Weekend Web Roundup

Dec 17, 2011

By Laura Johnson

How are your holiday preparations coming? If you like a fresh Christmas tree, you can still cut your own in the Black Hills National Forest. You’d better stop off at a Black Hills Forest Service office and get a $10 permit first, though.

Then there’s the question of what to put on your tree. The South Dakota Cowgirl decorated hers cowgirl-style. The hat tree-topper is pretty festive — and are those pheasant feathers?

The Christmas at the Capitol always features Christmas trees done up in a variety of styles. This year's theme is "Starlit Wonderland". If you can’t make it to Pierre this year, take a look at our Christmas at the Capitol photo galleries from 2008 and 2010.

Personally, I like a tree festooned with homemade ornaments: cranberry and popcorn strings, battered relics from my elementary school crafting days, and the like. One Laura Ingalls Wilder researcher made a series of paper ornaments using pages from the “Little House” books. Those are pretty fancy, but an ornament can be as simple as a string of bottle caps glued to a popsicle stick. Other kid-friendly holiday projects will be available at the Rapid City Journey Museum's "Christmas Crafts" Family Fun Day this Sunday from 2-4.

Of course, not everyone is preparing for Christmas this month. For Hanukkah, which starts next Tuesday at sundown, the folks at Wild Idea Buffalo Ranch enjoy a traditional recipe with a South Dakota twist – Braised Buffalo Brisket.