As someone who primarily celebrates Hanukkah, I’ve always been fascinated with the traditions around Christmas, Kwanzaa, and other winter time festivals

One which has particularly perplexed me is the tradition of Wassailing.

I’ve thought about it since I was in elementary school chorus, but never quite knew what it was.

Fortunately, my friends at Champlain Orchards have offered an answer.

Not only that, they’ve even offered an invitation!

On Sunday, February 23 from 3 to 6 Champlain will be hosting a Wassail celebration at their Orchard in Shoreham, Vermont.

As it turns out, this is rather appropriate, as wassailing is an English tradition in which people sing to apple trees to scare off evil spirits and to bless them for the forthcoming season.

As a huge cider fan, I can tell you that few orchards have trees more blessed than Champlain!

Whether you enjoy their products in fruit form or pressed and fermented, Champlain offers flavors that are truly worth singing about, including such favorites as the dry- hopped Citra, unfiltered Kingston, single varietal Honeycrisp, Spanish-inspired Sidria, and Mac and Maple, which is like Vermont in a can.

And as they donate a quarter pound of apples for every four pack of cider that is purchased even more people are able to celebrate and look forward to another season.

Whether or not you can make it to the orchard, check out https://champlainorchards.com and find out what all the wassailing is about.