One Crisp and Snowy Christmas
The forlorn Charlie Brown Christmas tree stood alone in the lot next to the gas station. The grizzled old man managing the lot sighed in relief as we paid for his last tree. He was headed for the bar or home to get out of the 8 above cold…who knows on Christmas Eve.
It was Christmas, 1988. A couple of rustic cabins off of Highway 61 south of Grand Marais, MN provided cozy shelter for the six of us. This harbor town on Lake Superior sits on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Superior National Forest. Ben and Tina (son and daughter-in-law) had dreamed of a magical Christmas up north for several years. Rod and I tagged along to share in the dream. (Our daughter, Mary, and her two children weren’t about to go north to the cold even to join us for Christmas.)
The pile of paper chains, stars and decorative balls swelled on the table. Tina shared the secrets of Christmas decorations she learned with her siblings growing up in Berlin, Germany. To transform a spindly tree into a joy to behold without a Walmart or Target in sight was fun. Marcel, ten, and Jeff, seven, discovered the fun of a do-it-yourself Christmas.
We had rented two of the cabins connected with the Cascade Lodge. Our cabin of one room provided ample space for our needs. But the other cabin with its spacious two rooms became the gathering place for all the festivities.
Wrapped Christmas presents were minimal that year. The crisp air and sparkling snow were presents beyond compare. Forever after would they be remembered with fondness.
Christmas morning dawned crisp, cold and luminous. While Tina cared for the turkey the rest of us worked the hill behind the cabins with the sleds. She remembers looking out the kitchen window in fright as four of us descended the path between the trees…all on one sled.
Located on the edge of the Sawtooth Mountain Range with Minnesota’s highest peak, Lookout Mountain at 1841 feet nearby, the trails beckoned us out. After stuffing ourselves with turkey and all the goodies that go with it, we hurried through the clean-up. Hiking through the snow summoned us forth. With the view of Lake Superior to the front and forested hills behind the cabins, there wasn’t a spot to step or look that wasn’t a Christmas gift from God.