Carving Christmas keepsakes Hagen’s hand-carved ornament tradition spans three decades

By: 
Lisa Ingebrand, lrnews@frontiernet.net

Larry Hagen works on whittling a special piece in the little workshop he has created in the basement of his home. The retired dairy farmer began carving wood in 1990 and uses his talents to create special hand-carved ornaments for his kids and grandkids every year. (Lisa Ingebrand photo)

Just like Santa Claus, Larry Hagen has his own workshop, but it’s not at the North Pole.

Hagen’s small workshop sits snugly in a basement corner of his family’s 158-year-old farm house between Waterville and Waseca.

“It’s nothing fancy, but I have everything I need right here… It’s nice. Plus, if I make a mess, no one has to see it,” Hagen stated with a chuckle.

Hagen is a wood carver. For the past 30 years, he has used his talents to create intricate wooden ornaments for his family members. ...

“I do about 20 each year—all the same kind,” he explained. “I pick a new design each year, and even though they are all the same for that year, they are all different because I carve every one of them and they come out a bit different. One might have a bigger nose or the eyes might look a little different. That’s all part of it. But, the design for the year always stays a secret until they come and get their ornaments on Christmas.”

Hagen began carving in 1990 after he and his wife, Judy, visited a Norwegian museum in Iowa and saw examples of Norwegian wood carving on display

. “Well, I thought I might like to try doing something like that, so I looked into it,” he explained.

Hagen soon connected with...

To see more on this story pick up the December 22, 2022 print edition of the LifeEnterprise. 

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