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Former reporter finds holiday spirit, traffic jams in Montana
by Carly Mayberry
Editor’s note:Mayberry is a former Easy Reader report now living in Montana
You might think that Santa’s elves have the corner on the toy-making market, but that was before Hanneke Ippisch came to the United States. For 25 years, this Holocaust survivor from Holland, who wound up in the most unlikely of places -- the Nine Mile of Montana, has been putting her own brand of "humbug" on the world of mass-produced toys and gifts.
This year is no different.
"They are treasures that provide memories forever," holiday shopper Arlyne Craighead said about the wooden ornaments and figurines she has bought from Ippisch over the years. "Each one is hand-crafted and entirely unique."
In 1977, Ippisch and her husband, Les, restored the Nine Mile Schoolhouse and Teacherage built in 1910 by the Anaconda Co. for loggers’ families. Now the Ippisches call the schoolhouse home while the teacherage serves as a bed & breakfast.
The bed and breakfast has an "Amish," "Swedish," "Dutch" and "Montana" room. Each is appropriately decorated and stocked with an old-fashioned feather bed, down comforter and handmade quilt.
Open all year, it displays the grandeur of four Rocky Mountain seasons. But for three weekends after Thanksgiving, just in time for Christmas, they hold their Schoolhouse Market where handmade wood ornaments and figurines from a full year’s worth of workmanship are sold. Hanneke, Les, daughters Hedvig, Liedeke, Olleke, and son, Jan collaborate with contract woodworkers and artists to individually saw and paint each piece.
They also create the prototypes for all the figures. For the nativity scenes, which represent a variety of nations and cultures, this has required both travel and study.
"We design everything we do," Ippisch said. "That’s why it works." Montanans come from as far as Helena and Billings to shop and see a glimpse of history.
Craighead, a retired first-grade teacher from Missoula, has been coming to the Schoolhouse Christmas Market since it opened 25 years ago. This year, Ippisch’s opening weekend attracted over 5,000 visitors, close to twice the normal number.
"There have been so many visitors this year," Ippisch said. "People don’t want to travel much so they’re taking trips closer to home."
Bumper to bumper, cars bordered the side of Nine Mile Road while elbow to elbow, shoppers crept atop the wood chip covered ground gawking and sighing.
Children’s books like "The Nutcracker," "Hans Christian Anderson" and "The Fir Tree" are displayed with their matching wood-carved characters.
"From a teacher’s perspective books with figures are so educational," fourth-grade teacher Jane McAllister said.
Craighead said they serve as a visual lesson for kids.
"They make the characters in a book come alive," she said. "You should see how it stirs up those kids."
Ippisch’s nativity scenes represent more than 30 nations. The Amish nativity has the traditional black buggy as a wagon while Montana’s has Joseph clad in cowboy gear, Mary as an early pioneer and Flathead Indian as the little drummer boy.
"We want to bring Christmas home to where people have come from," Ippisch said.
As a courier in the Dutch resistance, Ippisch brought clothing and supplies to ailing Jews during World War II before being caught and jailed.
During the occupation of Holland the Germans forbid the study of the English language. Ippisch would sneak to a teacher’s house to study Hamlet. One night, on her return home, she witnessed the capture of a Jewish family, never to be seen again.
She remembered a Jewish family of eight hiding under the floor of a house occupied by Germans. Forced to complete silence for a week, one member even died in silence.
Upon her own capture, Ippisch spent six weeks in a cold damp cell. She survived and came to America after the war. All these stories are in her book "Sky," an autobiography, named after the small patch of sky she could see from her cell window.
Now she speaks about her experiences to schoolchildren across the nation. But creating a tradition for her visitors is what motivates her during the Christmas season.
"Kids who came here years ago are now bringing their own kids," family friend Cameron Wilson said.
This tradition includes relics from Ippisch’s homeland and elements of the holiday season.Wooden Dutch shoes line each step to the school’s entrance. Scented pine branches act as doormats. Wrapping paper covers newly purchased gifts.
No blinking blue-light specials. No calls for Target team-members. Not even the thought of a lagging economy in this heavily-wooded remote area of western Montana."I drive up there and hear their music and I get so excited." Craighead said. "It’s the atmosphere. It’s the expectation. They always have something new. I spent $57 and all I bought was ornaments!" ER