Christmas wishes

Because the surrounding forest came down into nearly every resident's backyard, the Ashland committee charged with finding a Christmas tree for the town's ...

Johnson, a Methodist minister and friend who stayed with the Russells when he came to town, persuaded Ann to give in and accept the appointment. “Our community tree was a great success,” Ann Russell said. Most of the children received a small gift along with a bag of candy, but there were two more expensive gifts. On the tree, strings of popcorn swirled up and down branches, along with twisted chains of colored paper in between. These two articles cost one dollar each.” Initially she refused, claiming it was unfair to appoint someone who hadn’t attended the meeting.