Christmas Trees

Our tree at the Filley 2015

Everyone is so busy during the holiday season that I will try to keep my blog postings shorter.  Writing about how Isaac B. Werner celebrated Christmas day is reason enough to need few words.  Nearly always he celebrated alone, sometimes writing letters.  Occasionally he attended a holiday party near Christmas, and one year he was the chairman of a Christmas celebration of Farmers' Alliance members.  If he was lonely, he didn't express that loneliness in his journal, but it must have been hard to be far from family, without a wife and children of his own, on Christmas day.

One current holiday celebration in Isaac's old community  is the Festival of Trees at the Filley Art Museum in Pratt, Kansas.  During December the museum is charging no admission fee, so everyone can enjoy their gallery of trees.  My husband and I decorated our tree for the show with the theme of a "Red, White & Blue Country Christmas."  It has ornaments collected over the years and gifted to us by family and friends.  Eighteen beautiful and unique trees are displayed, and five of those will be given away in a drawing at the open house reception.  The rest are private family trees on loan for the festival.  Read more about the Festival of Trees at www.VernonFilleyArtMuseum.org.  

Close-up of our tree

 Last year we loaned our "Angels & Ancestors" tree for the Filley holiday show, and this year we are enjoying that tree back in our own home.  (See "Collections & Creations," 12/4/2014 in the Blog Archives.)  Part of our annual holiday season is inviting our ancestors to our home as we remember them by placing their photograph ornaments on our tree and seeing them there throughout the season.  (See "Christmas Guests," 12/13/2012 in the Blog Archives.)

Our tree at the Filley 2014

America is a land of many cultures, and we celebrate the holiday season in different ways, some of which we loan to each other!  Cultures around the world celebrate the winter season in a wide variety of ways as well, and some of those customs were brought to America by immigrants.  However those of you who follow my blog celebrate the season, Happy Holidays! 

Happy Holidays Around the World!

Christmas 2014

I realize that the holiday season is not a happy time everywhere in the world this year.  Perhaps it rarely is happy everywhere.  

Yet, I want to use this post to send holiday greetings to the many followers of my blog around the world.  It has been a surprise and a delight to me that readers in other countries enjoy my blog.  I cannot discern which blogs appeal to particular nationalities, but the popularity among countries fluctuates.  It pleases me to see that at least some of my blogs have a universal appeal.

"Christmas Guests," 12-13-2012 in blog archives

 

 Buone Feste, sretni blagdani, Joyeuses Fetes, Frohe Feiertage, felices Fiestas, Boas festas, Sarbatori Fericite, Priecigus svetkus, bayraminiz kutlu olsun, Glad helg, Wesolych Swiat, Selamat Bercuti, Selamat Hari Raya, and Happy Holidays to all those for which my key board could not provide symbols (and my apologies for my poor script and for the lack of proper accent symbols for some of the greetings given.)  I appreciate your following my blogs!

 

As past blogs have indicated, remodeling has kept us from putting up a tree this year.  (See "Collections and Creations," 12-4-2014 to read about our Angels and Ancestors Tree at the Vernon Filley Art Museum during the 2014 holidays.)  

"Isaac & the Wizard of Oz," 12-15-2011 blog archives

Our decorating for the holidays this year has been confined to the poinsettia plant my husband gave me and one lonely black haired angel.  When I was a little girl, I noticed that most pictures of angels depicted them with golden hair, and my little friends with blond hair were more likely to be chosen as angels in school and church programs than I was.  So, if I have a choice, I enjoy adding brown and black haired angels to my collection.  I also enjoy seeing angels with different skin colors and eye shapes for sale today, because I remember my own feelings as a child to never see angels who looked like me.

Our red & gold tree in 2011

For our first four Christmases after we married, college expenses allowed no spare money for a tree, nor did our tiny living quarters offer any room.  My father went into the tree belt at the farm one year while we were home for Thanksgiving to cut a cedar tree branch, which my mother secured in a coffee can wrapped in tin foil, loaning us a few Christmas balls from their own decorations.  That was our only holiday "tree" while we were in college.  When we could finally afford a tree we chose a color scheme of red and gold.  We bought a box each of red and gold balls, two gold plastic angels and one red hobby horse.  Over the years afterward, at least one holiday ornament was purchased whenever we took a trip, and more ornaments were added from the various places we lived.  Each ornament was documented on the bottom or back with the place and year it was acquired.  Putting up the tree was an opportunity to recall fun vacations and former homes.

Our Wizard of Oz tree with dolls I made

After we began the collections for the Angels and Ancestors Tree, the gold and red ornaments were ignored for a few holidays.  In 2011, we decided to display our collection of red and gold ornaments and other decorations.  It was fun to remove each one from the box and revive the memories.  (You may visit my Christmas blog "Happy Holidays," at 12-12-13 in the archives, which shares images from Isaac's era.)

Last week's blog, "Flour Mills on the Prairie," 12-18-2014, shares my Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz dolls I made one Christmas.  Obviously we enjoy decorating and entertaining during the holidays, and the Wizard of Oz tree is always fun.

For us, the holidays are about family and friends.  We look forward to cards from those who live far away, and we love seeing friends and family nearby, especially sharing the food and spirits of the season.  To all of you who follow my blog, "Thank you!"  I hope you have become fond of the old Prairie Bachelor, Isaac B. Werner, and I also hope the New Year brings me time to turn my attention back to Isaac in order to find a publisher for the neglected manuscript.  Happy Holidays!