You can learn a lot from talking with elders. In a conversation about Christmas with my mother some years ago I learned that the Christmas of her childhood had an extra bit of celebration. Her father Sillus Day would always hold back some candy from Christmas in a big, locked chest and would give it out on January 6, a day he called “Old Christmas”.

Christmas has been well entrenched in our culture for centuries, with most of our traditions coming over from Europe with the early settlers. It’s not surprising that superstitions about Christmas worked their way into the holiday. Here are a few that have hung around

By: Steve Roark
Volunteer, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Our connection with trees goes back a long time, and during the holidays it shows up in just how interwoven forest plants are with Christmas symbols and traditions.
The Christmas Tree: An evergreen tree, sparkling with ornaments and lights, is probably the preeminent Christmas icon.

By Steve Roark
Volunteer Interpreter, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

The “hanging of the green” is a Christmas tradition that has been around for centuries. Sprays, garlands, wreaths, and trees from evergreen trees such as pine, fir, holly, and laurel have decorated homes at Christmas time since the days of Martin Luther in the early 1500s. Many Churches begin their celebration of the Christmas Season with a ceremony called the Hanging of the Green (or Greens).

After the thrill of autumn coloration is gone, those who have yard trees must deal with the bushels of leaves when they fall off. An acre of trees in a forest can produce over 2 tons of leaves each year, and I think my yard trees can beat that estimate.

As cold weather settles in you may end up with an influx of mice wanting to use your house as a winter retreat. There are several mouse species in our area, but thankfully only a few pose a problem for humans.

Bird watching is a favorite pastime for many nature lovers, but it’s often hard to find time to get out and see them. You can enjoy them at home by setting up a feeding station or two. This will also give you the added satisfaction while helping the birds through severe weather, especially extreme cold and snow. Before you begin feeding, keep in mind that once you begin winter feeding, you need to keep it up regularly. The birds become dependent on you, rather than natural sources, and it may prove a great hardship for them if you suddenly stop.

By: Steve Roark
Volunteer Interpreter, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Deer are social creatures and they need to communicate with one another. Sometimes it’s one-on-one trash talk, while other times it’s an alarm to an entire group.

By: Steve Roark
Volunteer Interpreter, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Spiders have been stereotyped as being dangerous and the natural tendency is to squash them before taking time to consider how beneficial and interesting they are. Their most unique talent is producing silk and spinning it into webs to catch prey.

By: Steve Roark
Volunteer Interpreter, Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

Black walnut is well known to most folks, but there is another walnut native to our area. Butternut (Juglans cinerea), also called White walnut, likes to grow in the same deep, moist soils like its black cousin, but is becoming rare to find.