The wonderful Nutcracker Village in downtown Steubenville continues to evoke a feeling of joy, goodwill and generosity experienced during this holiday season, like Christmastime, which is part of the festive traditions, Tchaikovsky’s dance of the sugar plum fairy, a kindness, and spending time with loved ones.

This cavalier Toy Soldier world of the Mouse King is cultivated by decorating, listening to Dean Martin sing “White Christmas” and a Sunday School choral performing, baking fresh gingerbread cookies, and general positive cinnamon in the air feelings, giving a new generation memories they can treasure, the way early generations had spent the days leading up to Dec. 25 shopping in the Hub Department Store that sat along Market Street. Beginning with sending letters to the North Pole, the tradition of writing to St. Nick dates to the early part of the 19th century.

The Ruler of the Sweets kids from 1 to 99 keeps a close eye on the weather this time of year.

Locally, a white Christmas with 1 inch or more of snow, which has provided Santa sleigh traction, has officially been written down only about 15 percent of the time.

On this Christmas Eve, we look back on when 3 inches of snow were on the ground since the last noel of World War II. Those years were: 1944, 1975, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2020.

In the early afternoon of Dec. 11, the great snowstorm of 1944 began in Steubenville, and throughout the Valley, the white stuff would fall until Dec. 13.

The single-day total remains the second-highest accumulation, only being surpassed by the Thanksgiving 1950 blizzard.

As Rudolph, the other reindeer and a Jolly Old Elf flew through the sky in search of some freshly-baked cookies and a cold glass of milk, a key part of the tradition is being asleep when Santa arrives, boys and girls.

The “Freddie the Freeloader Christmas Dinner” 1981 HBO Special holds a special place in residents’ memories. The Red Skelton hobo character touched the hearts of locals who recall the young performer in Steubenville years earlier.

Some harken back to cutting a fresh pine in the woods, then finding an old bird’s nest with a forgotten egg to adorn the evergreen, dropping and breaking a treasured bulb, stringing fresh berries and popcorn while sipping hot chocolate with marshmallow, stirring it with a red cherry and white candy cane and tickling the nose in the frosty air. Then, adding the star that has always been at the top.

Other memories include meeting a missionary giving out wrapped treasures after reciting a Bible verse; a Wales Mountain Christmas turkey roasting in the oven; girls in Mother Hubbard’s sleepwear, while boys were kept warm in red union suits and white bed shirts, awaiting the sound of sleigh bells.

All as the church bells of the community ring in unison?

If you do not have money for toys, hang a stocking filled with old-fashioned penny candy, and fresh fruit like apples, oranges, or a pear. Then go to church service, and after returning home, have the family open the stockings and enjoy your meal, bowing your head and praying, “Heavenly Father, thank you for this meal and for bringing us together. Bless this food and this family in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

Or, you can purchase the toys at a deep discount, at the after-Christmas sales celebration, wrap them and open them as a family in Christ, feasting on a homemade King’s Cake during Epiphany on Jan. 6, when the three kings reached Bethlehem.

Materialism and money will not fulfill you.

Merry Christmas.

(Traubert is a resident of Wellsburg)