Christmas with the Ingalls family

By Timothy Walch

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“Laura was too excited to speak. She squeezed Mary's hand tighter and tighter, and she looked up at Ma, wanting so much to know what that was. Ma smiled down at her and answered, ‘That is a Christmas tree, girls. Do you think it's pretty?' ”

- From “On the Banks of Plum Creek” by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The “Little House” books are familiar to us all. They've sold tens of millions of copies and been translated into more than 40 languages. Hundreds of millions of readers of all ages have followed Laura Ingalls Wilder through good times and bad, from youth to adulthood. In reading her marvelous books, we have come to know her as a friend. So why not celebrate the holidays with Laura and her family?

That was our thinking when we planned “A Little House Christmas,” an exhibit of 20 trees decorated in themes from those famous books. As work progressed, however, we discovered that there was more to Laura than nostalgia about Christmases past. We quickly learned that the “Little House” books articulated a philosophy of life that resonates with all Americans at this time of the year.

As a result, the exhibit evolved into a manifestation of the time-honored values and traditions that we yearn for in troubled times.

One of the important themes in the books and in the exhibit is a respect for the glory and the wrath of nature. For example, there's a tree covered with the extraordinary wildflowers that were commonly found on the prairie in the 19th century. A second tree focuses on the diverse animal life on the prairie - bears, deer, birds, rabbits and foxes, among other critters.

A third tree focuses on the ravages of blizzards. The land had sustained the Ingalls family, but weather often challenged even the hardiest soul.

Another theme is generosity - the simple acts of giving and sharing that took place in the Ingalls family on many days, most particularly Christmas Day. For example, one tree is covered with all types of dolls - rag dolls, corncob dolls, and even a few store-bought dolls.

There's also a tree that focuses on games and toys - jacks, checkerboards, and rocking horses. Handmade items speak from the heart, so there's a tree covered with scarves, mittens, socks and even small quilts.

A third theme is celebration. Who can forget the delight of children as they enjoy candy canes and fresh baked goods? Not surprisingly, the exhibit include a tree covered with peppermint twists, hard candies and candy canes as well as one covered in breads, cookies and the like. And we remember the music of the prairie on a tree covered with fiddles, harmonicas and other frontier instruments.

These are only three of the themes woven into this exhibit. You can also find trees that herald the importance of hard work and the power of place, among other traditions. All of these are themes that are captured so well in the books and are displayed with imagination in the exhibit.

“Little House Christmas” reminds us that Laura Ingalls Wilder can be a tonic for troubled times. “It is the simple things of life that make living worthwhile,” Laura wrote, “the sweet fundamental things such as love and duty, work and rest, and living close to nature.” The exhibit at the Hoover Library is a reflection of that philosophy.

So in this holiday season, let's take Laura's message to heart and include the values of the past in our vision for the future. “Many things have changed since then,” she wrote of her youth, “but the truths we learned from our parents and the principles they taught us are always there. They can never change.”

Timothy Walch is the director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum in West Branch. Comments: timothy.walch@nara.gov. More information: http://hoover.archives.gov.