“For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child Himself.” ― Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Some of my children have been blogging about their Christmas memories so I thought I would add a few of my own.  I pulled out my old journals thinking I would have some fun entries to jog my memory.  Not.  I guess I was always the Grinch. Was the Grinch tired all the time?  Evidently I was.

I do have good memories.  Night time is just the worst time to make a journal entry.  

I seemed to take a lot of pictures in the early years of our Christmas's.

Not so many of our kids when they were older.  Which is interesting

since digital should mean more not less.  Dang.

One of the things I liked best was our candle light Christmas dinners.  I 

loved setting out the China and Crystal.

I tried to set a pretty table and fix a special meal.  I really 

enjoyed eating by candle light with my family.

I loved the tree lighting.  It was just across the street

from the entrance to our neighborhood.  It is just small

town and a poorly decorated tree but it was fun

to be there and be part of the town folk.

I loved the Christmas's with snow.  There weren't

too many of them.  But one year we had a big snow

a couple days before Christmas break so the kids were

out extra early.  But it was exciting because it meant

a white Christmas.

I loved going out and cutting a Christmas tree.  It meant

the official start of the Christmas season was here.  I loved

Pinon the best because of the strong pine scent which made

our home all the more Christmas-y. There was

more than one time that the perfect tree in the forest

turned into the wrong tree in the house.  We even had

the Christmas tree from hell.  It was so ugly and there was no fixing it.

 That was the year that David

told me to go to the store and buy an artificial tree.

Until two years ago David and I made our own pilgrimage

into the woods for a tree.  Right now an artificial one if

working just fine.

The years we did the 12 Days of Christmas were fun.

Sometimes we had to drag everyone out to the car but

it was fun.  I do think the best year was the year we

did my mom and Illa Livingston.  They lived in Show Low and 

we drove down there for 12 nights.  My mom was

pleased to have someone remember her all those nights.

And she and Illa would talk about it.  She never ever

guessed it was us.  We had a scare that year.  I think it

was Peter that got out to run the gift to the door as he

disappeared behind the car we moved forward a bit

and I felt a wheel run over something.  I jumped out

and there was nothing and I saw Pete at mom's door.

That was a heart sinking moment but all was well.

One year when Lee was the only one at home we did

the 12 days for a widow in town.  

She didn't always come to the door so things piled up. But

the thought was there. 

Making treats to take to neighbors and friends was always

a good time.  It was more exciting when the kids were

younger.  I could get them to take things around for

hours.  Not so much when they got older.  

I used to put up Christmas lights in the window of David's

and my bedroom.  They were for just us to share.  Haven't

done that for a while.  Maybe next year!!

I loved the kids Christmas programs at school.  Our

kids sang well enough to get some stand out parts and

that was always fun.  I loved their smiley faces.

Then there was the Christmas we forgot to buy gifts for

Lee.  We hustled around and tried to make it look like

there was some good stuff for her.  She was little and I

guess she wasn't going to ask what was up with no

presents.  We most definitely made it up the following year.

One very fun Christmas was when we only had the three

kids and we spent the day in Show Low with my family and

then left late in the afternoon for St. David to spend

time with David's parents.  We crammed the kids in the

front of our pickup (which was our only transportation at

the time) and made our way south.  They were so tired that no one

complained about the lack of riding accommodations.  When we got to David's

folks they were gone but we went inside and the house

was so Christmas-y.  There was a Christmas Tree on the

wall in a frame with a velvet background and jewerly and lights

twinkling on it.  It just greeted us and said Merry

Christmas.  It was almost magical.

I enjoyed spending time with family on Christmas Day.

Both our families lived close by so it was one or the

other.  We did spend a good number of Christmas's

with the Westovers.  Good memories of being with them.

We started getting together with the Hardys and the Wessels and

the Holmes on

Christmas Eve for games and food and lots of laughing.  I

loved the stories that were told.  After Tim came home from

his mission he told the funniest story about taking (stealing

to be exact) candy from some organizations fund raiser.  It was him

and another boy.  I can't remember the story all that well but

they ate it by the handful....some with wrappers and all.  Then the

bell rang and they went to class.  Sometime during class

the other boy got sick and threw up candy all over....some

 with wrappers still on them.  I laughed and laughed

at that story.

Grinch or not.  I loved our Christmas times.  They were

simple.  That is how my childhood Christmas's were.

Simple.  That is how I remember everyone's Christmas

in Show Low.  A tree in the window, a string of lights,

the ward Christmas program, a free movie at the "show 

house, and the town tree.  

David with our cat Elvis Patchley on our

first Christmas. Love that hair!

This picture, obviously, was about the tree and

those great curtains.  You can't tell but I was

green.....pukey morning sickness with Pete.

  

Peter with the best Santa ever....Grandpa Merrill. 1977

This is David two years ago.  Can you see a resemblance?

First Christmas in this house.  1980

Looking pretty excited there.

Same Christmas.  Love David's folks.

Probably the next year.  1981

Tim was born but must have been in bed.

Christmas in St. David with Neal and Denise and 

family.  There's Tim.....baby Jesus.  1981

I think that may be a loaf of bread.1982

Love this.

This is the star that appeared over the Nativity

every  Christmas Eve.  That is Tim getting

as close as he could. 1983 or 84

Pete in the ward Christmas play.

He was the hero.  Don't tell anybody but

he got so nervous that he threw up on the

table where people were eating their

delicious Christmas dinner.  (After that

he was good to go.)  1985-86ish

Happy faces.  1985-86

1989

Harry is in this picture.  Such a good dog.

Her feet are so dirty! I think I

see a BB gun box in the behind the tree. 1990

Pete is a Junior here I think.  Lee was always happy to

have his attention.  Jill makes me laugh.....I got a stuffed

rabbit for Christmas...Yea....  Tim with Battleship and Heidi

with her Black Baby Alive.  She asked for that doll.  1992

Thanks, Pete. Around 1987

I always made the kids get dressed and comb

their hair for pictures.  Ha Ha  1992

1990