Christmas on the farm

Merry Christmas Eve! 

This time of year is special. Christmas lights, extra time with family and lots of fun. All of this is true on the farm, too—in  addition to the usual chores and farm activities. Those things never stop and cows pay no attention to the calendar.

Family time with the cousins

Christmas morning for many farm families usually goes something like this: wake up, feed cows, milk cows, finish morning chores, then eat breakfast and celebrate Christmas. And, it's always when you are in a hurry or trying to get somewhere that a fence needs to be fixed or something breaks or a cow isn't feeling well and needs extra attention. It's always something. 

Pushing up feed at the dairy 

The cows always loved playing in the snow

Another great thing about farming: it's an excellent way to spend time with family, regardless of the time of year. 

We just have beef cows on our farm now, so there is less to do than on a dairy. Still, the cows need to be fed Christmas morning and Christmas night just as on any other day. My uncle has been here all day working on his tractor and my brother is up at the neighbor's dairy working. There's always something to do on the farm. When there's not, that's a great time for a nap. 

My favorite photogenic cow...again so excited to have her photo taken :-)

Our cows enjoying their hay

Western Washington isn't known for white Christmases, but the snow came early. Last Friday, we woke up to a couple of inches of snow. Nothing compared to a Midwest or Northeast snow storm, but it's the most snow western Washington has had since January 2012. Grandpa and I went out to feed the cows, who were already enjoying the snow in the field. As with most snow days around here, the snow as gone by late afternoon. 

Granny loves baking cookies. Speaking of cookies, don't forget to leave milk and cookies out for Santa tonight. With so many varieties of milk and cookies available, pick up some extra for yourself. 

As you celebrate Christmas tonight and tomorrow, don't forget to enjoy an extra glass of milk in honor of all the farmers across the nation who get up early to milk and feed cows to ensure you have lots of milk to enjoy year round. 

From our family to yours, have a merry Christmas!