Trailing A Little Behind: A Red Flannel Christmas

My Grandma and Grandpa Clark live in Cedar Springs, Michigan, a.k.a Red Flannel Town.  Every October is the Red Flannel Festival in which they crown a Red Flannel Queen and celebrate all things red flannel.  It's a delightful tradition in a delightful little town.  And everywhere you go, there are clear indicators of the town's charming allegiance to the iconic red pajamas.

So naturally, Grandma and Grandpa and all their kids had a pair of red flannels, like most everyone else in Cedar Springs.  This photo is from 1978.

And then, when the grandkids came along, Grandma and Grandpa proudly supplied all of us with our own red flannel pajamas.  This was Christmas 1991.

So when my Grandma and Grandpa gave us Christmas money this year to buy a present for Caleb on their behalf, my first instinct was – you guessed it – red flannel pajamas!  And to top it off, I found these.  Nothing could be more perfect for our moose baby :)  Trailing a little behind indeed!



We celebrated Christmas with the Clarks yesterday and Grandma was pretty excited to see Caleb's new duds.  But I also have to tell you how excited I was for my own Christmas present from my cousin Peter.  He drew my name for Christmas and decided, quite appropriately, to go with a hobbit-themed gift for me.  I could not have been more excited!  In addition to some other amazing hobbit-related items, the jewel of my Christmas bundle was this homemade art piece he crafted of Song of the Lonely Mountain which the dwarves sing at the beginning of their adventures.  It's crazy awesome and incredibly creative.  I love love love it!  Hats off to you, Peter.  May your beard grow ever longer.

Far over the misty mountains cold

To dungeons deep and caverns old

We must away ere break of day

To seek the pale enchanted gold.

....

The pines were roaring on the height,

The winds were moaning in the night.

The fire was red, it flaming spread;

The trees like torches blazed with light.