Christmas Memories
A Christmas wreath hangs in the window of the original site of the Enchanted Cottage in Lewisville, North Carolina.
Thoughts of Family
The final photos I’ll share from the recent snowfall were taken at the site of the old mill in Lewisville, now primarily occupied by the Enchanted Cottage, a popular rubber stamping, scrapbooking and papercrafts business.
My fascination with the mill goes back to my childhood, when I used to play there with my younger brother, Ed. Our grandfather, Fielden H. Jennings, Sr., owned the mill. Several of my uncles and my mother, Grace, the youngest of ten children, helped run the family business for almost 60 years.
In fact, my mother was born in the old “cottage” next to the mill. A year after her birth, the family moved into their new brick home next door. (For more on the history of my family’s association with the mill, please read the article on Lewisville Roller Mills.)
Christmas at Grandma’s
Today, I especially think back on going to Grandma’s for lunch on Christmas Day. Of course, in those days we called the midday meal “dinner.”
Christmas at Grandma’s was so much fun. I can still hear the warm Christmas greetings as family members and guests arrived. Excited conversations of aunts, uncles and cousins were taking place throughout the house. (When all of the children and grandchildren arrived, the house was quite populated!)
We kids might also have brought with us some of the Christmas gifts we’d received at home that morning, and we’d be playing with them and showing them to our cousins.
I remember the wonderful aromas coming from my grandmother’s kitchen. The long dining room table would eventually be filled with all sorts of scrumptious foods. After eating we’d gather, as best we could, around the Christmas tree in the living room and pass out gifts.
Christmas Today
Time has marched on, though, and so many of the family are no longer with us. That is one of the deepest sorrows connected to Christmas. Yet we have the memories, the love, and the hope that comes from knowing we’ll one day see our loved ones again.
May God bless you this Christmas Day, and give you the hope, the joy and the love that meet your deepest needs and longings.
Photo Gallery
Please enjoy some of the snowy, Christmas-themed photos of the old mill and the Enchanted Cottage in the Lewisville Mill-Enchanted Cottage photo gallery.
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