The title “Christmas In Paradise” brings flash visions of the Coca Cola Santa Clause, Norman Rockwell style Christmas scenes, and Burl Ives as Frosty The Snowman.

Christmas In Paradise…PA certainly has characteristics of those heart-warming memories sprinkled in with the realities of an agriculture-based life where running a farm is a 365 day a year job.

So, imagine reindeer pulling a sleigh past the pine trees of a full moonlit winter night. Sleighbells clanging, hoofs rhythmically hitting the ground. “You Reeka” the sleigh is actually a manure wagon spreading next growing season nutrients, with a pungent not-eggnog and cookies aroma.

This is a fourth of a study of five paintings focusing on the unusual town names surrounding Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Town names such as Intercourse, Blue Ball, Bird-in-Hand, etc. each have their own fascinating stories.