Navigation

Culture Club: A Volunteer Perspective on Natural Christmas

The Ridges Sanctuary will host its 15th Natural Christmas event Dec. 10.  Visitors can stroll the luminaria-lit boardwalks and visit the festive Kaye Cabin for homemade cookies, warm cider, hot chocolate, and holiday music. A warm campfire for roasting marshmallows and chestnuts completes the evening. 

There’s a wreath-making workshop and free holiday crafts, guided hikes and tours of the Range Light are available, and The Nature Store is open to shop nature-themed stocking stuffers, housewares, and clothing.

The event owes much to the volunteers and sponsors who make it possible, including Anschutz Plumbing, Kate and Kevin Moss, the Vanersee family, Diana Whitney, Dave Zuhlke and Jane McKie. But especially to volunteers Jane Whitney and Julie Knox, who for 15 years have contributed time, effort, and talent to make Natural Christmas an event for families to create nature-loving holiday traditions. We asked them to tell us what goes into the celebration.

A cabin decorated for Natural Christmas. Submitted.

What are your roles in the event?

Beginning in the summer and continuing until the day of the event in December, we collect and dry botanical materials to decorate the tree and cabin and cut the greenery for the wreath-making workshops. We make many of the decorations and sort through our own things to see what will fit the theme and we decorate the log cabin both inside and out. And we have a daily picnic lunch in the cabin or on the truck tailgate which always ends with cream puffs. After the party is cleanup, often spread over several months as time allows. We leave some of the outside decorations up for others to enjoy through the winter and finish final clean-up in the Spring. As we work, we’re already thinking ahead to the next year or two and planning themes.

How did the event come to be?  

One day in 2008, Ridges staff member Carol Schuster said, “Say you two, wouldn’t the log cabins be a great place to have a Christmas party?”  

How has it evolved over the years?  

From one tree and a few decorated store shelves in what used to be the Nature Center, we now cover as much as we can of those same walls – even the ceiling – with greenery and decorations that extend to the outside. Instead of general Christmas decorations only, we now emphasize a theme, such as birds, cabin life, Scandinavian Christmas, wildlife, music, snow-fun, etc. Wreath-making workshops, lighthouse tours, family crafts, luminaries on the boardwalks, live music, a wonderful model train, a campfire with snacks, hikes through the woods, and more cookies have all been added over the years. Cook-Albert Fuller Nature Center is now part of the event as well. Many, many volunteers come together to make this a special event.

What makes it so special?  

Everything is just so over-the-top. Everything is decorated and displayed beyond normal expectations. Many families return year after year, and we’ve watched their kids grow up throughout the years. And the cookies! I think volunteers and staff are trying to outdo each other on deliciousness.

Tell us about this year’s theme, “Winter Wonderland.” 

It’s meant to be about everything “winter” and the “wonder” that comes with all that white snow. 

What do you hear most from visitors to this event?  

“It’s so old-fashioned.” 

“It reminds me of when I was young.” 

“I love how everything is decorated.” 

“See my wreath? I’ve never made one before. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Is there a message you want to put out about Natural Christmas or The Ridges?  

Come early, enjoy the trails, tour the Range Light, listen to the music, make a craft, roast a marshmallow, make a wreath. It’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon, a reminder of how much fun a low-key, simple event can be, and a chance to experience the beauty of The Ridges Sanctuary. 

Natural Christmas runs from 3 to 6 pm on Saturday, Dec. 10, at the Cabins at The Ridges, 8288 County Q, Baileys Harbor. Admission is free. The program offers a wreath-making workshop for $25 and includes all materials for one wreath. Additional wreaths and swags are $15 each. For more information, call 920-839-2802 or visit ridgessanctuary.org.

Events

Related Organizations