The Traverse City Record-Eagle reported that the New York Times' Christmas Eve outdoor section would have a definite Michigan flavor with a holiday column by Motor City Madman Ted Nugent and well-known Traverse City illustrator Glenn Wolff. Regrettably, we read this as "New Year's Eve" and were saving it for today, only to find that today was a week too late.

At first blush, this may appear to be a glorification of the hunt and the kill, but upon further review, you may find it a celebration of life in Michigan and this world. A brief excerpt:

The American dream is truly amazing any way you choose it, but this hands-on outdoor conservation lifestyle of hunting, fishing and trapping keeps one honest to the cause and effect with the good Mother Earth and all her creatures and resources.

The gorgeous spruce we so joyously decorated together was once again harvested from the thousands of various trees we plant each spring. The natural season of planting is as important to us as the natural season of harvest, and it means so much more to us knowing we personally plant thousands of trees for every one we use. Just as the thriving deer populations prove, reasoning predators will always put back more than we take. The Christmas season is surely a time of giving, but the Nugents don't limit such conscientiousness to a single time of year. We just go a little wilder at Christmas.

The mouth-watering, aromatically stimulating spread on our Christmas dinner table is not only scrumptious, but perhaps the healthiest food available to mankind. Given the tender loving care with which we handle this hard-earned sacred flesh - accompanied by ample amounts of garlic, butter, Michigan morel mushrooms and sweet onions, roasted over our own apple and hickory coals - this much-appreciated meal fortifies not only the belly but the spirit as well.

So, it's late. Hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Read For Tribe Nuge, Christmas Bounty From Mother Earth in the New York Times
Read Michigan talent teams up with the Times in the Record-Eagle

Glenn Wolff Studio (has full spread from the Times)

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