A GREAT HOLIDAY SEASON

Dear Family, Now that the holiday is over and everything is put away, I believe I can report on a truly great celebration and time of reflection and Thanksgiving.

It has been a cold season and we have had snow. Becca and Paul who live on Grandpa's farm in Heber had a lot of snow, couple feet, and had to warm up the chicken coop for their chickens. We had snow and then a melt to start off the Holiday.

The day before Xmas Eve, a refrigerated box arrived as Jeff sent down a half dozen lobsters flown in from New England. (lobsterguy.com) and they looked alive. I had to drop everything and boil them so they would not spoil and that great treat lasted through the holidays. Way to go Jeff and Tammy!

We gathered on Christmas Eve which is called "Heiliger Abend" in Germany or Holy Night. Mom and I usually get into our Bavarian outfits for the Nativity play. Rick, Gemina and Madeline were there; Doug and Christina and their family, Emily and John and their kids, Mike and Rayanne and all their kids and Becca and Paul with their gang too. All were so well behaved and we had such a good time sitting around and chatting.

We had a big Christmas Eve dinner and served a standing rib roast and all brought their favorite side dishes and desserts. There was less confusion with such a smaller group and it helps to have the adults go through the line first. But here are some of the grand kids sitting at a long table in the living room. Don't they look great? Pete Olsen gave me a license plate holder that says, "My grand kids look better than yours! He put that on the FJ Cruiser. But is is kinda true.

Becca dressed her kids in the

Lederhosen and Dirndl she picked up when they visited us in Munich so here we all are getting ready for the Nativity Play.

We have always done this as a little tradition. I read from Luke 2 in the Bible and the kids dress up and play the parts. We usually have a parent act as the director signaling which group would arrive on the scene. We read about the birth of he Savior and think on this great event

.

Here are three Shepards, "sore afraid". In the backgrounder is Opa .. usually reading out of the old Family Bible but this year I read out of my new Xmas Ipad with the Churches Scripture AP. (We have to work on the Shepards not slugging each other with their staffs).

And here they all are including the star that guided the Wise Men. We always have a baby and plenty of players. We did this earlier this year so that all could return home and get ready for Christmas Morning.

On Christmas Morning, Rick, Gemina and Madeline joined us. There is a picture of Rick getting a couple of knives for his farm near the Sierras. Mom got a new wedding band for Xmas and for the 50th anniversary. The stones are embedded in the mount so she will not lose them. It was a fun morning and then we jumped in the car and traveled to Heber, and then over the mountain to Mapleton for our Christmas morning rounds. We got back late and then Rick and Gemina went back to Los Angeles the next day.

New Years Eve we went over to Cheryl and Paul and had Fondue and I cooked crepes for all the kids. We stayed up to watch the ball drop and it was 2011 already. On New Years day which was Sunday, we went over to Doug and Christina's for FHE and dinner. For the FHE, Doug read the churches Proclamation to the Family and I wondered where he was going with that. Then he made an announcement; Christinia is expecting a baby by the end of summer!

The kids went nuts; Tom-Tom and Spencer ran around the house hooting in delight, Catherine smiled from ear to ear. What a great way to start the New Year I thought, we celebrate a future birth and growth of the family.

We wish you all the blessings of Heaven in this new year.

Mom and Dad