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Illustration from "The Night Before Christmas (In Texas That Is)" by Leon A. Harris and Meg Wohlberg
A Hardscrabble Holiday
In the following account, we hear from a man on the Texas frontier whose Christmas was less than merry. May your holiday be less soggy, your dog well-behaved, and the "muscal" aplenty.
"We had an awful day, and were out of provisions and corn and everything, and nearly got frozen... 5 A.M. got up from under wagon and found icicles all about. X-- and I started in the middle of the day on horseback for the nearest ranche to get corn for the houses.
It was awful cold and raining, and we thought we had lost our way, but at last we heard the roosters crowing and got to the ranche, where we thawed and had coffee and 'muscal,' or brandy made from cactus. Then we started back and dried the blankets and things as well as possible in a rain... We had killed a wild pig, and had intended to have boar's head for Christmas dinner... but unfortunately a dog ran off with the head."
From "Christmas on the American Frontier, 1800-1900," by John E. Baur.
A 1985 brochure for fruitcakes at Collin Street Bakery.
Does there exist the perfect place for someone who loves both history and baked goods in equal measure? Yes! Behold, a list of historic bakeries, all of them past recipients of the Texas Treasure Business Award, which honors Texas businesses that have been in operation for at least fifty years. The youngest bakery on this list is 58 years old, so believe us when we say they know what they're doing. Would someone please share our list with Sharon?
Collin Street Bakery (1896) in Corsicana. What to get: the fruitcake, of course!
Haby's Alsatian Bakery (1940) in Castroville. What to get: apple fritters or the kugelhopf, a sweet yeast bread filled with apples and raisins and baked in a Bundt pan.
Lukas Bakery (1947) in La Grange. What to get: kolaches and cherry nut cookies.
Mary of Puddin Hill (1839) in Palestine. What to get: In the battle of the fruitcakes, we'd prefer not to get involved, but the oldest bakery on this list is famous for them. Also try the apricot little puds or the pecan pie minis.
Nadler Bakery (1963) in San Antonio. What to get: bread and butter pudding.
Slaton Bakery (1923) in Slaton. What to get: You've probably seen their famously delicious vanilla wafers and ginger snaps at your local HEB, but it turns out they make all manner of delicious things in their brick-and-mortar bakery!
Three Brothers Bakery (1949) in Houston. What to get: stollen or their wreath cookie cakes.
Weikel's Store and Bakery (1929) in La Grange. What to get: fruit and cream kolaches in nearly twenty different flavors.
These traditional turned-wood whisks can be found in many homes in Texas and across Latin America. They are used to prepare hot holiday beverages like champurrado or hot chocolate. The molinillo is held between the palms and rotated by rubbing the palms together. This rotation creates froth in the drink and can help break up the pieces of chocolate bark. And feel free to sing along as you spin your molinillo: "bate, bate, chocolate!"
"Niños Pidiendo Posada," by Diego Rivera. 1953.
In sixteenth-century Mexico and other parts of Latin America, Spanish missionaries used a dramatization of the journey of Mary and Joseph to teach Native peoples about the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, this reenactment of la posada (or "the inn") is still celebrated by communities around Texas. The pilgrimage recreates Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem as they search for and are denied lodging. Traditionally, the event lasts nine days and a different home hosts a posada each night between Dec.16-24, but you'll more often encounter a shortened version, with neighbors visiting several houses, or "inns," on foot over the course of a single night. At the end of the journey, the crowd celebrates with more carols, a feast of hot chocolate, tamales, and buñuelos, and a piñata shaped like the star that is said to have guided the three wise men.
Here are a few well-known posadas around Texas:
Dec. 11, Christmas Posada hosted by the City of Pharr.
Dec. 15, La Posada Navideña presented by Ballet Folklórico de Austin.
Dec. 17, La Gran Posada hosted by the Hispanic Heritage Society of San Antonio.
Dec. 19, La Gran Posada at the San Fernando Cathedral in San Antonio.
Through Jan. 2, Posadas at Traders Village in Grand Prairie.
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With every company headed for the metaverse, our announcement of a flashy new design for our heritage travel website, Texas Time Travel, makes us feel a bit like this Victorian-era robot, The Steam Man. But we promise the bells and whistles of the new Texas Time Travel are century-appropriate!
Heading to a computational device near you in 2022!
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Upcoming Events:
Love touring historic homes decorated for the holidays? Or dutch-oven cooking over an open fire? How about joining a nearly 100-year-old football tradition? We do, too. That's why this list is a gift from us to you!
Brazos Trail Region:
Dec. 11, Christmas Parade and Market, Hearne
Feb. 5, Hatitude, A Celebration of Black History Month, Elgin
Dec. 10-12, Christmas Stroll, Salado
Jan. 28 - March 16, "Aliento a Tequila," exhibit on the traditions of tequila-making, Temple
Forest Trail Region:
Dec. 9-11, Jefferson Candlelight Tour of Homes, Jefferson
Dec. 11, Dogwood Jamboree, Palestine
Dec. 11, Houston Family Christmas at the Sam Houston Memorial Museum, Huntsville
Dec. 16, Christmas Carol Sing-Along at the Historic Texas Theatre, Palestine
Feb. 24-27, Mardi Gras of Southeast Texas, Beaumont
Forts Trail Region:
Through Dec. 31, Concho Christmas Celebration, San Angelo
Hill Country Trail Region:
Through Dec. 24, Old West Christmas Light Fest, Boerne
Through Dec. 31, Cowboy Christmas events all month long, Bandera
Through Jan. 1, Walkway of Lights, Marble Falls
Jan. 15, Luckenbach Blues Festival, Luckenbach
Feb. 10-27, San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo, San Antonio
Independence Trail Region:
Dec. 10-12, German Christmas Market, Tomball
Dec. 11, Island of Nighttime Kites, Surfside Beach
Fridays & Saturdays through Dec. 18, Santa Claus Museum Open for Season, Columbus
Dec. 18, Candlelight Christmas at Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site, West Columbia
Dec. 10-11, 17-18, 19-23, Trail of Lights, La Grange
Through Jan. 1, Exhibit: "Color Over the Border," on Czechs in Texas, Houston
Jan. 15 & Feb. 19, Market Day at Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site, West Columbia
Jan. 17, MLK Grande Parade, Houston
Feb. 5, "Cowboy Up" and learn to rope cattle, sample dutch-oven cooking, & more, Angleton
Feb. 18 - March 21, Mardi Gras! Galveston, Galveston
Lakes Trail Region:
Dec. 11, Florence Ranch Homestead's 150th Celebration, Mesquite
Dec. 11, Historic Waxahachie Christmas Tour of Homes, Waxahachie
Weekends through Dec. 26, Lights on the Farm at the Heritage Farmstead Museum, Plano
Through Dec. 31, Exhibit: "John Wayne: An American Experience," Fort Worth
Through Jan. 2 (Closed on Mondays), Texas Christkindl Market, Arlington
Through Jan. 6, Christmas Capital of Texas: Multiple events, Grapevine
Through Jan. 9, Exhibit: "Canvas and Silk: Historic Fashion from Madrid's Museo del Traje," Dallas
Jan. 15, Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Mesquite
Feb. 12, Be Mine at the Ranch, Mesquite
Feb. 25-26, Mardi Gras Nocona Style!, Nocona
Feb. 26, Main Street Mardi Gras, Downtown Sherman
Feb. 26, JazzFest debuts in Granbury Square Plaza, Granbury
Pecos Trail Region:
Jan. 5-15, Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo, Odessa
March 4-5, Fort Clark Days, Brackettville
Plains Trail Region:
Dec. 9, Christmas in the Barn at the Ericson Farm and Ranch Museum, Crosbyton
Dec. 10-11, Candelight at the Ranch at National Ranching Heritage Center, Lubbock
Dec. 10-11, Spring Lake Festival of Lights, Canyon
Dec. 16, Christmas Parade and Santa on the Square, Floydada
Dec. 16, Ribbon Cutting: Panhandle Plains Historical Museum and Education Credit Union History Studio, Canyon
Tues-Saturday through Dec. 17, Christmas Tree Forest at Heritage Museum of Big Spring, Big Spring
Through Dec. 25, Comanche Trail Festival of Lights, Big Spring
Through Dec. 31, Celebration of Lights, Pampa
Jan. 1, First Day Hikes at State Parks: Lake Colorado City, Caprock Canyon, Palo Duro, and Copper Breaks, multiple sites
Through Jan. 2, Amarillo Museum of Art Biennial 600, Amarillo
First Fridays, First Friday Art Trail at LHUCA & Downtown Lubbock, Lubbock
Jan. 29, Silver Wings Ball at Hangar 25 Air Museum, Big Spring
Feb. 14, Plains Trail Highway 214 on 2-14: Promoting Communities Along Hwy 214, multiple locations
Mountain Trail Region:
Dec. 31, Sun Bowl and Fan Fiesta since 1935, El Paso
Feb. 18-19, Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering, Alpine
Tropical Trail Region:
Dec. 10-12, Zoo Nights and Lights at the Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville
Dec. 11, Caroling at the Mansion at Fulton Mansion State Historic Site, Rockport
Dec. 12, Fiesta de Nochebuena at the Museum of South Texas History, Edinburg
Through Jan. 2, Hidalgo Festival of Lights, Hidalgo
Through Jan. 2, Exhibit: "Rembrandt and the Jews," at the Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
Jan. 29, Parade of Oranges, Mission
Feb. 24-27, Whooping Crane Festival, Port Aransas
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