


Holiday images are indelible. Iconic artists have drafted and crafted the imagery that for many of us defines the New England experience in our heads and hearts. New England can rightly claim pride in the inspiration it has provided for so many artists, photographers, writers and musicians this time of year. "Moonlight in Vermont," an old chestnut of a tune, catches many of the sights, sounds and feelings of the season. ("..falling leaves a sycamore, icy fingers wave, ski trails on a mountainside, snow light in Vermont.")
Horse drawn sleighs, old red barns, snowy lanes, and smoking chimneys in a farmhouse setting have been the romantic and everlasting backdrops for Christmas and holiday cards for as long as they have been made here. They would seem empty without them.
Holiday times in these parts means you can visit many more farms that remain open and welcoming right up until the last. Purchase local foods and products, tag and cut your own Christmas tree, order up a full-course Thanksgiving feast and browse an ever-wider selection of gifts in the increasing number of shoppes that have taken root down on our farms.
These places and the good people that run them are themselves, special gifts to us all. We can show our appreciation for their steadfastness simply by stopping by "on a snowy eve" and taking home something lovingly produced from their handiwork for family and friends.
To all our farms and farmers, thanks for the memories!