A JOURNEY THROUGH THE CATSKILL MOUNTAINS

By Greg Madden

This year, I am breaking my own cardinal rule by blowing past Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday: turkey stuffing pies, no commercialism just friends and family) to write about the coming December holidays during early November. That is the reality of writing each month and the publishing world and its timetable. Please forgive me as I attempt to forgive myself.

This fictitious reflection is to share how some families enjoy each other and the holidays as both residents and visitors of our region.

We begin our snowy holiday cheer in a made-up town of Elk Haven, NY at the highest peak of the Catskills, with visions of sugarplums dancing everywhere, as well as in our heads.

December has arrived in its own quiet, magical way. Snow is blanketing our peaks, transforming the forested slopes into a winter wonderland. Elk Haven is alive with the twinkling of holiday lights strung along its narrow streets, and the scent of evergreen and cinnamon are decking our halls. For generations, several families once again gather in Elk Haven for holiday celebrations, some as visitors and others as longtime residents, to partake in cherished traditions that have been passed down or adopted over time.

Our first family, the Blackwoods who live downstate, annually return to the Catskills as a cherished family tradition beginning with Daniel Blackwood, who’d first fallen in love with our