Simple Christmas Pleasures — Wilder-Style and Local-Style

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Last Saturday on the Wilder Homestead just outside Malone, New York, Laura and Almanzo Wilder fans gathered inside the Farmer Boy’s home for mulled cider and Christmas cookies. They sang carols and listened to readings of Christmas chapters from Farmer Boy. Admission to the historic home was free. I’d be surprised if there were not at least a few homeschool families at the Wilder Homestead that day. Doesn’t that sound like a dreamy way to spend a December Saturday?

Ray and I had our own dreamy December Saturday, made extra-special for me because it was my birthday. Like those folks on the Wilder Homestead, we enjoyed simple local pleasures. For breakfast, Ray fixed me a cup of tea and a cinnamon roll he had picked up the day before from our local bakery. Later, we went downtown to the annual Gainesboro merchants’ open house.

Then it was time for family time. We Skyped with our children and grandchildren who live out of town and did fun in-person activities with our daughter and her family who live in Tennessee. We ate lunch at our local Mexican restaurant. We gathered at our house for me to blow out candles on the pie Mary Evelyn made. We went to the Christmas parade together and then to a party at the home of long-time and dear friends.

I hope you will give yourself permission to stop and enjoy some simple Christmas pleasures. You could even take time off from your usual school schedule to enjoy them — and with just a little bit of creativity — or simply letting go of some of the world’s expectations about what “school” should look like, you could even figure out a way to count those simple Christmas pleasures as school!

 Whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17

When Ray and I visited Malone, New York, last August, we filmed the house, inside and out; . . .

. . . and the barns, inside and out; . . .

. . . and down by the river where Almanzo and his father used to go fishing on rainy days.

Our son has edited our video clips together into a new Notgrass History Takes You There video. If you didn’t get to be there for “Christmas with Almanzo” last Saturday, you can go there with Ray and me by clicking here.

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