Christmas On The Farm

Many of my childhood stories come from the time we spent on my maternal grandparents farm.  I don't have any memories of spending Christmas there, although I'm sure we did once or twice when I was little.

But I always heard about the amazing Christmas nativity that they set up for the community to enjoy.  And it turns out my aunt and uncle- who are well into their 80s- are still keeping the tradition alive.  Isn't it beautiful?

Their house is not exactly in the middle of nowhere, but not far from it.  This would be such a stunning sight to happen upon while driving down Rose Road in small town Idaho.

I just love having these pictures.  There are so many memories!  The front left window of the house was my grandparents bedroom.  Small but always neat as a pin, with my grandmother's jewelry beautifully organized and pictures of her daughters (including my mom) on the walls.  After my grandpa died I spent a few weeks with her, and I'm sure I spent a night or two in her room.  The front door used to have that lovely green grass carpet on the stairs, and I can remember the sound of the doorbell and the wavy glass blocks that let light into the front room.  The Avon lady was a friend of Grandma's, and we tried to trick her into thinking there was an extra girl in the house by dressing my brother up as "Aaro-lina".  The front right window is the living room, where everyone gathered to visit around the fire and under the huge photograph-laden family tree.  That same summer that I stayed with my grandma I helped her pick out plush new *pink* carpet for her house.  She had a light changing musical flower box on display on her tube TV (which was encased in wood and also so fancy).  The house was always neat and clean and quite minimalist, by my memories.  The dining room held the fancy china and we always gathered there for dinner.  Breakfast was in the kitchen- they had a TV in there!- and we always had stacks of toast and Tang and bacon and sometimes cereal for breakfast.  There was a bear shaped cookie jar that always had cookies in it, and the view from the kitchen window looked out onto my grandma's roses.  The back of the house held the sunroom, where she tended to her beloved plants, and the backyard was the location of the absolute magic- the patio, the playhouse, the tree house, the garden, and of course, the pathways to my cousins house (under the willow tree) and to our friends house (through the pasture).  So many memories!