As we head into the Christmas season on this quasquicentennial year, I have to wonder what the first South Dakotans were doing exactly 125 years ago.
We know life on the prairie could be rough during those early years, especially for families who had just arrived in South Dakota from the east or from abroad. I'm sure that first Christmas was probably a let-down for some of the newcomers who were struggling to make a living and provide for their families.
Such was the story of the Johnson family that came to this area from Sweden. Though Mr. and Mrs. Johnson did what they could to celebrate the season, they knew the coming Christmas would be a meager celebration compared to the holidays they spent together in Sweden.
Instead of the Swedish meatballs, chicken, potato sausage, baked rolls and Christmas cakes they typically enjoyed at Christmas dinner, the family had to make do with pickled herring, summer sausage and rye krisp. There were no Christmas gifts that year, no Christmas tree and no church nearby where they could attend Christmas services. Instead, the Johnsons joined with a neighboring family to celebrate Christmas and sing Christmas carols.
Mrs. Johnson told her children that even though they didn't have much that Christmas, they were still richly blessed because they had each other.
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It might seem funny that the Johnsons felt so blessed on that Christmas when they had so little. But then again, isn't that the point? Christmas should not be about the presents we receive, the food we enjoy or even the Christmas tree. It's about being thankful for what we have, and most importantly, for the people in our lives. That's what the Christmas stories in our state's history are all about.
This holiday season, I hope you'll find time to travel to Pierre, to see the Christmas at the Capitol display, which commemorates 125 years of Christmas in South Dakota.
This year, the display consists of nearly 100 trees. Our biggest tree, a 37-foot blue spruce, has been decorated by statehood celebration committees and fourth-graders from all across the state. Come to see it between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. on any day through Dec. 27.
I hope to see you there.
