Cynthia

I have tidbits of experiences throughout the years. I recall one Christmas when Joe was 2 and Britt was 4 that I got pretty sick. Dad caught my illness just the last few days leading to Christmas. We had completed our shopping but Dad had to get his last gifts for me. He couldn't get out of bed so a good Sister in our ward offered to pick up those last items for him.

 

I love the traditions that we had through the years too. When the kids were young we read a story to them all of December. I sat on the floor outside their bedroom and read to them as they were tucked in bed. We continued to read our favorites that bring tears and laughter when we read from: "That Thy Alms may be in Secret", "Closing Time", "She Thought of Needs, Not Wants", "The Last Straw" and the funny poem, "See Mom".

One year we heard of a family that got their favorite box of cereal for breakfast, under the tree. So we began that tradition and boy did it save Mom!

Before Ian was born Dad and I went on a Cruise. It was so wonderful. However the kids were pretty disappointed that they didn't get to go too. When we got a Value Coupon Packet there was an advertisement for the Provo River Cruise. I wondered what that would be like since we had lived across the street from the river years before and the depth of it was about a foot or two. Anyway we thought we would surprise the kids on the day we planned to go that we were going on a cruise and they were so excited. They wanted to know where we were going and what they should pack and we told them they only needed to dress warm. Boy were they surprised when we arrived in Provo for the small river cruise. It wasn't a warm tropical excursion. I think they had fun...and it has always been a big joke in the family about our big Winter Christmas Cruise. Now we cant go a year without still planning a night in December to go back. 

We joke about the year that we decided to not put names on our gifts so the kids wouldn't compare package number and sizes. But our great idea flubbed because we forgot where we put the master list that reminded us parents who the numbered packages were for.

I love on Christmas eve when we write down on a paper a gift that we will present to the Christ child for the upcoming year. Some list going to the temple more often, be nicer to my sibling, talk kindly to others, read the Book of Mormon...I think its so easy to get caught up in gifts and forget that Christ is truly the reason for the season and how we give of our self, our hearts, how we transform and become more like the Savior.

Cynthia

Another Christmas memory is that for the past seems like 17 years we have been doing the Provo River Christmas cruise. This was initiated when Cynthia and I went on a cruise to the western Caribbean, and her kids were bummed that they didn't get to go. So in the Val Pak coupons there was a coupon for a Provo river cruise. We thought that was kind of strange because the Provo river isn't very deep maybe two or 3 feet at the point where we used to live beside. So I called the people and they said that they were further down the road on Center Street closer to the Utah Lake and that they had dredged out the rivers away it was a little deeper. So we told the kids get packed don't worry about bringing a lot of clothes we're going to Christmas cruise they were all excited but I said to them I have to stop by and Provo before we get to the airport to drop off something but dress warm tonightjust in case because we're driving a ways tonight. So we Pulled down Ctr., Street in Provo and got the spot and I said we're here, they all said we're here where, I said we're here at our Christmas cruise  they were not very happy. But ever since then, that this has been a family tradition every year at Christmas


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Eldon

One Christmas memory I had was when I was very young, my brother Ardwyn and his wife Louise and their children came home for Christmas. Usually there were three or four presents under the tree for each of us. But this year in particular I remember the Christmas tree was in the far corner of mom and dad living room and when we got ready to go to bed the Christmas presents would have covered two thirds of grandma's living room floor.I was amazed at how many present there were and later on came to realize that every Christmas for Ardy and Louise  was just as large. It reminded me of how simple Christmas could be but it was always more enjoyable  being with family and enjoying time together. 

Eldon

Another memory that we have of Christmas growing up is the Cherry Grove Alberta Canada Ward Christmas party it was always held on the new Christmas Eve from 4 to 6 PM and there was food music, dancing, and a visit from Santa Claus. Santa Claus would bring a bag of goodies for every boy and girl.  In that bag there would be a mandarin orange, a candy cane  and some candies and some peanuts. One of the games that we would play after Santa Claus had come would be to try and guess who Santa Claus was and sometimes it was very easy guess another times is really difficult

Eldon

Another Christmas memory revolves around my mom, one year on Christmas Eve my brother who was serving as the bishop of the church in Cherry Grove at the time came over at about 7 o'clock on Christmas Eve and with a sorrowful note in his voice he indicated that there was a family in the ward whose dad would not make it home for Christmas and that there will be no presents for their family that year. My mom said well let me see and she went under her bed and pulled out four or five boxes that were the size of orange boxes and those boxes were all filled to overflowing with all kinds of toys and trinkets. We ask mom where she got those from And her reply was that for all the magazines that dad had subscribed to and all the books he ordered that they had come with the little gifts so when they came she just put them in a box under the bed and thought they might be useful someday. The family had six  children and from those four or five boxes each of the children were able to get two or three gifts. It warmed my heart to see someone who is prepared to be able to give service a time when it would've been very difficult to find anything at the stores were now closed

Eldon

One Christmas memory I  have is when we moved to Layton Utah, mom and I found a Nintendo game system which the kids really wanted so we bought it but we bought about the last part of November. So for  every night in December until Christmas after we put the kids in bed mom and I would go and get the  Nintendo game and console out and play until wee hours of the morning and then we Would put it up in the box put it back in the closet. Sometimes when we're playing the kids would come walking down the hallway too tired to sleep or had a bad dream or needing to go  to the bathroom. We would  have to quickly cover everything up and then wait until the kids went back to bed.

Lance

Christmas story- I remember for one Christmas we went to Grandma Price's house in Texas for Christmas. I remember that i was super excited because i didn't know what i was getting, unlike some years. I remember waking up Christmas morning and was super excited for one toy in specific. It was a Gatling nerf gun. You would crank a wheel and it would spew our nerf darts. It was the best nerf gun around.

Brittany

I have a lot of memories of Christmas.

There will always be the first ever christmas cruise.  The Story that mom and dad will buy us all new clothes once we get there so don't worry about packing.

There is the Christmas in Layton that we had 3 families doing the 12 days of christmas to us.  I remember feeling so blessed that people cared about us.

I remember the Christmases we waited ever so impatiently for those missionaries to call home.   I remember all crowding around the phones just so excited to hear their voices.

We always had a grandma at Christmas.  If cindy lou wasn't there then it was grandma stonehocker and Loya.  They always enjoyed watching the kids open presents.

Eldon

My thanksgiving memories go way back as we celebrated Canadian thanksgiving in the 2nd Monday of October.. We would always have turkey and lots of vegetables to eat. We would usually have family activities and lts of cousins. We would usually have some type of shotgun shooting competition, with a wooden trophy made by uncle vaun or uncle Ardie. We would usually have some type of farm work to do on that weekend at the family farm, usually it was hauling hay, fixing fences or cutting firewood for moms wood stove.

Since we moved to Utah our thanksgiving have usually been with kids, spouse and extended family. The last two thanksgiving were spent in San Diego attending Ian's soccer tournaments.. Unique but definitely missing all the family bonding..