A History Tree

Our Christmas tree is a history tree. Beginning with the tree itself, that we cut from our farm, and planted some ten years or so ago. Since 1961, when Ruth and I married, our Christmas tree has hanging on its branches the history of our family.

A little wedding bell was one of the first ornaments on our tree. In not many more years, three more little ornaments appeared, one for each of our three children. And this was followed with ornaments helping us remember family vacations, here and there around the country. Then little rolled up pieces of paper tied with a ribbon, depicting high school and college graduations. And ornaments showing jobs the children have held over the years. For Steve a camera. For Sue a teacher’s desk. For Jeff a tiny pair of skis (he once worked at Vale resorts).

Children, spouses, grandchildren, and now great grandchildren each has a special Christmas ball with his or her name on it hanging on our tree.

Ruth uses little matchboxes as containers, and fastens an image of a book cover for a book that Jerry wrote that year. Inside the matchbox, Ruth lists the important events of the year, those both joyful and those less so.

So if anyone, at some future time, wants to learn the history of our family, they do not turn to a book, but they check the ornaments on our Christmas Trees.

THE OLD TIMER SAYS: A Most Merry Christmas to all.

Purchase Jerry’s DVDS and his Books from the Patterson Memorial Library in Wild Rose, Wisconsin (a fundraiser for them):
The library now has available signed copies of Jerry’s DVDs:

Emmy Winner, A Farm Winter with Jerry Apps (based on The Quiet Season book.)
Jerry Apps a Farm Story (based on Rural Wit and Wisdom and Old Farm books.)
The Land with Jerry Apps, (based on the book Whispers and Shadows,) and Never Curse the Rain, Jerry’s newest DVD based on his book with the same title.
Also available are several of Jerry’s signed books including: Jerry’s newest nonfiction books, Never Curse the Rain and Old Farm Country Cookbook, and his newest novel, The Great Sand Fracas of Ames County. Also available are Wisconsin Agriculture: A History, Roshara Journal (with photos by Steve Apps) and Telling Your Story—a guide book for those who want to write their own stories.
Contact the library for prices and special package deals.
Patterson Memorial Library
500 Division Street
Wild Rose, WI 54984
barnard@wildroselibrary.org
www.wildroselibrary.org
920-622-3835