2016 - Christmas Eve in the Ninemile

The valley is enjoying an old fashioned winter this year with the snow consistent and deep.

Christmas Eve this year rode into Montana on the haunches of a solid snow storm that made driving treacherous. Highways were restricted to emergency travel, but local Ninemilers stepped into their winter boots, slid on heavy coats and mittens and relied on both luck and 4wd rigs to make the trek up the valley.

A local cadre of holiday helpers showed up early at the Community Center to make sure we were ready to celebrate Christmas in our own down-home way. This old-fashioned celebration is a step back in time, and each year we are humbled by the power of peace and community that shine so brightly on this winter night.

Inside the historic church, we squeezed together to sing holiday carols and to listen to a reading of the traditional Christmas story. Afterwards, we spilled down off the church steps and crunched through the snow to the pavilion for holiday snacks and warm drinks.