Christmas in Indiana

YEAR: 2024THEME: StatesDIFFICULTY: ElaborateAUDIENCE: Family w/ KidsTHEME: Movies and TV ShowsSTYLE: Some Adventures Out
Written By Ben Sommerfeld

Our family is big on celebrating Christmas. But with us starting our celebrations in November, that changed things a bit. And since we love doing broad family celebrations, it somehow seemed fitting to celebrate a Date of Christmas… on Thanksgiving! And to invite all of Bekah’s family to join in on the fun.

The theme that we chose for today was Indiana. Yes, there are a lot of great dishes from the state that fit well for a Thanksgiving feast. But in reality, the main reason was because the state has a Turkey Run State park and it felt too good not to pair that with a Turkey Trot race (at least Ben couldn’t resist!).

For those visiting relatives that weren’t as interested in running a 5K at the crack of dawn, we let them stay warm and cozy at home with a copy of “An Indiana Christmas” which is a collection of short stores, poems, plays, and letters that celebrate the uniqueness and the universality of an Indiana Christmas, including "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash" by Jean Shepherd, which inspired the beloved movie “A Christmas Story”.

But when talking about Indiana, how can you not include the fact that there is a town called Santa Claus, Indiana? The town was established in 1854 and known as Santa Fe , but was unable to establish a post office as there was already another Santa Fe, Indiana. Several town meetings were held, during which the name Santa Claus was selected. The town has the world's only post office to bear the name of the eponymous Christmas figure. And because of this popular name, the post office receives thousands of letters to Santa from all over the world each year. A group of volunteers known as Santa's Elves ensures each child receives a reply from Santa Claus; a tradition that has been in existence since 1914. To get in on the fun, we had the kids each write their own letter to Santa.

And where to start with our food for the day? It was Thanksgiving and so we went big! The day started off with biscuits with apple butter in honor of the role that Johnny Appleseed played in the region. Lunch was the classic Hoosier chili featuring the distinctive Campbell’s condensed soup and macaroni noodles. And then there was the Thanksgiving feast. Obviously there had to be a classic turkey but all the side dishes were inspired or based in Indiana recipes, including Terra Haute dish corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, and the Indiana icon of sugar cream pie for dessert.

Amidst all of that, we played numerous Hoosier inspired holiday games based on fascinating Indiana trivia tidbits and lore. For example, we played a ornament wreath shootout in honor or high school basketball, peppermint curling in honor or Mishawaka the “Peppermint Capital of the World”, a candy corn carrying race in honor of “Hoosier” supposedly translating to “corn carrying”, and a Santa sleigh racing game in honor of the Indy 500.

At the end of the day as we recovered from our turkey coma, we mixed up a batch of caramel corn to honor the town of Carmel, Indiana as well as the fact that Indiana is both the home of Orville Redenbacher and the largest producer of popcorn in the United States. We sat down with the kids to watch a previous year’s local news special of the Lighting Ceremony for the Circle of Lights (the acclaimed “World’s Largest Christmas Tree” comprised of lights strung from the top of the Soldier’s and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis).

And after the kids went to bed, we watched “A Christmas Story Christmas” a sequel to “A Christmas Story” now that Ralphie is a parent himself. And both of those movies tie famously into Indiana history in that the film is set in Hohman, Indiana, a fictionalized version of the author’s hometown of Hammond, Indiana.

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Ben Sommerfeld
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