Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 12

S2t7ar6 of t7h1e4
by Paul Newton
pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop
hol7id1ay3s6
I
t's nearly impossible to see
every decoration spread
throughout the four rooms of
the 150-year-old house. There
are trees decorated by children
from across Missouri and docents
on hand to explain the historical
items found between portraits of
some of Missouri's former fi rst
ladies.
Every year on the fi rst Friday
of December, The Missouri
Governor's Mansion plays host
to thousands of visitors for the
offi cial lighting of the Missourigrown
Christmas tree outside and
candlelight tours inside.
The tradition began nearly
fi ve decades ago when fi rst lady
Carolyn Reid Bond led an initiative
to open the house up to more
guests. Today that has turned into
two days of candlelight tours on
the fi rst fl oor of the house which
is decorated by mansion staff and
volunteers from Silver Dollar City.
There is a different theme each
year, with past themes including
Missouri's bicentennial, tributes
to previous governors and fi rst
ladies. This year's theme is " ' Twas
the Night Before Christmas. " First
lady Teresa Parson, a Southwest
Electric Cooperative member,
says they picked the theme to be
geared toward children.
" The children's eyes light
up when they come in and see
the decorations and trees, " she
says. " It's usually cold out and
you know they've been standing
outside waiting. It's pretty special.
Just the joy it gives those kids in
their eyes. "
According to Shari Childs,
mansion director, a large portion
of the decorations and ornaments
are made in Missouri. " We try to
be very careful and specifi c about
incorporating Missouri into just
about everything we do, " she says.
Out of the 11 trees on the
Missourians' trees are the highlight of Christmas
at The Missouri Governor's Mansion
12 RURAL MISSOURI | DECEMBER 2022
grounds, one of Teresa's favorites
is the JAG (Jobs for America's
Graduates) tree. JAG is one of her
statewide initiatives and helps
students prepare to enter the
workforce. Each year she hosts an
essay contest with JAG and more

Rural Missouri - December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Missouri - December 2022

Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - Cover1
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - Cover2
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - Contents
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 4
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 5
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 6
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 7
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 8
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 9
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 10
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 11
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 12
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 13
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 14
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 15
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 16
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 17
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 18
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 19
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 20
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 21
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 22
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 23
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 24
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 25
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 26
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 27
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 28
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 29
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 30
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 31
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 32
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 33
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 34
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 35
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 36
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 37
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 38
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 39
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 40
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 41
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 42
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 43
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 44
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 45
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 46
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 47
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 48
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 49
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - 50
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - Cover3
Rural Missouri - December 2022 - Cover4
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