Christmas Trees – Valerie's Voice

Winter Walks

Northfield’s Winter Walk took on an interesting twist for me this year. The children’s book author Kate DiCamillo was at our local bookstore, Content, for a book signing. I invited my daughter-in-love to come join me for Winter Walk, to meet and greet this author, who I knew was a favorite of hers.

Kate DiCamillo signing books at Content Bookstore.

First, my daughter-in-love and I went out for a nice dinner at a local restaurant, Reunion, and then we got in line for the book signing at Content. We were assigned a wait list number, which worked well and we didn’t have to wait long. It was a brief encounter, but sweet.

Enjoying our greeting time with Kate DiCamillo.

Understandably, Kate DiCamillo was masked which doesn’t make for lovely photos, but she was very gracious, and a joy to meet. (It was interesting to learn from Wikipedia that this beloved and award-winning children’s author received 473 rejection letters before her first book was published!)

Beautiful horses pulled a wagon, giving rides throughout the night. Photo taken 2021.

After shopping a bit in the children’s section of Content, we meandered along the closed-off main street lined with luminaries; going in and out of the stores, checking out the model trains at the library, waiting in line for a quick horse-drawn wagon ride, and hearing different groups playing or singing Christmas music.

The weather was mild, and the lights and crowds made it festive.

I love this tree that is lit up during the Christmas season, welcoming everyone to Northfield. It sits on top of the old Malt-O-Meal hot cereal plant, near downtown. Photo taken 2021.

Also, last week I took another walk along Central Park in Faribault. It was lined with creative and artsy Christmas trees.

The Christmas trees are decorated by local businesses, then donated to families who might not be able to afford a Christmas tree and decorations this year. For more about this event visit MN Prairie Roots…click here.

The Christmas trees are put on display in Central Park for a few days before they are given away. It’s a fun idea, and a benefit to others.

I especially enjoyed seeing the different tree toppers.

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Northfield’s Winter Walk

The Minnesota Explorer is a magazine that highlights different events throughout our state. Recently, it featured an article on Christmas shopping in historic small towns. I love exploring different small towns and this sparked my interest, so I did a little research. I didn’t really need to shop for anything…much of my Christmas shopping was done…but the idea of walking in and out of stores, gazing at window displays, seeing Christmas lights light up the streets, was appealing to me.

A sign outside the Northfield Library. Inside the library were some model train displays. Not as many as in the past, but still fun to see.

After checking out a couple different towns I realized all I wanted was right here in my hometown of Northfield….and…the organized Winter Walk made it even more festive.

Bridge Square at dusk, the beginning of the Winter Walk.

I love to see the white-lit Christmas tree on top of the Malt-O-Meal hot cereal building at Christmastime. When we drive into town it always welcomes me home.

The Winter Walk happened last week on a beautiful evening. The weather was mild, stores were open late, luminaires lined the closed-off main street, Christmas lights lit up Bridge square and there are some fun window displays.

The streets were filled with many folks out enjoying the activities. It was a wonderful sight.

Colorful tree on Bridge Square…Santa’s small chalet in the background.

Fun necklaces were given away, until they ran out.

Walking along the street, tasting sweet treats, drinking cider and hot chocolate, smelling the wood burning fires in fire pits – offering warmth along the way,

There were multiple fire pits along the street for people to warm themselves by a fire. The aroma of the wood burning fires added to the ambiance.

watching the horse-drawn wagons full of people go by,

looking in the store windows and occasionally going into a store.

It was delightful.

Maybe I’ll visit a different small town next year but for now, Northfield’s Winter Walk was what I was looking for.

Decorating for Christmas

Our family celebrations will not be held in our home this Christmas, so we decided to keep our house decorating to a minimum. A few touches here and there, with table clothes and poinsettia, greenery, wreath and a manger scene. However, there is a new-to-us decoration we inherited this year that I have set above the fireplace mantel that will stand in for our Christmas tree.

Last summer I inherited several boxes of my aunt’s belongings. Amongst the many photos, jewelry, dishes and Norwegian knick-knacks in the boxes, I discovered a striking jeweled Christmas tree art piece.

I remembered it. Years ago, one of my other aunt’s had made several different jewelry boxes and art pieces using glittery, costume jewelry…the kind that twinkle and sparkle, glisten and shine. All very glitzy!

When I found this Christmas tree (and a jewelry box) I asked my cousins if they wanted these pieces their mother had made; they said no. So, I decided to keep them for myself.

I admit, I do like a bit of sparkle! I love the twinkle of Christmas tree lights, rays of sunshine glistening on a lake, art glass that shines, the flicker of hot coals in a camp fire…this dazzling tree. I like the way the jewels shimmer when the light catches them (even though I can’t capture it in a photo). I like the fact that my aunt made it many years ago.

It’s an interesting – and beautiful – piece of folk-art, created by someone I loved.

I will enjoy this piece on my fireplace mantel during this Christmas season, alluring me into the Christmas spirit, and bringing back memories of my extended family of Christmas’ past.

Time to Say Goodbye

The time came to say goodbye to our son and daughter-in-love and two beautiful grandchildren.

They were here and enjoyed decorating the Christmas tree.

They were here and enjoyed rolling out and cutting out and decorating gingerbread cookies.

They were here and enjoyed decorating graham cracker houses.

They were here and enjoyed playing in the snow and building a snow fort.

Peeking through the windows in the fort.

They were here bringing much joy.

Now the cookies have all been eaten.

The tree trimmings have all been put away.

We have been “charged” to take care of the snow fort as they head back to their home.

But the wonderful decorated houses will remain on our dining room table to remind us of the fabulous time we had together.

It was hard to say goodbye.

So grateful for our time together.

Merry Christmas

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:2

May God’s light shine upon you and fill your heart and home with joy. Merry Christmas.

Easter Eggs

It’s been awhile since I’ve colored eggs for Easter, but with our grandchildren here of course we had to do it. I hard boiled 11 eggs and ate one so that left us with 10 eggs. 😉

I plopped the tablets from the egg decorating kit into cups of vinegar and made several bold, color dyes to chose from.

The kids (of all ages) had fun drawing on the egg with a clear wax pencil or crayon, deciding which color to dip the egg into, then watching and waiting, with anticipation, to see how their egg would turn out.

The most unique egg is one our grandson envisioned and had help with the drawing. He has talked about Christmas trees since Christmas…he was so enthralled with our tree…so he wanted a Christmas tree on his Easter egg. O well, we couldn’t have Easter without Christmas.

An egg with Happy Easter written in Portuguese, the other language we hear in our house these days, is another special egg for our basket.

Adding mini-stickers to the dry eggs the next day.

Ukraine is known for their beautiful Easter eggs. I have a bowl full of Ukrainian Easter Eggs. I brought a few home with me from my visits there. These eggs are wood, not the typical, fragile “real” eggs. Ukrainian Easter Eggs are amazing… detailed, intricate, artistic. I took a class on how to paint Ukrainian eggs but I never caught on to the technique. It is an art, and like all art, it usually takes much practice, and some talent.

My Carnival Glass bowl full of Ukrainian Easter Eggs.

I enjoyed watching my grandchildren having fun decorating their Easter eggs in their own creative way, and their eggs are just as special.

O, Holy Night

For several years now (it has become a tradition) we enjoy going to the late Christmas Eve service in one of the historic Valley Grove Churches.

As we walked in we noticed the huge decorated Christmas tree in the front of the sanctuary, and a Hardanger fiddle, flute and an organ filled the church with beautiful music.

The beautiful, full Christmas tree filled the front of the sanctuary.

Then the church bells rang to announce the start of the Christmas Eve service.

A trio making music: organ, flute and the hardanger fiddle.

We enjoy this service for many reasons, one being… there is a time for just singing Christmas carols. The congregation make requests for different carols and we all sing to our hearts content the old familiar tunes.

Pastor John Gorder, gave a sermonette. This year he included thoughts about the beloved, old, oak tree that a tornado ripped down last September. This tree was love by many folks. The rings of the tree indicated the tree was there long before the settlers, in 1862. I can only imagine all the special events that happened around that tree.

There was a branch from the tree in the church, in front of the Christmas tree. It was holding a photo of the old oak tree before it fell. Pastor Gorder had visited the stump of the oak tree a few weeks before the service, and found an acorn from that tree. The acorn… a small seed grows into a great tree, so with baby Jesus… born to be a great King.

A branch from the beloved old, oak tree, holding a photo of the tree.

As is tradition in many Christmas Eve services, we lit candles and as the lights dimmed, sang Silent Night, Holy Night, a favorite.

We saw a few friends and said “Merry Christmas” as the ringing of the bells accompanied us out of church, after the service. A beautiful Christmas night scene met us as we walked out of church – with a bright moon and stars, and a few wispy clouds in the night sky near the old stone church and I imagined a stable long ago.

The amazing view we witnessed as we departed the historic church which is directly across from another historic church in Valley Grove.

Thank you God, for giving us a holy night indeed.