Christmas With the Family

It was almost a relief when Christmas finally arrived.
It meant that anything that wasn't done wouldn't get done.
Now all the preparations and projects were in the past and I could settle down to enjoy the moment.


The family gathered for our traditional Christmas Eve feast.
I tried once to change the tradition and was nearly disowned on the spot!
We all dress up, pose for a family portrait, eat a dinner comprising of honey baked ham, potatoes, veggie, hot rolls or bread, rainbow Christmas jello salad, and peppermint ice cream dessert.
This year Spencer's girlfriend, Kirsti, and his roommate, Terry, joined us.
Our program consisted of a tap dance by Avery & Gracyn and a guitar solo by Jayden. It was splendiferous!
After a short video presentation of The Women Who Knew Jesus, the sibs and grands exchanged gifts.
Clive and I were given gift certificates to Hale Centre Theatre and The Cracker Barrel and a framed family portrait. What truly awesome and appropriate gifts!
Spencer knew that Clive and I were going through withdrawal our first year as empty-nesters, so thoughtfully spent the night at our house so that we wouldn't wake up alone. He doesn't know how much that meant to me.


Just as we awoke on Christmas morning (6:30 am), the electricity went out. I lit candles in every room of the house and Clive lit a kerosene lantern and read next to it all morning. Finally, after two hours we decided that we could probably see well enough to go to the basement to open our gifts. Kevin & Kristen arrived at 9:00 and by 10:30 the electricity was back on. It had affected 42,000 homes. Mars, Melanie, and the girls arrived about 11:00 and we all enjoyed our Christmas morning sticky buns, hot chocolate, and scrambled eggs. The weather was horrid all day ... constant snow and high winds. After a much-needed nap, we ventured out to Lehi to see Sheryl's family. Marisa and Jonathan braved the elements and drove to Nevada to see the Larsen's.
Our gifts were accepted and appreciated, but all in all, having my loved ones near was the highlight of the day!

Family Holiday Parties

Even though we sometimes go for weeks or months without seeing extended family, the holidays are a sure remedy for that particular malady. Trying to squeeze in time to celebrate the season with loved ones is often quite a feat.


The Witbeck's met on the second Saturday morning of the month, trying to free up the evenings for all the other holiday hoopla that comes at this time of year. 30 of us met in the Relief Society Room at our church for brunch, games, and visiting. While a group of us tied a quilt to donate to the Humanitarian Center, most of the young men were playing basketball in the Cultural Hall. Naturally, it snowed. It seems that one of our traditions is to choose a snowy, stormy day. Both Jayden and Nate entertained us with their spectacular talents on the guitar. I especially enjoyed the "audience participation" as we sang and acted out the verses to Christmas Time Is Coming.
ALL:
Christmas time is coming, our favorite time of year.
Have a happy holiday and peace throughout the year.
If you pass us by, you will hear us cry:
ELVES:
We make the toys for all the girls and boys
DOLLS:
Mama, dada, I love you
REINDEER:
My nose, my nose, in the dark it glows
SANTA:
My boots are red. I drive a funny sled. HO!

As is tradition, the Killpack Clan gathered on the Sunday evening prior to Christmas. As the photo collage indicates, it was a mass body of 84 people crammed into Ralph & Edith's home. Amazingly enough, we were all able to eat a dinner of finger foods, enjoy a program of singing by age groups (children, teenagers, young adults, and Edith's kids & spouses), then open gifts from grandma & grandpa. It was truly a wonder to behold!

December Busyness

December was such a whirlwind! Every day was filled to capacity with things to do and places to go.



I spent every spare moment for the two months preceding Christmas in Wendy's Workshop. I feel so much fulfillment and satisfaction in creating all the Christmas gifts I can. Naturally, the grandkids are first on the list, so I started cutting and sewing ... and cutting and sewing ... and cutting and sewing some more. I actually eliminated "12" projects from my TO DO list and purchased gifts for my friends, but I successfully finished 3 jumpers & jackets, 5 aprons, 2 pair of flannel pants, 2 stuffed dogs, 3 stuffed dolls with blankets, diapers, and outfits, 3 pieced/embroidered pillows, and 1 designer handbag.


Some of our December activities included an afternoon to see the Elves at Gardner Village with Sheryl & the kids and Kevin & Kristen. We also enjoyed our 25th Christmas celebration with our Dinner Group.
We spent a wonderful evening at the annual Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert and delighted in the beauty of the lights on temple square.

Thanksgiving & Service

This year we headed north to Mike & Colleen's in Brigham City for our Thanksgiving celebration.

The Killpack clan gathered not only to eat, but also to perform a service.

Each sibling donated the amount they would normally spend on Christmas gifts for one another to provide filled school bags for the Humanitarian Center. Colleen's Ward provided the bags and we purchased all the supplies to fill them. Our nephew, McKay, took over the leadership and coordination of the project as his Eagle Project. With a crew like ours, the bags were filled, checked for quality control, and packed for delivery in no time at all.

The family loaded up on a feast fit for a king, thankful for the blessings that bring us together as a family. Clive & I and Sheryl's and Marisa's families then traveled up Sardine canyon to Logan for dessert at Mars and Mel's. It was a beautiful fall day for family gatherings and traveling.

October & November Happenings

I'm going to make an effort to do a quick "catch-up" on the events of my life during the past three months.
It will be brief, but definitely better than nothing!


In November Clive & I had a wonderful weekend of grandkids.
Mayci was ours alone on Friday night, so she and I enjoyed an evening in the kitchen making pumpkin muffins and snapping photos of one another. Saturday morning Clive picked up Jayden & Tegan and brought them back for the rest of the weekend. We played games, watched movies, and popped popcorn. On Sunday morning we loaded the car with kids and drove to Logan for the Primary program. Avery sang a solo of If the Savior Stood Beside Me with a Primary chorus back-up and Gracyn joined the Primary for a beautiful rendition of I Am A Child of God. We went back to visit with Mars & Mel and allowed the cousins to spend time together. It was a special weekend for a grandma and grandpa!

On October 31st a group of sisters-in-law met at the Layton Applebee's to celebrate Colleen's birthday. I don't often get to join in the fun, so having a day off of work was a bonus for me.
November 8th was Jayden's baptismal day. A massive crowd of family gathered to witness the sacred ordinance, shower him with gifts, and meet together for a luncheon. Clive and I had celebrated with him a week earlier by taking him to a Halloween play at the Sugar Factory Playhouse.
Later that day I spent a delightful afternoon at Lorie Jo's visiting with my Mom, sisters, and nieces. Jolene, Tara, and Amy were all in town for the weekend and I wasn't going to miss spending time with them!

As always, Halloween is a time for celebration in the Witbeck family.
This year we celebrated Mom's 84th birthday at the Deseret Star Playhouse
watching Scary Poppins. It was a laugh a minute and even more fun being in costume with family members.


The autumn season began with a bang watching Sheryl and Jayden perform with finesse at their Ward Talent Show.
October was welcomed as we witnessed Kevin and Kristen become endowed in the Jordan River Temple on the 9th and their marriage in the Salt Lake Temple on the 11th.
I woke Sheryl up on her 31st birthday by playing the piano, then celebrated that evening at Hale Center Theatre.
The Halloween season isn't the same without joining sister witches Mel, Avery, and Gracyn for an afternoon at Gardner Village!

GRATITUDE

During this week of Thanksgiving I've been thinking a lot about my abundant blessings.

These are just a few of them:

1. I'm grateful for a husband who works all day and still comes home and prepares dinner while I'm busy working on my projects.

2. I'm thankful for my sons-in-law, my daughters-in-law & for Kirsti who bring so much happiness to my children.

3. I'm grateful for technology which keeps me in touch with my children.

4. I'm blessed by the excitement of five precious grandchildren who like to spend time with their not-so-young grandma.

5. I'm thankful that my second mammogram proved that I was healthy after all.

6. I'm grateful for all the talents that my Mom passed on to me and the satisfaction that they bring.

7. I'm blessed to have a sister who dedicates so much of her time every day to taking care of our sweet mother.

8. I'm grateful for the peace that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brings to my life.

... and I'm truly thankful for all the blessings of life that are too lengthy to list here.

I'm Too Busy To Die!

Once again I find myself getting further and further behind in the World of Blog.

My days are full to overflowing, but with the holidays upon us I can't spare a moment.

The gifts must be completed on schedule.

One day soon I hope to make a huge update. Of course, all my news will be old and moldy by then, but it is really the best I can do. (Do you think I could take a paid leave of absence from my job and delegate my Relief Society calling to someone else for a couple of months?)

Refer to my post of September 11th. The story's the same!