Kentucky Christian University's Young Library The 12 Towns of Christmas Virtual Vacation

Congratulations on making it from the Atlantic to the Pacific on this eleventh day of Christmas! You've arrived at Christmas Valley, Oregon.

Reminiscent of Christmas City, Utah, Christmas Valley appears to be a defunct little town in the middle of a desert. Don't count it out, however! An unincorporated part of Lake County, the area at large has the popular Christmas Valley Sand Dunes, holds fun annual Christmas events, and the community has embraced the holiday, naming streets and businesses after iconic Christmas characters and symbols.

Fun fact: With a name like Christmas Valley, the town had to be named after the holiday, right? WRONG! Read this excerpt from Wikipedia about the town's origin:

"Christmas Lake, Christmas (Lake) Valley, and nearby Peter's Sink and Peter's Creek were named for pioneer stockman Peter Christman, who grazed his cattle there and had a house at Silver Lake...The name "Christmas" was an early corruption of the name Christman that became entrenched in the vernacular by 1900. The Christman family often spelled their name with a T although some family members would omit it and use the name Chrisman. Several examples of both spellings were found in print, some in government documents."

Sand Dunes:

For a desert, there's quite a bit to do! You can rent an ATV or dune buggy to bounce up and down the endless crests of sand. You can soak up the sun, or explore some other local natural attractions, such as a volcanic fissure named "Crack in the Ground," the Four Craters lava field, and camp in the Lost Forest.

Most exciting, in my humble opinion is the chance to go sandboarding. It's like snowboarding, but instead of cold, fresh show, you have coarse, hot sand! Check out the video below to see the sport in action.

Christmas Tree Lighting:

Located in Christmas Valley is R. E. Flowerree Memorial Park. At its center is a single decorative pine tree:

Every year, the Christmas season begins with a tree lighting ceremony, followed by a Christmas parade down Christmas Valley Highway. At the tree lighting ceremony, schools and local choirs join in caroling, and the members of the town compete for best decorated Christmas house.

This time of year, there's a flurry of community dinners that take place. For a first-time visitor, however, you must venture a little out of the way to Cowboy Dinner Tree restaurant. Speaking from first-hand experience, you'll never eat a better steak or a crispier, juicier rotisserie chicken. The portions are HUGE. All the fixins are top notch, too! If you eat too much and get the itis, they also have lodging on site. Make sure to call ahead for reservations, and bring cash! Click the picture below to visit their site.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Oregon is often viewed as the middle child of the West Coast, competing with the ever-popular states of California and Washington. Oregon may be caught in the middle geographically, but Oregonians have found their niche in the world as quirky, nature-loving, people who enjoy the simple pleasures of life. The same holds true for Christmas, where the classics are the best. So, try this classic chocolate chip cookie recipe from foodnetwork.com.

Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 12oz semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Position oven racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars with an electric mixer on medium-high speed in a second large bowl until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs to the butter mixture, one at time, beating after each addition to incorporate; beat in the vanilla. Reduce the speed to medium, add the flour mixture, and beat until just incorporated. Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Scoop 12 heaping tablespoons of dough onto each prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Roll each into a ball with slightly wet hands. Bake until the cookies are golden but still soft in the center, 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the baking sheets halfway through. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
• Serve and enjoy!
• Be sure to check out this full recipe online. They've got some great alternative tips if you like chewier or crispier cookies.

You've almost made it through the Twelve Towns of Christmas. We have one more trip the the North Pole. This next one is truly deserving of its name, however, being located in Alaska. Let's venture Northward!