From An Iowa Christmas
by Paul Engle
The tree came from down in the grove, and on it were many paper ornaments made by
my cousins, as well as beautiful ones brought from the Black Forest, where the family had
originally lived.
There were popcorn balls, from corn planted on the sunny slope by the watermeons, paper horns with homemade candy, and apples from the orchard.
The gifts tended to be hand-knit socks, or wool ties, or fancy crocheted "yokes" for nightgowns, tatted collars for blouses, doilies with fancy flower patterns for tables, tidies for chairs, and once I received a brilliantly polished cow horn with a cavalryman crudely but bravely carved on it.
And there would usually be a cornhusk doll, perhaps with a prune or walnut for a face, and a gay dress ofan old corset-cover scrap with its ribbons still bright.
And there were real candles burning with real flames, every guest sniffing the air for the
smell of scorching pine needles.
American Heritage Library Table of Contents
| 
