The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.

2016 Christmas Book Theme: "Christmas In These United States"

by Dessa Rodeffer, Quill Publisher/Owner

November 30, 2016

The cool breezes of the late Fall we have been having remind us that winter is just around the corner.

Several snow bird travelers who subscribe to "The Quill," call us about this time of year to have us forward their newspapers to their winter retreat, as they prefer to keep warm all year around, so they pack their bags and head south until Spring.

As the bright fall leaves darken, dry, and finally are blown from their branches, we know it won't be long until snow falls and many who stay in the Midwest for the winter, just may enjoy a white Christmas.

Yes, boots and coats can be a pain, yes, the ice is slick, yes, the winter can be cold, and many say the driving can be hazardous, but for me, I think avoiding deer have been a lot worse than winter driving. I actually, love boots, gloves and scarves, walking in snow, making snow angels, and just how bright everything is in the winter. It's a different brightness than the summer sunshine. When the moon is full, the glistening snow at night is just beautiful.

And who doesn't love a fireplace or cuddling under a warm blanket with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book.

I think those snowbirds would really miss the 4th season. Maybe they even dream of a white Christmas.

Well, "Christmas In These United States" may mean different things to different folks, and at "The Quill", we are trying to depict a little of what that might be in this year's Christmas book. We even thought it might be fun to go back in time, since it is a Presidential Election year, and see what Christmas was like for a few of our Presidents. How did they celebrate. And what Christmas activities are going on for us to celebrate.

Our friend, Don Young from Ohio, sent me a package of stories upon my request as he travels all over the United States helping the poorest as a U.S. missionary and minister. He is a collector of Civil War history and sent a story of President Hayes for our book.

I also enlisted Larry Werline, a Civil War Reenactor who reenacts General Ulysses S. Grant, to write about Christmas and Grant. He informed me, as he and his wife Rita were traveling back from a reenactment of the annual Nov. 19th (1863) Gettysburg Address Remembrance Weekend in PA, that both Abraham Lincoln and General Grant had several interesting connections to note to the holidays including Santa Clause and turkeys.

Within 24 hours, I received a story from Larry and a photo of them and some links to activities in Springfield we could attend during the holidays to connect us to the past.

This weekend will be busy at "The Quill" as we assemble everything together for the book and send it to the printer to print next Thursday so it can be ready for insertion in the Dec. 14th edition. If you have anything to add, please send it no later than Friday to quilleditor@frontier.com.