I remember when Mom first tried to use the old krumkake iron on her new glass-top stove -- the butter running off caught fire.  Now she has an electric waffle-iron kind.  Look forward to the burned fingertips from rolling them!

It's funny, I know a Dane from the north part, just across the Skaggerak, and I can understand him better than my aunt from the far west part of Norway, where they pronounce their rs like the French.

K_Dubb

From an old Swedish Christmas cartoon with vaguely socialist sensibilities, this is like a missing track from the Charlie Brown Christmas album, perfect for sitting in the dark looking at the tree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfYWD4hDkdw

pyewacket

A play that reminds us that our winter festivities come from the Solstice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzB1Pob0yNE

pyewacket



Quote from: history.com


Christmas is almost here, and ‘tis the season for rich food traditions. Be it cookies and milk under the tree for Santa, candy canes or figgy puddings, it’s hard to think of a Christmas ritual that isn’t tied to food. And what proper bakery would go through a holiday season without a giant, delicate Yule log in the front case? The Yule log cake (or bûche de Noël for French speakers) is an elaborate creation consisting of a rolled, filled sponge cake, frosted with chocolate buttercream to look like tree bark and festooned with meringue mushrooms, marzipan holly sprigs, spun sugar cobwebs and any other sort of edible decoration.

The history of the Yule log cake stretches all the way back to Europe’s Iron Age, before the medieval era. Back then, Celtic Brits and Gaelic Europeans would gather to welcome the winter solstice at December’s end. People would feast to celebrate the days finally becoming longer, signaling the end of the winter season. To cleanse the air of the previous year’s events and to usher in the spring, families would burn logs decorated with holly, pinecones or ivy. Wine and salt were also often used to anoint the logs. Once burned, the log’s ashes were valuable treasures said to have medicinal benefits and to guard against evil. Some groups claimed the ashes would protect the bearer from lightningâ€"an important quality at a time when houses (and most of the contents in them) were made of wood.

With the advent of Christianity, the Yule log tradition continued, albeit on a smaller scale. Families may have burned a log on Christmas Eve, but smaller hearths became the norm so huge logs were impractical. Those small hearths, however, were perfect for baking cakes. We don’t know who exactly made the first Yule log cake, but judging from the individual ingredients it could have been as early as the 1600s. Marzipan and meringue decorations, two of the most popular choices for Yule logs, appeared on many a medieval table. Sponge cake, which often constitutes the base of the log, is one of the oldest cakes still made today. It dates back to at least 1615, when the first known recipe appeared in Gervaise Markham’s tome “The English Huswife.”

Parisian bakers popularized the cake in the 19th century, and different bakeries became known for their more elaborate decorations. Nowadays, few people make Yule logs at home, but that doesn’t mean you should pass up a slice in favor of apple pie or a second helping of mashed potatoes. Enjoy your bûche de Noël, and think of the hundreds of years of history behind it.

http://www.history.com/news/hungry-history/the-delicious-history-of-the-yule-log

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 29, 2016, 03:44:23 PM
A play that reminds us that our winter festivities come from the Solstice.

A good way to imagine what it must have been like!  So much of the festivity was a celebration of plenty in the face of scarcity.  I have read that winter hunting was often more successful where moose were abundant as hunters on skis could move faster than their prey.

As people began to keep livestock, Yule was the traditional time to slaughter the family pig.  To this day, the julegris is often portrayed with the nisse, and we still eat marzipan pigs.



A mold of a julekake from 1929:



I suspect this is the reason ribs became traditional, since most of the real joints would have been preserved.

They took feasting seriously, too -- can't find the reference, but one of the old medieval laws in Norway required every farmer to brew a certain quantity of beer and invite his neighbors during Jul.  I think there was an exception of you were particularly remote.


albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 30, 2016, 10:42:19 PM
A good way to imagine what it must have been like!  So much of the festivity was a celebration of plenty in the face of scarcity.  I have read that winter hunting was often more successful where moose were abundant as hunters on skis could move faster than their prey.

As people began to keep livestock, Yule was the traditional time to slaughter the family pig.  To this day, the julegris is often portrayed with the nisse, and we still eat marzipan pigs.



A mold of a julekake from 1929:



They took feasting seriously, too -- can't find the reference, but one of the old medieval laws in Norway required every farmer to brew a certain quantity of beer and invite his neighbors during Jul.  I think there was an exception of you were particularly remote.
My granddad said that he and his brother used to go hunting for rabbits as children and one Fall in the midwest in particular he always talked about because a big cold front/blizzard came down quickly and was so cold that rabbits wouldn't move and they bagged a lot. Also always denigrated our modern firearms or wasting of shots for fun. One-shot, one-kill and don't kill for sport or waste an animal. I got his single-shot .22 and he always talked, even into his 90s and after a succesful career, family, etc about saving up for buying a few bullets to get dinner (his parents died and he was sent to live with a "old maid" aunt) about the number of rabbits he bagged that day and how happy he and his brother were, essentially ensuring food for a time. And how important because they, basically, were living off potatoes and milk from their single cow (the farm and all save the small house and cow was sold at auction for debts upon dad's death.) Said he was always sick as a kid due to bad food (would sell milk and keep only the last) and at Christmas would get practical gift and, if lucky, one "fun" gift (like a pack of firecrackers or small toy.) But he appreciated those more than I suspect I did or kids these days where you get so many. I was visiting once and he was picking out bugs from his cereal. I said "Grandpa you have weevils in there, I'll buy you another box" and he didn't want to waste the food and joked "as a kid this was probably my source of protein." Haha. Not saying this is a good thing. But harsh times are character building. There was a reason why feast days and meals given to guests are, or at least, were important. Also a reason traditions are kept, or should be, to remember how good we got it now. So eat that lutefisk!

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 30, 2016, 10:59:50 PM
My granddad said that he and his brother used to go hunting for rabbits as children and one Fall in the midwest in particular he always talked about because a big cold front/blizzard came down quickly and was so cold that rabbits wouldn't move and they bagged a lot. Also always denigrated our modern firearms or wasting of shots for fun. One-shot, one-kill and don't kill for sport or waste an animal. I got his single-shot .22 and he always talked, even into his 90s and after a succesful career, family, etc about saving up for buying a few bullets to get dinner (his parents died and he was sent to live with a "old maid" aunt) about the number of rabbits he bagged that day and how happy he and his brother were, essentially ensuring food for a time. And how important because they, basically, were living off potatoes and milk from their single cow (the farm and all save the small house and cow was sold at auction for debts upon dad's death.) Said he was always sick as a kid due to bad food (would sell milk and keep only the last) and at Christmas would get practical gift and, if lucky, one "fun" gift (like a pack of firecrackers or small toy.) But he appreciated those more than I suspect I did or kids these days where you get so many. I was visiting once and he was picking out bugs from his cereal. I said "Grandpa you have weevils in there, I'll buy you another box" and he didn't want to waste the food and joked "as a kid this was probably my source of protein." Haha. Not saying this is a good thing. But harsh times are character building. There was a reason why feast days and meals given to guests are, or at least, were important. Also a reason traditions are kept, or should be, to remember how good we got it now. So eat that lutefisk!

Haha great story; those old guys were tough!  I have been poor and too stubborn to ask for help sometimes, living off milk and rice and a few eggs, so I know a little of how they must've thought about meat -- it's all you crave when you're really malnourished.  I'll eat my lutefisk, swimming in butter, with all the reverence it deserves!

pyewacket

Victorian holiday tradition honored the pig as a symbol of good health, happiness and prosperity. They still make these popular sweets in Saratoga, New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxEkTnhiLkw

Quote from: saratogasweets.com
This "Peppermint Pigâ,,¢ as aptly it was named, was cast of hard candy similar in fashion to candy cane and festive pink in colour. And while the pig is honored in Victorian holiday tradition as a symbol of good health, happiness and prosperity, these special "Peppermint Pigs",â,,¢ unique to Saratoga Springs, New York, came to represent much more. They proudly stood for and old-fashioned Yuletide itself-a wonderful time when red-cheeked children laughed and rode old wooden sleds over fresh snow, when church bells pealed and fond recollections were shared by family and friends. After the holiday dinner, the Pig was passed amongst those gathered, each in turn giving the pouch a firm tap and sharing a tale of the past year's good fortune. The delicious broken peppermint and warm memories were enjoyed by all in hopes of prosperity for the coming year.

http://www.saratogasweets.com/peppermint-pig/

K_Dubb

Quote from: pyewacket on November 30, 2016, 11:33:47 PM
Victorian holiday tradition honored the pig as a symbol of good health, happiness and prosperity. They still make these popular sweets in Saratoga, New York.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxEkTnhiLkw

http://www.saratogasweets.com/peppermint-pig/

Very cool, Pye!  Love those local traditions and the parallels you can draw.



I noticed they are selling geese at the store.  I am tempted to buy one.  Does anyone come from a family where that is traditional?

albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 30, 2016, 11:23:46 PM
Haha great story; those old guys were tough!  I have been poor and too stubborn to ask for help sometimes, living off milk and rice and a few eggs, so I know a little of how they must've thought about meat -- it's all you crave when you're really malnourished.  I'll eat my lutefisk, swimming in butter, with all the reverence it deserves!
LOTS of butter! Haha, interestingly thing I've heard (and confirmed from that kid that went Into The Wild) that you can't survive on rabbits alone. Some weird vitamin difeciency results. Why the Indians would make pemmican ("beef-jerky" with other stuff in it. And Eskimos eat blubber in addition to meat. Some deal about rabbits being too lean as a meat and protein processing by our system. Several Artic explorers fell to this, and other problems using our tech/ideas (horses, lead in cans, and CO2 stoves infamously,) and where the Norwegain ones had success because they looked at what natives used.
ps: I still wonder how things were developed. Like the Icelanders with that shark that you need to prepare a certain way and how various plants. Literally trial-by-error over time

K_Dubb

Quote from: albrecht on November 30, 2016, 11:43:53 PM
LOTS of butter! Haha, interestingly thing I've heard (and confirmed from that kid that went Into The Wild) that you can't survive on rabbits alone. Some weird vitamin difeciency results. Why the Indians would make pemmican ("beef-jerky" with other stuff in it. And Eskimos eat blubber in addition to meat. Some deal about rabbits being too lean as a meat and protein processing by our system. Several Artic explorers fell to this, and other problems using our tech/ideas (horses, lead in cans, and CO2 stoves infamously,) and where the Norwegain ones had success because they looked at what natives used.
ps: I still wonder how things were developed. Like the Icelanders with that shark that you need to prepare a certain way and how various plants. Literally trial-by-error over time

If I remember right, the shark stuff is prepared similar enough to gravlax that they may have just tried it.  I actually ordered some buffalo pemmican bars made by a Pine Ridge business last summer cuz I was reading a book and got curious -- not bad, though they use cranberries instead of the local ones.

albrecht

Quote from: K_Dubb on November 30, 2016, 11:52:47 PM
If I remember right, the shark stuff is prepared similar enough to gravlax that they may have just tried it.  I actually ordered some buffalo pemmican bars made by a Pine Ridge business last summer cuz I was reading a book and got curious -- not bad, though they use cranberries instead of the local ones.
I thought that the shark was dried not buried but I don't know. You remember a few years back there was some SAS ban on the fermented herring tins on flights due to a basic "bomb threat" Haha, it was hilarious. As an aside, I actually am a bit disturbed by my flying history. Maybe why I get "TSA Inspected Your Bag" to this day? Pre-Bellgab even. When they banned the real bottle-rockets I bought several gross and packed it. (Younger.) I used to buy and bring back local beers (like Rainer to here.)  Also brought over (on a bet of "who has stronger stuff" a bottle of Everclear to Europe (and also brought HIGH ABV and real Absinthe here.) I also tend to pack carefully, but then realized "this might look weird" on the scanner. My steel-toe and hiking boots filled with my electronic chargers and rolled up socks, cell phones- this was when I needed phones for different countries due to prices) etc. Haha.

K_Dubb

I learned only this year that a sugarplum is not (as I imagined) that variety of the delicious glacé fruit one encounters in France but rather a large dragée (basically a giant sprinkle) like a jordan almond.   :(

K_Dubb

The Gävle goat has burned already this year, while the guard was in the bathroom.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUgXRZ3j24I&feature=youtu.be

akwilly

Quote from: albrecht on November 30, 2016, 11:43:53 PM
LOTS of butter! Haha, interestingly thing I've heard (and confirmed from that kid that went Into The Wild) that you can't survive on rabbits alone. Some weird vitamin difeciency results. Why the Indians would make pemmican ("beef-jerky" with other stuff in it. And Eskimos eat blubber in addition to meat. Some deal about rabbits being too lean as a meat and protein processing by our system. Several Artic explorers fell to this, and other problems using our tech/ideas (horses, lead in cans, and CO2 stoves infamously,) and where the Norwegain ones had success because they looked at what natives used.
ps: I still wonder how things were developed. Like the Icelanders with that shark that you need to prepare a certain way and how various plants. Literally trial-by-error over time
I got to eat some of this whale. It sucked

K_Dubb

Quote from: akwilly on December 01, 2016, 02:34:41 AM
I got to eat some of this whale. It sucked

Is that Barrow?  Looks like a bowhead.

Dr. MD MD

Quote from: akwilly on December 01, 2016, 02:34:41 AM
I got to eat some of this whale. It sucked

I always heard they blow.  :D

akwilly

Quote from: K_Dubb on December 01, 2016, 09:36:12 AM
Is that Barrow?  Looks like a bowhead.
yes it is. FYI the town is changing its name

albrecht

Quote from: akwilly on December 01, 2016, 07:25:57 PM
yes it is. FYI the town is changing its name
Utqiagvik? It is a process of "de-colonization," apparently.

akwilly

Quote from: albrecht on December 01, 2016, 10:47:32 PM
Utqiagvik? It is a process of "de-colonization," apparently.
I just hope they keep the Mexican restaurant up there. It was pretty decent food and the lady that owned it would go to the children's hospital in Seattle every year and basically give them all her money.

akwilly

Quote from: akwilly on December 01, 2016, 11:11:43 PM
I just hope they keep the Mexican restaurant up there. It was pretty decent food and the lady that owned it would go to the children's hospital in Seattle every year and basically give them all her money.
never mind, Pepe's seemed to have burnt down in 2013. Dang

pyewacket

Christmas Trees and Traditions in the Appalachian Region of America

Quote from: hubpages.com

Traditions Dating to the Early 1700s

As children, my parents both lived in parts of Ohio that are in America's Appalachian Region: Eastern Ohio farmland in Guernsey County and Southern Ohio mining country in Athens County.

The two children that would become my parents were a bit separated by age and a little further separated by heritage, but both were familiar with similar Appalachian traditions for Christmas and New Year's throughout The Great Depression, World War II, and the Baby Boom Era. I was lucky enough to see some of these in the 1960s.


Christmas in the Mountains

Today, Appalachian Christmas is a much celebrated tourist attraction in many of the states in Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains. Perhaps the most prominent are the in locales such as Dollywood in Tennessee that no one likely could have envisioned during the Depression.

Southern Ohio and Kentucky Christmas celebrations begin after Thanksgiving and last until New Year's Day. The offer festivals, excursion train visits into rural areas, specialized gift markets, and plenty of good homemade foods.

The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee is one of the organizations that offers special Christmas Season events for tourists and local residents. The facilities have quite a thorough rendering of an old-time Appalachian Christmas, complete with the Christmas Tree decorated in popcorn and paper chains, fruits, and other natural ornaments that my parents knew.

For instance, it was often a tradition to sew homemade hard candies into small packets of muslin to hang on the tree and distribute on Christmas Day. Hand blown glass ornaments were also used, as well as small quilted ornaments and even newly-knitted mittens.

A stocking hung above the fireplace on the mantel was often just a child's largest daily-wear sock, but socks or hand sewn Christmas stockings were filled with oranges, an apple (Johnny Appleseed passed through Ohio), nuts to crack, and rich-ingredient homemade treats. Family and friends might go ice skating on a farm's frozen pond, from where ice was also harvested and placed in the ice house for home use and for sale.


Source
Traditions Dating to the Early 1700s

As children, my parents both lived in parts of Ohio that are in America's Appalachian Region: Eastern Ohio farmland in Guernsey County and Southern Ohio mining country in Athens County.

The two children that would become my parents were a bit separated by age and a little further separated by heritage, but both were familiar with similar Appalachian traditions for Christmas and New Year's throughout The Great Depression, World War II, and the Baby Boom Era. I was lucky enough to see some of these in the 1960s.
Source
Christmas in the Mountains

Today, Appalachian Christmas is a much celebrated tourist attraction in many of the states in Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains. Perhaps the most prominent are the in locales such as Dollywood in Tennessee that no one likely could have envisioned during the Depression.

Southern Ohio and Kentucky Christmas celebrations begin after Thanksgiving and last until New Year's Day. The offer festivals, excursion train visits into rural areas, specialized gift markets, and plenty of good homemade foods.

The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee is one of the organizations that offers special Christmas Season events for tourists and local residents. The facilities have quite a thorough rendering of an old-time Appalachian Christmas, complete with the Christmas Tree decorated in popcorn and paper chains, fruits, and other natural ornaments that my parents knew.

For instance, it was often a tradition to sew homemade hard candies into small packets of muslin to hang on the tree and distribute on Christmas Day. Hand blown glass ornaments were also used, as well as small quilted ornaments and even newly-knitted mittens.

A stocking hung above the fireplace on the mantel was often just a child's largest daily-wear sock, but socks or hand sewn Christmas stockings were filled with oranges, an apple (Johnny Appleseed passed through Ohio), nuts to crack, and rich-ingredient homemade treats. Family and friends might go ice skating on a farm's frozen pond, from where ice was also harvested and placed in the ice house for home use and for sale.
A blue spruce in an outdoor display.
A blue spruce in an outdoor display. | Source
What Kind of Tree?

From at least as far back as the early 1700s in one branch of the Eastern Ohio family tree (traced to the Tyrrells of Virginia), live evergreen trees with root balls were used for Christmas décor.

After Christmas and on through New Year's - even through 12th Night celebrations as long as they remained popular in Colonial America - the tree was removed from the house and planted on the land. My own father planted trees at least eight years in a row before he ran out of room at home on a 1/4 acre city residential plot with other trees, so he switched to artificial trees in the late 1960s for Christmas. I missed the pine and evergreen scents in the house.

The aluminum tree with a rotating color filter on a light operating on the floor to change colors on the tree was interesting and space-age, but the aluminum needles wore out and became ragged after a couple of years. The Appalachian ways seemed better.

The non-Native American portion of my mother's side of the family always had Christmas trees, because at least one ancestor was German and he brought the tradition of the tree with him from his home country. In addition to the various components of family traditions, both parents attended one-room schools that also used Christmas Trees and taught the children natural crafts for making ornaments. Some of these ornaments included pine cones fallen from the trees, collected from the ground and rehung on branches indoors.


At the Top of the Tree

A variety of objects might be placed at the top of an Appalachian Christmas tree, at least in Ohio and each year was different in my house. My mother favored a Santa Claus doll. My father would sometimes use what his own mother preferred - the Star of Bethlehem. Other Appalachian trees I have seen have been adorned at the top with an angel or with a large country church ornament.
Christmas Tree Varieties

Historically, Ohioans in Appalachia were fortunate to be able to dig evergreen trees from their own farms and forested lands for use at Christmas.If they had none, neighboring farms would often let those families come over and choose a tree, perhaps in exchange for some baked goods and canned jams and jellies.

Some Ohioans undoubtedly still hold these traditions, but the big tree farms that have become a kind of amusement park as well as a Christmas tree outlet have made it attractive to go and purchase a cut tree while the kids in the family enjoy the rides and treats.

One farm located in Southern Ohio operates a Christmas Express on December weekend evenings that includes a real train ride, hot chocolate on board (remember Tom Hanks's Polar Express film), and traditional ice skating at the end of the line. A hundred years ago, Southern Ohio families took the train to visit relatives at Christmastime and to see the gorgeous hills and trees covered and snow. These train rides today bring back those opportunities.


Source
Traditions Dating to the Early 1700s

As children, my parents both lived in parts of Ohio that are in America's Appalachian Region: Eastern Ohio farmland in Guernsey County and Southern Ohio mining country in Athens County.

The two children that would become my parents were a bit separated by age and a little further separated by heritage, but both were familiar with similar Appalachian traditions for Christmas and New Year's throughout The Great Depression, World War II, and the Baby Boom Era. I was lucky enough to see some of these in the 1960s.
Source
Christmas in the Mountains

Today, Appalachian Christmas is a much celebrated tourist attraction in many of the states in Appalachian and Great Smoky Mountains. Perhaps the most prominent are the in locales such as Dollywood in Tennessee that no one likely could have envisioned during the Depression.

Southern Ohio and Kentucky Christmas celebrations begin after Thanksgiving and last until New Year's Day. The offer festivals, excursion train visits into rural areas, specialized gift markets, and plenty of good homemade foods.

The Museum of Appalachia in Clinton, Tennessee is one of the organizations that offers special Christmas Season events for tourists and local residents. The facilities have quite a thorough rendering of an old-time Appalachian Christmas, complete with the Christmas Tree decorated in popcorn and paper chains, fruits, and other natural ornaments that my parents knew.

For instance, it was often a tradition to sew homemade hard candies into small packets of muslin to hang on the tree and distribute on Christmas Day. Hand blown glass ornaments were also used, as well as small quilted ornaments and even newly-knitted mittens.

A stocking hung above the fireplace on the mantel was often just a child's largest daily-wear sock, but socks or hand sewn Christmas stockings were filled with oranges, an apple (Johnny Appleseed passed through Ohio), nuts to crack, and rich-ingredient homemade treats. Family and friends might go ice skating on a farm's frozen pond, from where ice was also harvested and placed in the ice house for home use and for sale.
A blue spruce in an outdoor display.
A blue spruce in an outdoor display. | Source
What Kind of Tree?

From at least as far back as the early 1700s in one branch of the Eastern Ohio family tree (traced to the Tyrrells of Virginia), live evergreen trees with root balls were used for Christmas décor.

After Christmas and on through New Year's - even through 12th Night celebrations as long as they remained popular in Colonial America - the tree was removed from the house and planted on the land. My own father planted trees at least eight years in a row before he ran out of room at home on a 1/4 acre city residential plot with other trees, so he switched to artificial trees in the late 1960s for Christmas. I missed the pine and evergreen scents in the house.

The aluminum tree with a rotating color filter on a light operating on the floor to change colors on the tree was interesting and space-age, but the aluminum needles wore out and became ragged after a couple of years. The Appalachian ways seemed better.

The non-Native American portion of my mother's side of the family always had Christmas trees, because at least one ancestor was German and he brought the tradition of the tree with him from his home country. In addition to the various components of family traditions, both parents attended one-room schools that also used Christmas Trees and taught the children natural crafts for making ornaments. Some of these ornaments included pine cones fallen from the trees, collected from the ground and rehung on branches indoors.
Apalachian Region of America: NY to Mississippi
Source
Appalachian Region

    Christmas in Old Appalachia
    Clinton, Tennessee.
    Ohio Village and Museum Christmas
    Ohio Village is designed to recreate the appearance of a typical county-seat town in Ohio during the mid 19th century, about the time of the Civil War.

At the Top of the Tree

A variety of objects might be placed at the top of an Appalachian Christmas tree, at least in Ohio and each year was different in my house. My mother favored a Santa Claus doll. My father would sometimes use what his own mother preferred - the Star of Bethlehem. Other Appalachian trees I have seen have been adorned at the top with an angel or with a large country church ornament.
Christmas Tree Varieties

Historically, Ohioans in Appalachia were fortunate to be able to dig evergreen trees from their own farms and forested lands for use at Christmas.If they had none, neighboring farms would often let those families come over and choose a tree, perhaps in exchange for some baked goods and canned jams and jellies.

Some Ohioans undoubtedly still hold these traditions, but the big tree farms that have become a kind of amusement park as well as a Christmas tree outlet have made it attractive to go and purchase a cut tree while the kids in the family enjoy the rides and treats.

One farm located in Southern Ohio operates a Christmas Express on December weekend evenings that includes a real train ride, hot chocolate on board (remember Tom Hanks's Polar Express film), and traditional ice skating at the end of the line. A hundred years ago, Southern Ohio families took the train to visit relatives at Christmastime and to see the gorgeous hills and trees covered and snow. These train rides today bring back those opportunities.
Appalachian states often run train excursions in the summer as well as during Christmas.
Appalachian states often run train excursions in the summer as well as during Christmas. | Source
Best Appalachian Christmas Trees

What kind of Christmas trees do we grow in Ohio? Several kinds thrive here and I recall in elementary school when we kids helped a small local tree farm by purchasing "stock certificates" for a nickle or a dime. Our school was two blocks from the tree farm's Oakland Nursery, where children and teachers purchased a Christmas tree for each classroom every year.

Today, Oakland Nursery operates several large outlets in two counties and runs a Christmas Trolley to celebrate 1940, when they opened their first store near my school. They always offer some natural decorations for the trees and many made in Ohio

Varieties of Christmas Trees grown in Ohio that we use most often are

    Spruces - Norway, White, Blue, and Colorado Spruces; and
    Pines - Eastern White and Scotch Pines.

Vintage Christmas Decorations

    Vintage Handcrafted Christmas Decorations
    Christmas Decorations from America's past are available not only on display in museums and community gathering places, but in patterns one can make and on collector's websites. New ornaments in vintage style are becoming more popular as well, but be

For pictures, links, and carol videos:

http://hubpages.com/holidays/Christmas-Trees-and-Traditions-in-the-Appalachian-Region-of-America

K_Dubb

Quote from: akwilly on December 01, 2016, 07:25:57 PM
yes it is. FYI the town is changing its name

Cool I always wanted to go there.  My big sis goes there maybe once a year for work and sent me pictures of them dragging the whale across the road with some kind of tractor.

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