Newcomers to the Cove: Christmas at Grandpap's Farm

When I was growing up, at Christmas our family would travel to Grandpap’s farm along Bloomfield Road. This soirée was always the Sunday before Christmas Day. It seemed to me that in addition to celebrating the Nativity, another purpose was a family reunion. It was a time to catch up. Aunts and uncles reminisced. The winter of 1936 was a common topic of discussion. Why was it always colder and snowier in the “good old days?”

It was a one-hour drive, as I-99 didn’t exist, so this was the one Sunday we skipped church to arrive on time. Dad’s 1956 Ford station wagon was filled with our family of f...