Innehållsförteckning för December/January 2019 från Country

The Perfect Tree Every year my husband, Brady, our four boys and I head up the mountains in Bridger-Teton National Forest to pick out our Christmas tree. The air is fresh, and the solitude is exhilarating. Typically, we spend about an hour searching for the fullest, straightest tree. We inspect each snow-flocked spruce or pine in passing, searching for the complement to our farmhouse. I like to get one that’s taller than I need, so I can trim the lower branches and use them to make wreaths and garland. little ones sing “Jingle Bells”—and we all sing loudly without fear of bothering an audience. It’s traditions like this that bring us so much joy around Christmastime and help us realize what is really important.…

YOU COULD WIN $250! Enter your best snapshots in Country’s Winter Photo Contest! You have until Jan. 25, 2019, to submit. We’ll pick one grand prize winner from any of these five categories: Animals, Scenery, People, Kids, Christmas It’s easy to enter. Simply go online to country-magazine.com/contests to upload your photos and read the official rules. Jessie Eidson Carrollton, Georgia 2018 Grand Prize Winner Bryce Anderson Juneau, Alaska…

Grandpa Claus My husband, Lynn, plays Santa for our eight grandchildren, from left, twins Max and Cole, Elizabeth, Kaylee, Alyssa, Ben, Morgan and Samantha. The kids are the fifth generation of Stankes to make syrup at our sugarbush. Our youngest granddaughter is almost 5 now, and she is convinced that her grandpa is the real Santa! It’s a sweet tradition that puts a little extra magic into Christmas. CINDY STANKE Charlotte, Michigan Stitched Together We started our stocking tradition in 1990. Each year when a new family member was born, I would cross-stitch a Christmas stocking as a gift for the baby. As we added more plus-ones to the family, each person received a handmade stocking. At Christmas we enjoy hanging all of the socks together. This photo is from…

CRANBERRY-WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES Sherry Conley Noel, Nova Scotia PREP: 25 min. BAKE: 10 min./batch + cooling MAKES: about 7 dozen 1 cup butter, softened¾ cup sugar¾ cup packed brown sugar2 large eggs, room temperature⅓ cup cranberry juice1 tsp. vanilla extract3 cups all-purpose flour2 tsp. baking powder½ tsp. salt2 cups dried cranberries2 cups vanilla or white chips GLAZE 2 cups vanilla or white chips2 Tbsp. plus 1½ tsp. shortening 1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, cranberry juice and vanilla. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Fold in cranberries and vanilla chips. 2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350° until edges begin…

Seattle Washington: A clinical study on a leading acid reflux pill shows that its key ingredient relieves digestive symptoms while suppressing the inflammation that contributes to premature aging in men and women. And, if consumer sales are any indication of a product’s effectiveness, this ‘acid reflux pill turned anti-aging phenomenon’ is nothing short of a miracle. Sold under the brand name AloeCure, it was already backed by clinical data documenting its ability to provide all day and night relief from heartburn, acid reflux, constipation, irritable bowel, gas, bloating, and more. But soon doctors started reporting some incredible results… “With AloeCure, my patients started reporting less joint pain, more energy, better sleep, stronger immune systems… even less stress and better skin, hair, and nails” explains Dr. Liza Leal; a leading integrative…

1 MANISTEE, MICHIGAN Travel back in time during the 30th annual Old Christmas Weekend on Dec. 6-9 in the festively decorated downtown. The highlight is the Victorian Sleighbell Parade, in which a team of draft horses pulls a 30-foot Christmas tree down River Street. After the parade, gather for caroling and the lighting of the tree. Other can’t-miss spectacles include a display of Victorian-era holiday items, a meet-and-greet with Dr. Seuss character the Grinch, and a Festival of Trees. manisteesleighbellparade.com 2 FREDERICKSBURG, TEXAS A monthlong holiday celebration blends Old World German Christmas traditions and Texas hospitality. Shop along the glowing Main Street Marktplatz, which features a handcarved 26-foot Christmas pyramid and an outdoor ice-skating rink. On Dec. 7 watch the Light the Night Christmas Parade, and on Dec. 8 bring…

Field EDITOR Anyone living in northeastern Ohio either has an appreciation for snow or at the very least an understanding of it. Our piece of paradise is at the mercy of the Lake Erie snow machine that cranks up every winter, dumping an annual average of more than 100 inches of lake-effect snow. Spring is by far my favorite time of the year, but winter is a close second. Having always been partial to frigid weather, I look forward to the cold and snow—and the more extreme, the better! My husband, Phil, and I grew up here in rural Geauga County and established our farm in 1995. We reside in the heart of America’s fourth-largest Amish settlement. With Amish neighbors on all sides, we have a front-row seat to their…

Born of the glacier-crowned Wrangell Mountains, the Copper River begins its journey not far from our home in Alaska’s interior. For 286 miles the great river heaves and hurtles toward the sea, gaining size and power as it takes on tributaries laden with heavy loads of glacial silt. At its mouth in the Gulf of Alaska, the Copper drops its payload of silt—some 69 million tons per year, most of it during the summer months. These deposits have created a 75-mile-wide delta that encompasses 700,000 acres. The Copper River Delta is the largest contiguous wetland on the Pacific coast of North America. Each spring, birdwatchers flock to the area to watch millions of migrating shorebirds stop to rest and forage in the delta’s extensive mud flats. It’s one of the…

The winter that I turned 6 and my brother turned 5, Mom made it very clear that Christmas would be sparing on our farm in upstate New York. It was 1942 and a world war was being fought. “Santa Claus has to give gifts to many children, so you should not be greedy,” she said. “When you write your letter to Santa, you must only ask for one gift each.” That didn’t seem too bad to me because all I wanted was a baby doll, and Wally really wanted a wheelbarrow. We didn’t know that we were poor, but we understood there wasn’t any extra money for toys and frivolities. So on Christmas morning we were both delighted to find just what we wanted under the tree. My doll was…

Christmas is a time for celebrating our faith and families, putting up decorations, and sharing memories and traditions from days gone by. All these things are wrapped up like Baby Jesus in our cherished creche, which my husband, Tom, made using materials from his grandparents’ woods. Tom’s late grandparents had lived just outside of Fort Wayne, Indiana, on a farm they named Walnut Hills. It was a special place to Tom because as a boy he, his brother and cousin spent a couple of weeks there each summer. The kids learned what country life was all about—baling the hay and straw, feeding cows, pigs and chickens, and mucking out the animals’ stalls. Not everything was work, though. When chores were done, they found ample time to play in the woods.…

Every small town in America has unsolved mysteries. They can range from “Who tipped Pastor White over in the outhouse back in ’48?” to “Who carved his undying love for Dianna Jones on the big oak in front of the old high school 50 years ago?” And while these enigmas might stem from pranks, they can also be the result of an accident—which is what happened to the Christmas lights in Terry, Montana, in 1958. A year before I was born, my then-20-year-old dad was driving a truck headed east on U.S. Highway 10 on a cold winter night. He was hauling Washington state Red Delicious apples and his load had to be in Glendive, Montana, the next morning. At about 2 a.m., Dad was hungry and decided to stop…

Dear Country … We agree with what Gerald Mullen wrote about Das Dutch Haus in the August/September issue (“Down-Home Dining,” page 16). Often, we drive from our home in Pennsylvania to Columbiana, Ohio, just to enjoy their breakfast buffet. In June 2018 we celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary with family and friends over breakfast at the restaurant. We thought we’d share this picture of us kissing while the guests “covered” their eyes. Ramona & Joseph Marks Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania THANK YOU for the beautiful story about the Petit Jean Mountain in Arkansas in the June/July issue (“Petit Jean State Park,” page 44). Our family came from Ada Valley at the foot of that mountain. I’ve always wondered if there was a cave behind the Cedar Falls. Has anyone ever checked? D.…

MIDNIGHT CLEAR Snow arrived in Northfield, Vermont, to put a finishing touch on decorations for a joyous Christmas season. Photographer John Knox says, “As a member of United Church of Northfield, I asked permission to turn on the lights to capture the building’s magnificent glow.” WINTRY WORSHIP A sparkling blanket of pristine snow matches Beulah Presbyterian Church in Mill Gap, a small community in Highland County, Virginia. Photographers Pat and Chuck Blackley write, “The elevation of Mill Gap is among the highest in the state, so it snows there more often than in other parts of Virginia. The crisp air adds to the pleasure of visiting and photographing such a peaceful location.” LET IT SHINE The charming Stark Union Church in Stark, New Hampshire, is on the northern edge of…

Get Well Soon My grandson Ron and his 7-year-old son, Reegan, were doing an after-Christmas errand at the corner market. While they were checking out, the cashier leaned over the counter and asked Reegan, “What did you get for Christmas?” With all seriousness, he said, “Mom got a bad cold and we got grilled cheese sandwiches for an awful long time.” Field EDITOR GERALD MULLEN Leetonia, Ohio Faith and Footwear One Sunday my wife joined me in the sanctuary and said the bottom of her shoe had fallen off. After the first hymn I told her I would pray that her shoe would be heeled and for its sole. MARVIN SHUBERT Waynesboro, Pennsylvania Father Knows Best Every Christmas my dad would make his annual trip to town, which was 45 minutes away,…