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Yes, Scherenschnitte (pronounced SHNEER-en-shnit-tah). A German word that translates as scissor cuts, it is an ancient craft of cutting paper into decorations, and it’s part of the ninth annual Old Fashioned Christmas at the Houston County Historical Society.
Each year, the Society brings a different theme to its Christmas showcase. This year, said President Shirley Johnson, the board chose “elegance.”
A three-dimensional winter scene crafted by Irene Hosch of Caledonia will be raffled off today at 4 p.m. All proceeds go to the building fund for a 10,000-square-foot addition to the museum.
Several of the eight historical buildings on History Lane were decorated and displayed with elegant antiques.
A display case at the museum held a sterling silver Victorian table setting, loaned to the Society for the weekend. “It’s fun for people to share their collections with the Society,” Johnson said.
A display of wool mittens adorned an antique dresser at the Flatten-Swenson Pioneer Home, built in 1880 by Norwegian settlers. The tree was decorated not with a string of lights, but with wax candles and hand-blown Victorian ornaments.
The Daley School held a collection of doll houses, built of paper and tin and some from the Victorian era. The country school also had a Christmas tree, a cedar tree, which was typical for schoolhouses, Johnson explained.
Anita Palmquist remembers teaching at a country school similar to the Historical Society’s acquired schoolhouse. In the 1940s, Palmquist taught about 24 kids in six grade levels in a one-room schoolhouse.
Every Christmas, she is reminded of these days through her involvement with the Historical Society. Each year, a family would volunteer to cut down a tree for the school. Students brought in homemade ornaments.
Although space heaters kept the Daley School toasty for visitors Saturday, Palmquist remembers it not being so warm.
“I never had to tell them to carry in the wood and water,” she said of her former students. “We were like a family.”
The Christmas plays were always a big production, she said. Starting three weeks before Christmas, they would end classes early to rehearse for the show.
“It was the only opportunity rural students had to play act and sing,” Palmquist said.
Dave Jores brought his kids from Appleton, Wis., to explore the Historical Society on Saturday while they visited their grandparents in Caledonia.
Eric, 9, and Andrea, 7, are participating in a Christmas play at their school this year. The play is about the Christmas star.
Their grandfather, Rolf Jore, a former president of the Historical Society, said it’s fun for kids to see how their grandparents lived.
Dave Jores was happy to share Christmas with his family the old-fashioned way.
“You can Google or do other searches,” he said, “but at the end of the day, things are in places like this.”
