Here Comes the Snow!

 The snow has come down steadily all day. I'm guessing we've had 4-6 inches, at least. And it's still coming down. It began snowing here around 7:30 this mornig and at 9 when I measured, we had about 1.5" - another 4 inches or more has fallen since then. It is not awfully cold, and that makes the snow slipperier than it normally would be when it packs down - plus, it's one of those days when it's hard to judge where you are because everything seems all white, no shadows to show contours. I was dreading going down for the mail because of the poor visibility, but either the mailman didn't come or I didn't get any today.

Jim and Gretchen Farnsworth sent me a link to a story that Vermont Digger has about the LVRT (Lamoille Valley Rail Trail). I'm sure Joe's Pond folks who use the trail will be happy to learn the progress that's been made - and others interested in this picturesque hiking/biking/snowmobile trail will also be interested. An article by Peacham resident, Tim McKay in the December, 2022 North Star Monthly likens the LVRT to a similar trail in Canada, Le Petite Train du Nort (PTN), northwest of Montreal. That trail stretches 120 miles from Mont Laurrier to Mont Tremblant, and on to the city of Sainte Jerome.

 Gretchen also went this bit of information regarding the loons I wrote about that were caught in the ice. She wrote:  I forgot to mention that starting in the fall adult loons molt and loose their breeding plumage. That being said, one of the four loons was the young one born at the corner of 2 & 15, but the others could be adults. It’s really hard to tell once they have lost the plumage we are used to seeing in the summer.

One of my readers emailed me this week about Christmas traditions in his family. That led me to thinking about my family traditions. I'm sure there were some, but nothing stands out. What does come to mind is the memory of the school programs we had when I was at the one-room school on Cabot Plain. I loved cutting out paper snowflakes and making red and green paper chains from construction paper. Boys in the upper grades would go into a neighbor's pasture (with permission) to cut a tree for the school room. Getting the tree in and decorating it was only part of the fun. We always planned a Christmas skit of some sort, and there was usually a manger scene with wise men, Joseph, Mary and the Baby Jesus. We took it all very seriously and sang familiar Christmas songs, "We Three Kings of Orient Are,"  "Hark the Herald Angles Sing," "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," "The First Noel" - all the favorites, usually closing with "Silent Night." How sophisticated the singing got depended on the musical talent of not just the students, but whatever teacher we had at the time. Some teachers were definitely more adept than others when it came to these musical productions. We could depend on our music teacher, who came usually every couple of weeks, weather permitting, to work with us, but it was up to the teachers to help us practice, and some could neither carry a tune nor play the piano. 

We drew names, and I think we all agonized most over what to give to our teachers. The teacher usually gave each of us some small gift that was not at all  personalized. On their pay, I'm surprised they gave us anything at all!

I remember that sometimes there were tangerines to pass out at Christmas. I'm not sure where they came from, but I looked forward to those. The occasional candy canes and ribbon candy didn't impress me, but if there were tangerines or maybe some homemade chocolate fudge or peanut butter penuche to be had, I was a happy camper. 

When I was in school in West Danville, my mother was my teacher. She was a good friend of Julia Milligan, who owned one of the two grocery stores in town at that time. We sometimes visited Julia before going home after school. I remember her button collection. She had hundreds of beautiful buttons arranged in beautiful designs on velvet-covered cardboard. Julia also made wonderful, delicate candies at Christmas. Everything she made was my favorite, especially her divinity fudge.  That said, her candy treats were strictly rationed by my mother. We didn't have that sort of concentrated sugar treats at home except on very special occasions, like when my father would make chocolate fudge. I was never a big fan of most sweets as a result.

I don't believe we had special food or made holiday recipes at Christmas. We weren't a fruitcake-making family, although my mother usually made a wonderful fruity, spicy steamed pudding that was served with hard sauce at both Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. I believe her recipe came from Scotland. And sometimes one of my Scotch aunts would make traditional oatcakes, which always made me very happy. I think we probably had roast beef at Christmas, but that's just a guess. We had our own pork, beef and chicken from the farm, and it was all always good.

My in-laws, Dot and Bill Dimick, had lots of traditions at Christmas, including participating in church bazaars, special luncheons, and candlelight services at church. Dot always got out a special tablecloth and dishes used only for the holiday. Bill wasn't one to serve alcohol often, but at Christmas he proudly served drinks made with gin and coca-cola. All the adults were expected to join a toast with that drink. I always thought it tasted like pine needles, which actually wasn't all that bad, given the season, but I was glad those drinks didn't extend to other times of the year.

I'd love to hear some of your family Christmas traditions. You can either leave a comment here or email me at janebrowncabot@gmail.com. In the meantime, drive carefully, and be happy and safe.