Honoring family traditions continues during this Christmas season. As families decorate their homes with both outdoor and indoor decorations, quite a few families go up into the Hogback, the Piceance basin, or upriver into the high country to cut their trees. While years ago one could cut down the perfect tree almost anywhere without a permit, getting a permit for local government land is a requirement. The Forest Service and BLM offices make them available so that no one has to be levied a fine and get a ticket. While all those stands of pine trees look tempting to find the perfect little tree, getting this permit to cut it down must be the first step before heading out with the family. The fine may be more expensive than obtaining one from the Christmas tree lot usually found up by the fairgrounds. The experience with the entire family creates a wonderful way to make family memories.
Crafts made from local materials have a long history here. In the earliest days of settling this valley, the residents used what they had on hand to honor their family traditions. Finding a Christmas tree was tough in the newly incorporated town, as the cottonwoods by the river were often the only trees for miles. “Making-do” was everyone’s motto to successfully stay here.
Many of the holiday traditions go back to the original county residents’ home country traditions, even to the earliest settlers: English, German, Swedish and Norwegian, in addition to a few others. One can still find a wide variety of decorations displayed both inside and outside local homes. Creating candle holders, swags or wreaths from pine boughs is one family activity on which many still depend. Old wooden skis and sleds passed down from previous generations are festooned with colorful old-fashioned red and green plaid ribbons can be spotted while going around to see some of the best Christmas lighting displays leaning against porches or simple be-ribboned barbed wire wreaths.
Family memories of these yearly holiday traditions are often the active family experiences children remember most. Many local families many years ago made lamps from the twisted juniper and a few had deerskin lampshades. The rustic beauty of the handmade antler chandeliers hanging in cabins or houses throughout the county still attracts quite a bit of attention. However Christmas is celebrated in one’s family, truly the best gift of all is getting together to remember Christmas’s past.
By Dolly Viscardi
