Time Travel for the Holidays

I think I found the antidote, or at least a temporary fix, for being restless, irritable and discontented.

As with everything, getting out of myself is the ticket.  Last weekend, I decided to kick my bah-humbug attitude to the curb and head on over to one of Dallas’ hidden treasures.

Right outside downtown–literally across the interstate–is Dallas Heritage Village, a hamlet of buildings restored from the mid- to late-1800s and meant to show a close representation of what life in north Texas was like in that time period.

This year marked the 40th anniversary of Candlelight at Heritage Village, a time when the village is be-decked in Christmas finery and people in period costume stroll the grounds (occasionally breaking out in spontaneous holiday merriment).

The hours were good for my soul, especially the hayride around the village guided by a 1947 John Deere tractor (we opted for motorized over the slower moving Nip and Tuck, the village’s resident donkeys.  At least in a cart I don’t run the risk of sliding in dropped donkey doo.

Taking a step back in time, stopping to listen and observe while wandering about the candlelit town, brought a sense of peace to me.

God knows we can all use a little peace and quiet time, even if we have to go back a century or two to find it.

I must admit that the evening did create a bit of nostalgia for an old semi-regular Christmas tradition; that of spending an evening in the chilly hollers (an old hillbilly term meaning valleys) of Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO.

Nestled in the hills of the Ozark Mountains, this larger village houses an army of artisans who not only take over residency in the shops, but demonstrate their trades (like glass-blowing or candy-making) while children of all ages–yours truly among them in the not-so-distant past–watch in wonder and amazement.

I miss the scents of those Midwestern holiday nights, the air tinged with wassail and wood burning fires.  There are many things I miss during this time of year but part of the joy of memories is having them bound back when new experiences elicit reminders.

It’s nice to do a mental time trek, especially during the holidays.  Making new memories is nice too, but next time I’d love to find wassail at Dallas Heritage Village.  Just saying’ . . .

Wishing you days of peace during the holiday season.  Be good to yourself while you’re being good to others.

photo of Nip and Tuck courtesy of the Dallas Heritage Village blog site

 

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