Christmas Merriment
Ken Batten
January 01, 2026
I try not to watch the Hallmark channel, but sometimes I find it on the TV for my wife and I read the upcoming shows to her so she can keep busy at whatever she's doing. I have noticed that you can watch Hallmark Christmas shows all summer and it seems like a lot of them are set in Vermont. I couldn't help but look it up. There have been seventeen Hallmark Christmas shows set in Vermont over the years.
I didn't realize it when I was growing up, but I was born right in amongst some of the most photographed villages in the United States. Waits River, East Corinth, East Topsham and East Orange. Those villages scenes were used in Christmas cards and advertising since the early 1900's. Vermont Life magazine quite often featured photos from our beautiful little towns.
While those photos of our quaint little villages with images of walking in a winter wonderland give you a wonderful feeling of nostalgia, I don't think the Hallmark characters would feel that comfortable there. They would be much happier in our rich towns like Woodstock or Stowe with all their shops and restaurants. Our little villages only had a general store, a church and a small one or two room schoolhouse, and everything outside of work and general living was mostly centered around those institutions.
The general store had everything you needed, but when it came to Christmas we went way down to Bradford, fifteen miles away where we could shop at Hills 5 and 10 cent store. I could buy presents for my parents, brother and three sisters for just a few dollars back in the 1960's. Hill's had everything. Years later when I went to school at Oxbow in Bradford, I became friends with Ed Wendell who ran Hill's, his family business, and with his brother Vinnie who turned the Colatina Restaurant into a success.
Every December we had our traditions in school and church that probably hadn't changed for generations. There was always the Christmas tree, presents and lots of good treats.
We even had a Santa Claus come to our Methodist church Christmas program in Waits River. Us little kids got to sit on his lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas
I was real young and kind of scared of him. One of my sisters said that his breath smelled like beer. My Dad, who always looked for the good side of everyone said, "Well, he probably needed it to get his courage up."
We had our community programs, but Christmas day was all about families celebrating together at home. My parents always made Christmas a special time for us and they made sure that we understood why we celebrated.
The beginning of the Gospel of John explains why Jesus came as a man. John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
2 Corinthians explains that, He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Ken Batten grew up on a small sheep farm in West Topsham VT. He was a logging contractor, soldier and rural mail carrier. He now lives in North Hyde Park VT with his wife Tina-Marie. You can contact Ken at kenbatvt@gmail.com or PO Box 5 N Hyde Park VT 05665
I didn't realize it when I was growing up, but I was born right in amongst some of the most photographed villages in the United States. Waits River, East Corinth, East Topsham and East Orange. Those villages scenes were used in Christmas cards and advertising since the early 1900's. Vermont Life magazine quite often featured photos from our beautiful little towns.
While those photos of our quaint little villages with images of walking in a winter wonderland give you a wonderful feeling of nostalgia, I don't think the Hallmark characters would feel that comfortable there. They would be much happier in our rich towns like Woodstock or Stowe with all their shops and restaurants. Our little villages only had a general store, a church and a small one or two room schoolhouse, and everything outside of work and general living was mostly centered around those institutions.
The general store had everything you needed, but when it came to Christmas we went way down to Bradford, fifteen miles away where we could shop at Hills 5 and 10 cent store. I could buy presents for my parents, brother and three sisters for just a few dollars back in the 1960's. Hill's had everything. Years later when I went to school at Oxbow in Bradford, I became friends with Ed Wendell who ran Hill's, his family business, and with his brother Vinnie who turned the Colatina Restaurant into a success.
Every December we had our traditions in school and church that probably hadn't changed for generations. There was always the Christmas tree, presents and lots of good treats.
We even had a Santa Claus come to our Methodist church Christmas program in Waits River. Us little kids got to sit on his lap and tell him what we wanted for Christmas
I was real young and kind of scared of him. One of my sisters said that his breath smelled like beer. My Dad, who always looked for the good side of everyone said, "Well, he probably needed it to get his courage up."
We had our community programs, but Christmas day was all about families celebrating together at home. My parents always made Christmas a special time for us and they made sure that we understood why we celebrated.
The beginning of the Gospel of John explains why Jesus came as a man. John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind, The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
2 Corinthians explains that, He who knew no sin became sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Ken Batten grew up on a small sheep farm in West Topsham VT. He was a logging contractor, soldier and rural mail carrier. He now lives in North Hyde Park VT with his wife Tina-Marie. You can contact Ken at kenbatvt@gmail.com or PO Box 5 N Hyde Park VT 05665
This is the cover of a book that the author owns showing the Waits River Methodist church where his family attended for many years.
Have a story?
Let's hear it!
(802) 757-2773
(603) 787-2444
news@thebridgeweekly.com
