Christmas Tree Ships

 

A few years ago I wrote a short story called The Christmas Tree Schooner for Guidepost Book's A Cup of Christmas Cheer and enjoyed learning all about Christmas tree ships on the Great Lakes. The great age of sail occurred on the Great Lakes following the Civil War with an unprecedented amount of schooners as its main type of vessel. Over 12,000 sailors worked aboard about 1,800 ships, mostly male, carrying up to 300,000 tons annually. Often their masters would have full or part ownership of the vessel and steam power eventually took over the seas, able to haul about a million tons using less vessels. Schooners that continued into the early 20th century, hauled grain, fish, lumber, and Christmas Trees.

Christmas Tree Schooner by Charles Vickery

By the mid 19th century, decorating Christmas trees at Christmas time was a well established tradition brought to America by German immigrants. Many Germans settled around the Great Lakes, in cities like Chicago, and looked forward to the balsams and firs that would be brought to the cities from Michigan's Upper Peninsular. Fisherman and short-haul sailors would risk venturing across the choppy, ice-laden waters to the lumber camps and load up their schooners full of trees, purchased for a few cents each. They would dock their ships along the Chicago River and other ports, setting up make-shift shops. Eager citizens purchased the Christmas trees at seventy-fives cents a piece, garnering a tidy profit from one of the last hauls of the season.

Hauling Christmas trees in late Novemeber and early December on the Great Lakes was risky business. Schooners such as Arendal, Actor, Experiment, Ida, and George L. Wrenn engaged in the hazardous Christmas tree trade during the period of 1876-1920. The schooners F. H. Williams and Coaster are among many who had to be towed into port looking like floating ice bergs, the captain of the F. H. Williams face frostbitten. On the Lady Ellen's first haul her master could not sell her cargo to the Chicago market already laden with Christmas trees. The Caledonia and S. Thal are among those which sank. 

Capt. Scheunemann

The Rouse Simmons is perhaps the most famous of the Christmas tree ships. It was one of the first Christmas ships, and one of the last. Christened in 1868, the schooner spent most of its life hauling lumber. But on November 23, 1912 while transporting its Yuletide cargo of evergreens it was caught in a ferocious storm on the Wisconsin shore. It, too, sank. Captain Herman Scheunemann perished with all of his crew, the same fate of his brother, captain of the S. Thal, several years earlier. The community was saddened by the loss of Capt. Scheunemann, who sold his Christmas trees from the deck of his schooner, tied to Chicago's Rush street bridge, for thirty years. They had Affectionately called "Christmas tree Scheunemann" he was admired for delivering good cheer to his neighbors. Some called him "Santa," as he was said to give some of his trees to the poor. His wife, and three daughters continued to sell trees and wreaths into the 1930's. In 1971, the sunken Rouse Simmons was discovered in Lake Michigan, its hull still filled with Christmas trees.

Today, the tradition is continued by Makinaw, a Coast Guard Cutter. Volunteers unload its cargo of Christmas trees and deliver them to deserving families throughout the Chicago area. After all, what's Christmas without a Christmas tree?

CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY OF VOLUME 3 of A CUP OF CHRISTMAS CHEER, featuring my story "The Memory Shop." (Sorry, I'm all out of volume 2 with The Christmas Tree Schooner. Both complete sets can be ordered at Guideposts: see link below.) Please leave your email addy in a comment to be eligible.

Carla Olson Gade's "Upon a Christmas Tree Schooner" is included in Vol. 1 & 2 of A Cup of Christmas Cheer from Guideposts Books and "The Memory Shop" is featured in Vol. 3 & 4. Her novella, "'Tis the Season," is from bestselling Mistletoe Memories. From Carla's heart to yours, Merry Christmas!

Here We Come A-Wassailing

Thank you for having me today! Waes-hael! That’s an Anglo-Saxon greeting of good health, part of an ancient custom that’s changed in meaning over the centuries. One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is the image of the wassail bowl, filled to the brim and redolent with sweet and spice, ready to be shared among friends.

When Anita Mae Draper sat down to write Here We Come A-Wassailing for Guidepost’s A Cup of Christmas Cheer, she said she “thought of the song and imagined a woman on her way home, gathering people along the way as they do when they go caroling on Christmas Eve. It only seemed natural that when she got there her mother would have a steaming wassail bowl waiting.”

Clearly, wassail is now and has always been about more than a warm, spicy drink. Today, we think of it as a Christmas tradition, but it was not specific to any holiday in centuries gone by. The first recorded mention of wassail—as an act of salute and fellowship, not just as a drink— is in the epic 8^th-century poem, Beowulf.

The rider sleepeth,
the hero, far-hidden; no harp resounds,
in the courts no wassail, as once was heard.

One can easily imagine the fellowship taking place in the great halls of England as folk gathered on chill evenings around a bowl of wassail, wishing one another good health as they drank.

One wonders what such a drink tasted like. Originally, wassail was made of ale, mead, or wine, eggs, sugar, spices, and curdled cream, garnished with floating toast (the source of our modern day term for raising one’s glass to someone!). The addition of roasted apples and their frothy-looking pulp gave rise to another name for wassail, Lamb’s Wool.

Regardless of the recipe, wassail of days gone by was undoubtedly stout in its alcohol content. Fruit juice in the bowl, if any, was no doubt fermented. Only the wealthy could afford the wine and spices, so the recipes varied according to the finances of the family serving it. Wassail was heated and then served from huge bowls, often made of wood, silver, or pewter.

While wassailing in some areas of England had a pagan connotation (orchard-wassailing entailed to the health of apple trees and scaring away evil spirits), eventually, wassailing came to be associated with Christmastide. By at least the 16^th century, wealthy landowners hosted villagers for a feast and wassail on Twelfth Night in exchange for the villager’s singing and toasts to the master’s health. Ever wondered why the singers demand figgy pudding in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas” after sharing their good tidings? It all goes back to wassailing—a salute in exchange for food and drink.

The Gloucester Wassail carol from the Middle Ages, puts it thus:

Wassail! wassail! all over the town,
Our toast it is white and our ale it is brown;
Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;
With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink to thee.

By the 19^th century, wassailing evolved into Christmas caroling, going door to door sharing holiday cheer but still expecting alcohol in return. Around 1850, the popular wassailing carol came about, and we still sing it today:

Here we come a-wassailing
Among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wand'ring
So fair to be seen.

Love and joy come to you,
And to you your wassail too;
And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year
And God send you a Happy New Year.

Today, wassailing is almost synonymous with caroling, although modern folk don’t expect figgy pudding or mulled mead as the price of their songs. On the contrary, the fun and fellowship of the experience are payment enough, but if a neighbor offers cocoa to warm our cold hands, few of us are loath to say no.

Ready to make your own wassail for the holiday season? Some recipes call for claret mulled with spices. Others mix spices and juices (apple, pineapple, and orange) with sherry and brandy. Tamer versions (like mine, below) are alcohol-free. No matter the recipe, wassail will be fragrant with cinnamon and cloves, served warm, and sticky if spilled!

And best of all, it still tastes better when shared with friends.

Wassail Punch

Serves 6
In a crockpot or Dutch oven, combine:

6 cups apple cider (not juice)
1 cup cranberry or orange juice

In a cheesecloth pouch or large bag for steeping tea, place 4 cinnamon sticks, 8-10 whole cloves, and 8-10 whole allspice. Add to juices. If desired, add one sliced orange for color. I do not add sugar, but if desired, a small amount may be used.

Simmer until hot. Enjoy!


Have you ever gone Christmas caroling? Did anyone offer you a cup of cocoa or cookies as a result?

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Susanne Dietze began writing love stories in high school, casting her friends in the starring roles. Today, she writes in the hope that her historical romances will encourage and entertain others to the glory of God. She loves fancy-schmancy tea parties, travel, and curling up on the couch with a costume drama and a plate of nachos. Her first novella, Love’s Reward, is part of the Most Eligible Bachelor Collection, coming in June, 2015. You can visit her on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

The Memory Shop

This terrific guest post is from Carla Olson Gade, substituting for Janalyn Voigt. Thanks, Carla!

Cat Clock

I took a turn from my usual historical writing this year when I penned a short story for Guideposts Books, A Cup of Christmas Cheer 2, which will release this fall. What was different about it is that the story is set in contemporary times, but with a twist. It takes place inside a little shop called “Memory Lane” in a revitalized mid-western American downtown. The store, filled with memorabilia, was one of the last hold-outs of the formerly dormant Main Street. Do you have one of those in your town? I know I do.

Record Player

What makes the story unique is the people who visit the store, affectionately called “The Memory Shop”, and thus the title for the story, go there and reminisce about past times. The older gentlemen who runs the shop encourages these conversations and listens to them share their experiences and memories. The store is filled with all manner of gadgets, household items, entertainment and sports memorabilia, and holiday décor.

Blow Dryer

Elf

When I write, I love to include items that are part of the true historical setting of my stories, but I’ve learned that it is not limited to historical fiction. Nostalgia is an effective tool for writers. When readers recognize something that they used as a child, that their great-grandparent had, or can learn about the way things were done in eras gone by, it can enhance the experience of story. I just love going through antique stories and discovering unique items that could be incorporated in a piece of fiction. Recently I learned about a hay-burning stove that was used in the soddies of Nebraska in the 19th century. Can you imagine the meals prepared by a prairie mother to fortify her family?

My hope is that as the reader visits The Memory Shop they will think about their own personal history — the things that are important to them, what helped shape them, the relationships that matter. Because it’s not just about stuff. It’s about the people in our lives whom we have shared memories with. It’s our history. What’s yours?

What is an item you would love to find in a “memory shop” and what would it make you think of? Or, do you have a special piece of memorabilia you’d like to tell us about?

Christian romance author Carla Olson Gade

Christian romance author Carla Olson Gade writes adventures of the heart with historical roots, including novels Pattern for Romance, The Shadowcatcher’s Daughter, and best-selling Mistletoe Memories. An autodidact, creative thinker, and avid reader, Carla also enjoys genealogy, web design, photography. Carla is an active blogger at Adventures of the Heart and a regular contributor to Colonial Quills. She connects with her readers in many social networking communities as well as her story boards on Pinterest. A native New Englander, she writes from her home in beautiful rural Maine where she resides with her “hero” husband, two adult sons, and first grandchild.