Old Farm Country Christmas

This book is a fes­tive and nos­tal­gic cel­e­bra­tion of fam­i­ly Christ­mas recipes and traditions. 

From the beloved father–daughter team behind the best­seller Old Farm Coun­try Cook­book comes a heart­warm­ing cel­e­bra­tion of Christ­mases past ― when the first snow­fall sig­naled the start of the sea­son, neigh­bors gath­ered close, and sim­ple joys lit up the long Mid­west­ern winter. 

In Old Farm Coun­try Christ­mas, Jer­ry Apps and Susan Apps-Bod­il­ly invite read­ers inside the farm­house kitchens, one-room school­hous­es, rur­al church­es, and snow-packed fields of Wis­con­sin, shar­ing Christ­mas sto­ries from the Great Depres­sion and World War II through the 1960s. Draw­ing on vivid fam­i­ly mem­o­ries, inter­views, and his­tor­i­cal research, the authors recre­ate a time when hol­i­day mag­ic was hand­made, heart­felt, and shared generously. 

Read­ers will savor more than 80 cher­ished Apps fam­i­ly recipes, from First Snow Pep­per­mint But­ter Cook­ies and Lucia Buns to Spiced Cider, Krumkake, Sev­en Lay­er Bars, Cheesy Pota­toes and Ham, and oth­er fes­tive favorites for every gath­er­ing. Paired with these culi­nary clas­sics are twelve sim­ple, old-fash­ioned craft projects ― think paper chains, ever­green gar­lands, apple­sauce orna­ments, and cozy sock snow peo­ple ― along with sev­en time­less activ­i­ties per­fect for win­try after­noons with friends and family. 

With 50 vin­tage pho­tographs and illus­tra­tions, this heart­felt col­lec­tion cap­tures the laugh­ter of school Christ­mas pro­grams, the excite­ment of long-hoped-for gifts, the aro­ma of but­ter and spices drift­ing from the oven, and the deep mean­ing of the tra­di­tions that knit rur­al com­mu­ni­ties together. 

More than a book, Old Farm Coun­try Christ­mas is an invi­ta­tion to slow down and redis­cov­er the warmth, won­der, and shared tra­di­tions that make the sea­son shine.