Old Farm Country Christmas: Favorite Recipes, Homespun Crafts, and Merry Memories

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.  Read more