Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire . . . .

As the hustle and bustle of the holiday season continues, we want to take a moment to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. We have enjoyed the opportunity to share photos, recipes, stories and more with you on our Sauder Village blog and look forward to even more unique opportunities to share our stories in 2011.

During this week before Christmas, we hope you'll take time to step back and appreciate the simple things in life during the holiday season. Read a special story with a child or grandchild. String popcorn or make a gingerbread house. Take time to visit a neighbor or even just call a long-lost friend. Enjoy the sites, sounds and smells of the holiday season as you make special memories that will last a lifetime.

Perhaps you can even experience some of the holiday songs you hear this time of the year . . . try roasting some chestnuts with our recipe below, make your own snowman, deck the halls and be sure to enjoy and celebrate a silent night. Merry Christmas to all from the staff at Sauder Village.

Oven Roasted Chestnuts
Things You'll Need:
Chestnuts & Salt
Baking Sheets, Paring Knives

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Clean off chestnuts. Use a sharp paring knife to cut an X into one side of each chestnut, or prick chestnuts with a fork to allow steam to escape. Arrange chestnuts on a baking sheet or in a shallow pan, with the cut or pricked sides up. Roast in oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until chestnuts are tender and easy to peel. Peel the nuts when they are cool enough to handle, and enjoy.

Your Contributions Are Important

In these challenging economic times, being good stewards of our resources is a necessity. Fortunately this is a traditional value at Sauder Village, and one of the guiding principles of our founder, my grandpa, Erie Sauder.

We continue to follow his example of combining constant innovation and seeking better ways to make the most positive impact with the support received from generous people. Through gifts and involvement, Sauder Village can continue to serve as a vibrant educational resource and a welcoming place for families to have fun creating memories together.

As you plan your year-end donations to the organizations that mean the most to you, I hope you will be inspired to make a gift to Sauder Village. I am deeply grateful for your interest and support. It means a lot to me and to the future of Sauder Village.

With sincere thanks,
Debbie Sauder David, Executive Director

Make your donation online!

Whether your contribution is $25 or $2500, know that together we can make a collective difference in sustaining and enriching the Sauder Village experience for generations to come.

Gifts of all sizes make a difference and help to:

- Continue a first-class educational resource in this region.
- Keep admission affordable for school children and families
- Enable students to experience their best learning by “getting their hands on history”
- Provide talented craftspeople who demonstrate traditional crafts that inspire
- Make it possible to offer engaging activities and programs that multiple generations can enjoy together
- Offer a youth volunteer program where students gain confidence and maturity
- Allow for personalized experiences through costumed interpreters who make the stories of the past relevant to our lives today
- Ensure that the lessons learned from the past will never be lost
- Create the perfect place where all ages can spend quality time together in an atmosphere that is just plain fun!

Please consider making a donation to the Sauder Village Annual Fund today and be part of celebrating the past while inspiring the future!