Photo: Patty (Stutzman) Paulus
It was a memorable Christmas Eve in 1955 for the little 5-year old blond-haired girl in the checked dress. My uncle Roy, his well-dressed wife, Vivian, and their daughter had just traveled to Woodbury from Texas. After dinner, my uncle managed to convince all the grandchildren, who were huddled in one of the upstairs bedrooms, that Santa had arrived.
That night, I remember looking out of one of the upstairs windows, and I was sure that I saw a sleigh with ringing sleigh bells fly by in front of the farmhouse. We had no idea that Roy had disappeared outside for a short time and returned with snow-covered cowboy boots and actual sleigh bells in his hands … bells that he conveniently found in the barn.
The holidays continue to be a time for families to reconnect with one another, attend religious services, practice old traditions, like baking cookies, and perhaps make new traditions and memories for many years to come.
Patty (Stutzman) Paulus is a board member of the Woodbury Heritage Society. Discover more at woodburyheritage.org.
