By Michael M. Miller
With the Holiday Season approaching, I extend Yuletide Best Wishes to you and your family. I would like to share Christmas memories from our Germans from Russia community.
Theresa Meier Eissinger, Napoleon, ND, writes, “Christmas Eve at the Meier farm (between Linton and Napoleon) was the most exciting time of the year. Chores were done early; supper was early, and then my mother gave each of us a large soup bowl of goodies. We got a handful of peanuts, a few mixed nuts, an orange, boughten cookies which were a treat especially the chocolate covered marshmallow ones with the cherry center, and a few hard candies. We also had animal crackers – the boys wanted to be farmers, so we traded our horses, cows, and sheep for the lions, giraffes, and tigers. About 8:30pm, everybody got ready, and we all bundled up in our warmest clothes. My father would hitch the team of horses to the bobsled, the bottom which was covered with hay, old quilts, and blankets. We all got into the sled and covered up with quilts and took off for town to my grandma’s place which was five miles away. All the aunts and uncles were there, including my cousins.
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