My Medieval Christmas Memories

‘Tis the Christmas Season. 2010. Wow! I know my purpose in doing my blog posts has been to talk about the Ozark Medieval Fortress, but this time of year I keep remembering the castle that my wife and I, with our four children, built in Wisconsin. It took us 17 years and we had a wonderful time there every Christmas, even in the snowy-cold of the Northland. We raised sheep, gardened, and harvested the most amazing alfalfa hay. Acres and acres of it and so tall and lush. Ahh! I think it’s very Medieval to associate the snow and cold of Christmastime with the trips to the barn. For the kids, it was the ten-foot Christmas tree in the Great Hall, the cozy hearth by the fire, and the trestle table piled high with the Christmas feasts. Our memories of Christmas include our animals at the live nativity, especially the year we happened to have twin lambs born just hours before the evening service. The young shepherds and everyone in the congregation fell in love with those lambs. It sure brought the image of Jesus as the lamb into perspective. What a gift! I think appreciation of simple things in life like that is one of the important aspects of Medieval life. Merry Christmas!