A Journey Through the Catskill Mountains

Four Family Holiday Celebrations

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 mountains as a wee child. Every year, he brings his family back to Elk Haven, staying at the very same lodge they have rented for decades. They love returning to this dwelling, near the icy, and often skateable, Echo Lake. This living space is as much a part of their family holiday celebration as any of its human members, holding vivid memories of challenging jigsaw puzzle attempts and fireside stories.

On the first morning of their stay, Daniel, his wife, Sarah, and their three children, Mia, Liz and Jonah, set off for their ritual sunrise hike up Red Point Trail. The trail is always quiet save for the occasional chirp of winter birds or the crunch of their boots in the snow. Once at the top, they share thermoses of hot cocoa, pouring a little extra into one special mug they called the “Catskill Cocoa Toast.” Holding that mug, each family member takes turns saying what they were most grateful for that year, a way to mark the start of their holiday week with gratitude and reflection.

Once they return from their hike, the Blackwoods head down to the annual “Elk Haven Winter Festival.” The town square is transformed into a scene from a snow globe, complete with ice sculptures, carolers, and even the scent of roasting chestnuts. The kiddos always beg to ride the sleigh pulled by a team of sturdy Percheron horses, an intelligent draft horse originating from western France, often larger than a Clydesdale. The sound of bells jingling as they ride through the snow-covered streets make them feel like they are in a storybook, and inserted right here in the December 2024 Guide, they are.

At night, back at their cabin, the family settles around the cavernous fireplace with their hands clasped around mugs of warm mulled cider. This year, Sarah has prepared a special story. It was one about the old legendary folklore of the Catskills. She speaks of spirits in the woods, ancient trees that whispered hushed secrets, and the snowflakes that carry well wishes. The Blackwood children huddle closer to their parents, caught up in the mystery of the mountains they have come to love dearly.

First time visitors, the Hayes family are looking for a new holiday tradition so they take a recommendation from new friends and choose our Catskills. They recently moved from Columbus, Ohio to rural Pennsylvania, only a few months ago. For them, the mountains were a fresh adventure. December has always meant neon city lights and department store displays, but here, the landscape feels more like a painting come to life for them.

Nina Hayes, her husband Mark, and their two teenagers, Will and Ellie, are staying at a charming log cabin resort just outside of town. On their first night, the family gathered on the porch to admire the brilliance of the stars, which seem so much closer than they had in the city. The silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire pit, has them feeling peaceful and connected to something much larger than themselves, within a quiet calm.

Inspired by the Catskills natural beauty, Nina starts a new tradition for her family: a “Holiday Letter to the Mountains.” Each of them is given a piece of paper to write down something they want to release along with something they hope for in the year to come. They fold the letters into small stars and hang them on a branch in front of the cabin, letting the wind carry their hopes and dreams higher. The kids grumble a bit, but as they write, they fall silent, swept up by the peace and the beauty of their immediate surroundings. The Catskill experience is healing, both centering and grounding and more.

The next day, they venture into Elk Haven for the town’s holiday scavenger hunt. Will and Ellie, initially reluctant tweens, quickly find themselves caught up in the fun, sprinting from one historical landmark to the next as they decipher clues and learn about the town’s rich heritage and history. They end the day at a small bonfire on the edge of the town square, where the locals invite them to join in the singing of traditional winter songs. It is a simple evening, yet Nina knows that the experience will live on in their memories for years to come.

The Sampsons are a family that divides their year between the Catskills and Manhattan. For the past few winters, they come up early in mid-December, escaping the city’s holiday rush to celebrate in a more serene and natural setting. Their children, Max and Lily, love the change of pace, and over the years, they have created their own unique blend of traditions.

One of their favorite rituals is the “Elk Haven Winter Challenge,” an annual competition between Max, Lily, and their parents that includes everything from snowball-throwing contests to “speed-sledding” down the nearby hills. Max always insists on creating elaborate “obstacle courses” for their sleds, while Lily’s main goal is to come home with as much snow in her hair as possible.

As twilight falls silhouetted by the Catskill peaks, they return to their holiday home and make a sumptuous dinner entirely from scratch. The Sampsons follow a tradition of cooking a dish from each family member’s heritage, filling their table with unique flavors from Polish pierogies to a Feast of the Seven Fishes. With no phones allowed, they eat by candlelight, sharing stories of their favorite memories from the past year—a tradition that honors their ancestors and the current generation.

One morning, before exchanging gifts, the family dresses up in matching plaid shirts and ski pants and they drive to a quiet trail just outside of town. They hike through the snowy woods to a small clearing where they decorate their special “wild woods Christmas tree.” It is a small fir they’d claim as their own years ago, adorning it with garlands made of popcorn, cranberries, and homemade ornaments. Their “tree in the woods” had become a symbol of their time in the Catskills, a reminder of family connection combined with the magic of nature. It was their “Charlie Brown”-esque holiday tradition.

In contrast to the above families, the Abrams family has lived exclusively in Elk Haven for generations. They own the town’s bakery, beloved by all and named Abrams Cake & Coffee, known for its rich chocolate babka and gingerbread houses, crafted with astonishing detail. For the Abrams crew, December is a time of bustling business, but also of joy and community.

Sam Abrams, the patriarch, runs the bakery alongside his wife, Miriam, and their two children, Rachel and Levi. Every December 23, they close early to host the town’s “Bake for Blessings” event, a tradition Sam’s grandmother had started in the 1960’s.

Residents gather within the warmth of the bakery with aprons donned to bake treats for the local nursing home and nearby shelter. Little kids decorate cookies covered in confection, while the adults share stories and laughs over the flour-dusted counters and sipping eggnog with nutmeg and cinnamon.

After that, the Abrams family again enjoys their own private ritual. They bundle up and walk to the old apple orchard on the edge of town. Once assembled, they place small birdseed ornaments on the branches of trees. The ornaments are shaped like stars, hearts, and even little gingerbread people, strung with red ribbons. Rachel jokes that it is her “secret wish-making place,” while Levi asks for one more story about the snowy owls that live in the nearby woods and fly about at night. Their ritual is simple, but for the Abrams family, it is a grounding reminder of the small acts of kindness that holds their beloved community together.

As the season progresses, these families find their paths crossing. The Abrams family invites the Hayes family to help bake cookies for the town’s “Bake for Blessings” event, a gesture that meant the world to the newcomers. Daniel Blackwood joined the Sampsons’ outrageous snowball competition while showing his kids how to construct the perfect snow fort, and Sarah shared a hot toddy with Nina on the sidelines.

As the families celebrate and share their own heritages and traditions, the snow began to fall softly, all four families gathered in the town square for the lighting of Elk Haven’s grand holiday tree. The children sing songs and carols for the season with their voices ringing clear in the frosty air, while their parents huddle together, exchanging stories of how they each found their way to this precious little haven .

For the residents, it is a time to strengthen bonds; for the visitors, it is a seasonal sense of belonging to our Catskills. They all watch as the lights flickered on, illuminating the town against the mountain backdrop, casting a glow on each family and their hopes for the new year ahead.

As the night winds down, the families slowly part ways, each heading back to their homes, lodges or cabins, their hearts full of warmth and joy. In the glow of the lights, it is clear that they have shared something precious: the knowledge that, whether as visitors or residents, they are part of the magic of our Catskills, held together by the anchor of our mountains, along with their traditions, and the love they share that makes the holiday season here so unforgettable.

As we all pause to give thanks this holiday season, let us all remember to look out for those without family or the elderly, who often feel the emptiness of the holidays. Please reach out and add these folks to your annual traditions and they will multiply your own bounty and blessings.

Finally, please stay and shop locally in our Catskill hamlets for sumptuous holiday meals and explore the unique local gifts available to all and especially frequent our remarkable local businesses and advertisers.

Happy, Merry Ho Ho’s to us all.

Greg Madden is a freelance writer, public relations, branding and marketing specialist who practices ancient healing modalities like Tui-Na Medical Massage and BioPhoton LightTherapy. More at www.IlluminatingWellness.care.