1 Joy to the world

A Christmas poem I wrote 26 years ago in Bountiful, Utah, on Sunday, December 5, 1982

Join in the glory-praise:
O joyous, happy, holy time of
Year when love abounds in more-than-else amounts,

Tendered freelier than
Otherwise our narrowed lives allow,

Till in fuller light we see
His redemptive grand designs
Enclose, enfold, and all embrace—

Without compulsion, without guile—
Our little realms and all others
Round about us with the sweetness of His
Love and grace and mercy-goodness
Dealt generously around.

2 Quote of the week

"What will you and I give for Christmas this year? Let us in our lives give to our Lord and Savior the gift of gratitude by living His teachings and following in His footsteps. It was said of Him that He 'went about doing good' (Acts 10:38). As we do likewise, the Christmas spirit will be ours." (Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Dec. 1998, 6).

3 This week in our family

Because of our Christmas break, we publish here the next three weeks in our family

Mon, Dec 22: Doug's birthday [Lyle]
Mon, Dec 22: Crystal Price's birthday [Lyle]
Tues, Dec 23: Joseph Smith's birthday
Tues, Dec 23: Dakota's birthday [Lyle]
Tues, Dec 23: Boise State meets TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl
Wed, Dec 24: Christmas Eve
Wed, Dec 24: Richard & Angie Craine married 2000 [Gail]
Thurs, Dec 25: Christmas Day
Thurs, Dec 25: Shawn & Shandi Burdett married 2000 [Lyle]
Sun, Dec 28: Terry & LaWanda Packwood married 1990 [Gene]

Tues, Dec 30: Rex Sayer's birthday [Jackie]
Wed, Dec 31: New Year's Eve
Thurs, Jan 1: New Year's Day
Fri, Jan 2: Utah meets Alabama in the Sugar Bowl
Sun, Jan 4: Fast Sunday
Mon, Jan 5: Shellbi Jane Packwood's birthday [Gene]
Mon, Jan 5: Barbara died 2001 [Lyle]

Wed, Jan 7: JJ's birthday [Lyle]
Thurs, Jan 8: Mandy Rankin's birthday [Gail]
Thurs, Jan 8: Jason & Gena Tully married 2000 [Gene]
Fri, Jan 9: Marshal McAllister's birthday [Kay]
Fri, Jan 9: Mckenna's birthday [Kay]
Sat, Jan 10: Ethan's birthday [Dean]
Sat, Jan 10: Marta's birthday [Dean]
Mon, Jan 12: Seaira Nichole Cleverly-Burdett's birthday [Lyle]
Mon, Jan 12: Next issue of newsletter

4 Bits and tidbits

Meet season begins again
Brandon and Nicole [Kay's family] reported on December 15 that "Brooklynn had her first meet of this season on Saturday. This is her second year on level 4, and [she] is still one of the youngest on the her team. She had a great first meet! She qualified for state with this meet and increased her scores by at least a point and sometimes a point and a half. Out of 52 girls in her catagory she finished 4th on the beam and 7th all around.

"She is very proud of her hard work. We are very happy and proud of her as well. After a year of training, I think meets like this one remind her why she loves it and all the work is worth it. Her team also took first in all around as well."

Annual decorating of the gingerbread house
Nicole also posted: "My kids loved decorating the house this year. We all think it turned out rather well. Mason didn't really help, but was our taste testor. I think he ate more of the candy, than made it on the house. We had fun and were just excited to see the house still standing the next morning!"

5 Our family 50 years ago

What our family was up to during the winter of 1958, based on entries in Dorothy's Diary during December 1958. The full text of her diary can be found online and is updated daily, exactly 50 years to the day after it was originally written. The family at the time lived on an 80-acre farm in the Big Bend area of eastern Oregon.


Mon, Dec 22. awful foggy comeing home from work. Jackie vomited in my bed, had to wash bed spread & all. at 7:15 I took Ray, Dean, Dale & Jackie & went over to Adrian to school Xmas programe, it was really good. Gene went ward teaching & came home with us. Kay took Claudia to Xmas formal.

Tues, Dec 23. Ivard won 15 lb. Turkey from Lyons Club. Simplot gave us big turkey dinner this morning. Ray had supper ready & we ate & Gene did chores and we all went over to church to Xmas programe.

Wed, Dec 24. I don't go back to work until Jan 5. I came home from work & changed & dashed over to church to breakfast for Seminary students & parents. Kay - Gene & Ivard were there & everyone had eaten but they fixed me a good one then we had a meeting. I helped Kids wrap presents & Dean & Dale went to bed. Kay - Gene & Ray got big Xmas tree in & decorated it & they went to bed. Gail & Lynda & Debbie got here while I was asleep at 10: Ivard got home & we played Santa & went to bed at 2:30 A.M.

Thurs, Dec 25. Jerry called from Canada, his Xmas present from mission president. Gail came & woke us up at 6:30 & we opened presents. Jackie was so excited with the tree & her presents. We all had a real good Xmas then Jerry called & we all talked to him, it was so clear.

Fri, Dec 26. We got up at 9: & Gene had chores done & they played Monoply. I got turkey on & cranberry, jello salad made & made waffles & hot cakes for breakfast which they ate at 11:30. Gail & Lynda came & left Debbie to play & took Ivard, Gene & Ray over to Homedale bowling.

Sat, Dec 27. We got up late & ate & Ray did up work. Ivard and I went to Nampa so Ivard could mark up on another job, got cut off. goes to work at 11: now.

Sun, Dec 28. Ivard came home at 8: & went to bed, he'd run off road, he was so tired. I tended Jackie while he slept she had such a cold we didn't go to church with Kids. When Kids came we had hot Turkey sandwiches & Kay took me over to Owyhee Corner & I went to Nyssa with Bishop Stoker to leadership meeting. Kay went up to Claudias.

Mon, Dec 29. Got new movie camera & projector.

Tues, Dec 30. Gail & Lynda & Debbie came. We visited and they played monoply awhile. at 7: Ivard took Kay & Gene over to school to go to Ontario to play ball. J.V.'s got beat Varsity won. He took Ray over to Petersons to go swimming with Scouts & he got Gail & Lynda & they went to Ontario to game. I wouldn't leave little kids alone & besides I didn't feel good. me & Kids went to bed at 7:30.

Wed, Dec 31. At 11:30 Gail left for home. I made a big kettle of chilli. went to Caldwell & had milk shake & got groc. & eggs & some candy & nuts for tonight. Kids all went to sleep by 11:30. I went out side at midnight but couldn't hear any noise. We've had a good year & good health.

6 What in the world

A white Christmas?
It's one thing for northern Utah and southern Idaho to be blanketed in snow this time of year. And we've had a lot this past week. But snow in Las Vegas, St. George, and even Seattle?

Temple open house
A reminder that the public open house for the new Draper Utah Temple will run from Thursday, January 15, through Saturday, March 14. Reservations for tours of the temple can be made by going to www.lds.org/reservations (a maximum of ten reservations) or by calling 1-800-537-6181 or locally 801-240-7932.

Bowl games
The BYU Cougars lost to the Arizona Wildcats 21-31 in the Las Vegas Bowl on Saturday evening, December 21.

Tomorrow evening, December 23, undefeated Boise State will meet TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl.

On Friday evening, January 2, undefeated Utah will play against Alabama in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.

7 A final word

The excerpts below come from the March 2008 issue of the Ensign, which was published after President Gordon B. Hinckley's death. It becomes in effect his final testimony to the world of the Lord and Master he knew and loved so well. We share it here as our Christmas offering to you. And a merry Christmas to you all.

"A little more than 2,000 years ago, the Redeemer of humankind was born in Bethlehem of Judea. . . .

"Jesus was in very deed the great Jehovah of the Old Testament, who left His Father’s royal courts on high and condescended to come to earth as a babe born in the most humble of circumstances. His birth was foretold centuries earlier by Isaiah, who declared prophetically, 'For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace' (Isaiah 9:6). . . .

"We know not all that lies ahead of us. We live in a world of uncertainty. For some, there will be great accomplishment. For others, disappointment. For some, much of rejoicing and gladness, good health, and gracious living. For others, perhaps sickness and a measure of sorrow. We do not know. But one thing we do know. Like the Polar Star in the heavens, regardless of what the future holds, there stands the Redeemer of the world, the Son of God, certain and sure as the anchor of our immortal lives. He is the rock of our salvation, our strength, our comfort, the very focus of our faith.

"In sunshine and in shadow we look to Him, and He is there to assure and smile upon us.

"He is the central focus of our worship. He is the Son of the living God, the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten in the flesh. He is 'risen from the dead, . . . the firstfruits of them that slept' (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is the Lord who shall come again 'to reign on the earth over his people' (D&C 76:63; see also Micah 4:7; Revelation 11:15).

"None so great has ever walked the earth. None other has made a comparable sacrifice or granted a comparable blessing. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world. I believe in Him. I declare His divinity without equivocation or compromise. I love Him. I speak the name of Jesus Christ in reverence and wonder. He is our King, our Lord, our Master, the living Christ, who stands on the right hand of His Father. He lives! He lives, resplendent and wonderful, the living Son of the living God" (Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Mar. 2008, 4, 7).