The imagery of braying animals gathered around the manger at the first Christmas isn’t lost on Luke Mahoney, who is preparing Brookford Farm in Canterbury for guests to enjoy three weekends of “Christmas with the Cows.”
Inspired by German Christmas markets, the event will bring together local vendors and offer a smorgasbord of Eastern European foods, like stollen fruit cake and classic goulash. For Mahoney and his wife, Catarina, who own the farm, the emphasis is an intentional break from the commercial frenzy of the holiday.
Their farm animals have just returned from the pasture to their winter housing, the “warm, clean, cozy barns” surrounding the courtyard where guests will gather and be able to pet and feed them, Mahoney said.
With glimmering string lights and tables replete with foraged mushrooms, tree bark, acorns and pine cones for crafting wreaths and gnome houses, the event is meant to invite visitors to share in the slow-paced, family-oriented spirit of a German holiday.
“Christmas time was my favorite time when we lived in Germany, it plays deep in the culture. Everybody’s singing, everyone’s actually celebrating,” Mahoney said. “It’s not just a shopping time, it’s a really special time where the arts are thriving and people are maintaining personal relationships. It’s always a pretty special time.”
This will be the farm’s second annual Christmas with the Cows.
Mahoney recalled how last Thanksgiving delivered a deluge that left the farm’s courtyard a “muddy mess.” The gathering space is ready for visitors this year — the truckloads of sand he brought in to dry up the mud last fall are still there — and the farm’s staff is diligently preparing in other ways.
By Mahoney’s estimates, 95% of the food served during the three-weekend event was grown or produced on the farm. The food preparation will also be done in-house by Brookford’s full-time winter staff of about 20 employees.
A few of the recipes will come from Mahoney’s German mother-in-law, who lives with him and his wife on the farm. With simple cultural foods like potato latkes, they aim to offer “food that people can eat and they feel good afterwards,” Mahoney said. “It’s the opposite of the fair food experience, where you leave with a heavy stomach and asking, ‘Why did I eat that?'”
Mahoney, who met Catarina on a farm in Russia before moving back to her home country, said his wife, her mother and their culture have largely set the tone for the market.
In keeping with that intention, Brookford Farm will be donating one pound of food to the Friendly Kitchen in Concord for every attendee at the event.
“They both really value a slower time in December, to be with friends and family,” he said. “The pace, it doesn’t have to be a stressful time. It can be a time to enjoy simple pleasures and enjoy the darkness.”
Brookford Farm will host Christmas with the Cows during three consecutive weekends: Nov. 29 and 30, Dec. 6 and 7 and Dec. 13 and 14. The farm will be open to guests from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the door or at Brookfordfarm.com. Children under 3 years old enter free.
