Deep into Christmas

With ghost stories and Thanksgiving behind me, I am now buried in Christmas. Not decorations or baking though--right now it's stories and songs that occupy my mind.

I have 6 performances scheduled this year, each one slightly different from the other. The first three I am doing with fellow storyteller Stas Ziolkowski of Sharpsburg, MD. First is a library program in Hancock, MD. For that I am preparing a wide range of stories for audience members of all ages--because at library programs you never know for sure who will turn up. So my storybag will have stories for little ones as well as stories that the whole family can enjoy. These will be secular stories and songs, lots of folklore and Santa! (Click on the posters to see them full-screen to read the details)

Following that program on Saturday, I'll be doing a private house concert with Stas. I have been doing this house concert for 5 years or maybe more, so each year I bring something different to the performance.

This year, with the 100th anniversary end of WWI in 1918, my mind has been on wartime and how holidays might have been celebrated in those times. So I will be telling the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914 with a personal twist--two of my great-uncles were in the region of France where the truce was observed. I will also tell the story of the tiny truce of WWII, a surprising tale I happened on last year. It's a heartwarming tale of bravery and humanity. Then there was the Civil War. What must that have been like for the troops, and for those at home? So a few wartime stories, along with Stas' stories, favorite carols and sing-along...it will be a good time.

The following day Stas and I will be at Victory Garden Ranch in Sharpsburg, a veteran-centered store, bringing our stories and songs.

So the war stories will have another airing, mixed with some of the stories from the library program if there are children and families present.

My great-uncle James Barnes Wilson, my mother-s uncle--at Neuve Chappelle, France, after the battle there. All that remains of the church is a few stones, one timber and the crucifix. James is standing by a roll of telephone wire--that was his job, stringing the line from the rear to the front for communication between the planners and the battle line. He died at the battle of Festubert on May 22, 1915, a battle in which over 16,000 British troops lost their lives.

Next, after this weekend in Maryland, I will be home in my own county, telling Christmas stories to the local CEOs group (formerly the Extension Homemakers). Then a break for a couple weeks before another day of stories on December 19th. On that day I'll be in Salem, WV to tell Appalachian stories to the local garden club, then more Christmas stories and songs in the evening at the Philippi, WV library, accompanied by musician David O'Dell. David and I performed together at the lbirary last year, and it was the perfect mix of dulcimer, guitar, singing and stories.

So it's back to work for this old lady. But it's a labor of love, so can I really call it work?

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