It may be the shortest day of the year when we receive the least amount of daylight, but we’re extending our pick-up hours before Christmas this week! For you last-minute shoppers, this unique book “What Makes Saint Anthony Village” won’t be a thoughtless type of gift—but, instead, one that will be well-received by recipients of most all ages. There are plenty of colorful visuals for the non-reader as well!
SAD TO GLAD!
With the weather getting colder and the daylight shorter, some people may feel gloomy. This is the time of year when seasonal affective disorder (SAD) can occur. There are helpful ways to counteract this disorder.
Last week, the Village had one surefire way to turn any SAD into GLAD, when our local St. Anthony Fire Department carried out their sweet tradition of Santa on the Fire Truck. Once again, this event brought so much cheer to residents—young and old alike!
What does winter mean to you?
Typically when we have snow this time of year, many people find outdoor activities such as sledding, ice skating, cross-country or downhill skiing, building snowmen, having snowball fights, building a fort or an igloo to be the most common activities.
In our current winter weather situation, if we are able and willing, it would be healthy and wise to “get off the device and move to the ice” with more and more local rinks being flooded. However, common sense and caution must be used on the nearby lakes to ensure their safety!
For those with more land, they may turn to snowmobiling.
Winter usually brings us unpredictable snowstorms and the wild weather Minnesota is well known for.
Of course for us hardy specimens who live in these harsh winters that historically translate to commuting on slippery roads that need snowplowing, we have to first break out the shovels to clear pathways on our own sidewalks and driveways.
Many have been working remotely during this pandemic, so that coupled with the lack of snow only adds to the strangeness. Will we have a white Christmas this year?
Even though there is a savings in not having road travel on the snowless roads, there may still be the occasional ice patches here and there can make commutes to wherever we are going a bit dangerous and treacherous if we let our guard down.
During the earlier days in this cold region, often with the stretch of unbearable temperatures and wind chills that dipped way below zero, the weather certainly had an even greater impact in many ways. The white outs from the blizzards that made it challenging to get from the house to the barn. Remember the description of the rope that served as a guide in the southeastern Dakota Territory in the book “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder?
The indigenous peoples had their many activities for the proper time and place based on the seasons. There were specific times for the growing, gathering and the hunting of food. Here in Minnesota, the Chippewa Tribe—the Ojibwe—had the practical and natural choice of traditional storytelling reserved for the winter months, as was the case for many of the tribes.
It only made sense in the wintertime with the long, dark evenings. While there was a peaceful sort of silence in the woods, wolves could often be heard howling in the distance. The animals were in hibernation and the snow was blowing outside, while the children were safely tucked inside listening to and learning from the engaging and entertaining stories that were told to them.
Even in this place and time in Minnesota, when it’s time to go indoors, we can find ourselves curled up by a warm, cozy fire chatting and sharing stories from the past. This book about the Village will likely inspire you to recall your very own memories and special people that you may have experienced here.
Happy Winter to all . . .
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