In Despair

It's late on December 23rd.  I have been hustling and bustling for the past few days with Christmas events, projects, and tasks.  I stayed up after everyone else went to bed to wrap a few presents that showed up tonight courtesy of Amazon and Brown (UPS).  And then, before I went to bed, I decided that I would jump on FB for a minute to see what everyone was doing to prepare for the holiday.  I truly expected it to be a feed full of happy faces and holiday cheer.

But no.  It is filled with posts that are disagreeable and hateful.  The message is always the same.  This is MY OPINION and if you don't share it, you are WRONG and STUPID.  I was called a jerk for carrying a gun.  I was assaulted with rude images about Christmas by someone who professes to be all about love.  I saw someone who expressed an honest concern about a situation be skewered by his "friends."  It happens all the time.

All I can think about is the third verse of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

So, I have taken action. I just realized that I can unfollow people and still stay friends with them.  That way I can go check on them when I feel prompted to, but I don't have to be assaulted by their negative posts.  The funny thing is, it is not usually
THEIR words.  It is the crappy, hateful memes that they share.  I feel bad about this, because I want to know what is going on in the world and to understand all the different facets of the problem.  I want to hear opinions that make me uncomfortable and challenge my view of the world.  But I am no longer willing to let those people pretend that they are acting out of love and concern when they are really just being hateful.

My gift to myself this Christmas?  A more peaceful and kind FB feed.  Unfortunately, I will miss out on some information from family and friends.  Oh, well.  Hopefully I can get back to the last two verses in the next couple of days.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,
Of peace on earth, good will to men!

A Toaster?

Christmas Lists.

Some people love them.  It gives the buyer an idea of what to buy with minimal brainpower involved.  This is good in my book around the holidays.  If I am going to spend money, I'd like to spend it on items that are needed/wanted. 

Some people hate them.  Considered crass to be so presumptive that people care to know what you want.  I know people who are so passive aggressive that they deliberately avoid any items that they know a person wants.

I guess I am in the middle.  I appreciate knowing that he bride and groom are registered at some local store, but I might want to give them something that I think they will need and they haven't even thought about yet.  Just because they are registered is not a mandate for me.

But it sure is nice to have some ideas when you enter the somewhat frightening world of retail sales.  It was with this thought in mind that I asked my children to produce Christmas lists this year. Parker's lists usally include many items with caliber numbers that I can't remember.  Colby loves games, but when I get to the store I get overwhelmed by all the shiny covers and titles dribble out of my brain.

And then there is Reed.  This year he asked for a toaster.  How many 14 year olds do you know who want a toaster?  Of course it was not just any toaster.  It was a special toaster from MLB that burns a team logo into the side of the toast.  Can you imagine?  I have been expecting this rabid sports fanatic to eat plain toast his whole life?  What a bad mom.

So, like any other mother of a toast-loving Boston Red Sox fan, I ordered the toaster.  Reed was thrilled on Christmas morning.  That is not an exaggeration.  He was stoked and he had it out of the box and was making toast on the next "break".

We had a great Christmas.  And now we have two toasters.  What more can we ask?

People-sick

"I miss Mayberry. . .
Sittin' on the porch drinkin'
ice cold Cherry Coke
where everything was black and white.
Picking on a Six String
Where people pass by
and you call them by their first name
Watching the clouds roll by. . .
bye bye. . ."

I woke up this morning feeling a little blue.  And then I clicked on my blog so that I could follow my bloglist to check up on some friends and family.  The song that played from my playlist was "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts.  And then I felt more blue.  It's a feeling that comes over me once in a while.  Almost always at Christmas.  And then comes the guilt of "Why should I feel blue?  I have a great life."  But the fact of the matter is that this feeling has nothing to do with my life now.  It has everything to do with the memories of my life as I was growing up.  And the people who sourrounded me in my youth.

Kaye with Santa c. 1972

Well, I didn't grow up in Mayberry.  But it could have been. 

Skowhegan, Maine was not a fancy place to live in the early 1970's.  Lots of people worked at the shoe factories and at small Mom and Pop type stores.  K-Mart didn't open until the early 80's. We lived in a large, old house with a huge attached barn.  In the shed that attached the house to the barn was a 4 holer!  I always wondered about 4 people actually using it at the same time. . .  The basement had a dirt floor and was pretty scary.  My dad and I turned it into a spooky Halloween maze when I was in 5th grade.  We had a formal living room that was called "The Blue Room."  We really only ever went in that room at Christmas! 

This was Bruce's graduation in 1972.  You can see the house, the connecting shed which was two stories high, and the barn.  L to R  Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Ernie Hunter, Vesta Horr, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Bruce Foster, Ginny Foster, Kaye, Ralph Fullerton (This means that Herky and Thelma were taking pictures!)

My parents were both teachers.  Mom taught Special Ed.  Some years she had Resource students and some years she had the more profoundly handicapped students.  She was very patient with them and helped me learn to not be afraid of people who were different,  Dad taught junior high metals shop.  He didn't really believe in limits and he had those kids doing all sorts of projects that JH aged students would not be allowed to do now.

My parents were active in the community.  They were on every committee and helped with every celebration.  My mom was very active in BPW (Business and Professional Women's Club).  My dad took photos of every event for the little community newspaper.  They served the Centenary United Methodist Church in many ways.  And better yet. . . they taught me to do the same.

This is my Dad, Herky Foster, playing Santa and passing out candy canes at the end of one of my dance recitals for the Bradley Adams School of Dance. 

Our home was open to whoever needed a place to be.  I remember holidays with lots of family members around.  My favorite Christmas memories are from when I was about 5-9 years old.  Aunt Thelma and Uncle Ralph always stayed up at the Towne Motel, which I thought was very fancy. Some years there were random people at our house on holidays who just needed a place to be.  I remember the excitement of going to the tiny little airport in Waterville, Maine to pick up Steve as he came home on leave from the Army or to pick up my other dad, Rod, who was flying in from somewhere exotic like Minneapolis or Los Angeles.  Jim came home from New York, looking a lot different than the clean cut young man who had graduated from Kents Hill.  As my brothers got married and started having children, it was a celebration when they came for Christmas.  Their wives helped incorporate new traditions into our family.  Those were years of transition though, as some of the older members of the family were no longer with us.

Jim Foster

Christmas was always fun.  The tree was set up in the Blue Room.  It usually had blue lights and ornaments and LOTS of tinsel.  I have always loved shiny things! 

Kaye in the Blue Room before a recital

On Christmas Eve we would have our feast.  It was usually roast beef and it was one of the few times during the year that we ate in the Dining Room. 

From front left, around the table- Ralph Fullerton, Ginny Foster, Kaye Hunter, Rod Hunter, Steve Hunter, Amanda Martin, Herky Foster, Jim Foster, Marguerite Martin, Bruce Foster

Dad (Herman Foster), Nana (Amanda Martin), Mrs. Rogers, Mary Rogers

After dinner there was lots of visiting.  I am sure that the ladies washed the dishes.  I remember watching Christmas specials.  Around 11:00pm we would head to Centenary United Methodist Church on the Dr. Mann Road to attend the Christmas Eve Service.  My favorite part of that service was that the last candle of the advent candles was lit that night.  Then, that symbolic light of Christ was passed throughout the congregation until everyone in the congregation had a lit candle.  This was done while singing "Silent Night."  Then the challenge was to see if we could make it all the way home with at least one lit candle.  Can you imagine? 

We would get home, light another candle, and put out treats for Santa.  By that time it was so late that I didn't have too much trouble falling asleep!

Christmas Morning began with me running through the house with bells to wake everyone up.  No matter when I got up, my mom always seemed to be up before me.  I wonder now if she ever went to bed?  I know that she and Aunt Thelma stayed up and wrapped the stocking stuffers and such. . .

In our family, someone always played Santa.  There was no rush for the tree- it was a measured event.  Santa would choose a present, being careful to try to evenly distribute each person's gifts, and give it to the person to unwrap.  Everyone watched the present being unwrapped.  This was sometimes torturous because Aunt Thelma the Thrifty saved every bow and every piece of tissue paper.  She saved the big pieces of wrapping paper, too, so I liked getting small gifts because we didn't have to wait for her to fold everything!  Christmas morning went on for hours and hours.  It was truly an event.  We would stop for treats and sometimes meals, but it was all about presents!

Marguerite Martin, Kaye, Ginny Foster, Jim Foster, Amanda Martin, Steve Hunter, Ralph Fullerton

Late afternoon on Christmas Day was the time for phone calls to those family members who were not with us that year.  There was an informal line by the phone (and I do mean THE phone which was wired into the wall. . .) of all the people who wanted to say hello to the missing family member.

Time marches on and things continue to change. Most of the people in these photos and in my memories have passed away.  Although Jim lives here in Lehi, my other brothers are spread across the country.  We are not a close family, but I think  about them every day. 

I wonder what my children will remember about their childhood Christmases?  Will they remember the year that Santa's footprints were all through our house?  Will they remember the year we got caught in the blizzard in Chicago?  Their memories will be very different from mine because the world and our traditions  have changed so much, but I hope they will be as precious as mine. 

I feel better after  walking down memory lane.  These people may be gone, but they are certainly not forgotten.  I think I'll go call Aunt Thelma and maybe do some cooking like Nana and Aunt Vesta would have!

Merry Christmas!

Why Can't It Be Easy?

It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is over already.  Isn't it amazing how a meal that takes a good three days to prepare turns into leftovers in about 20 minutes?  We cleaned up and got out of dodge.

We went to the cabin for the weekend, and had a wonderful time.  Ed and I discussed it this afternoon and we could not get over how well the boys got along and how helpful they were.  It is entirely possible that they are aliens.  Or that the turkey was drugged.  What ever happened, I hope it sticks.  It was a lot of fun.  We had beautiful weather and it was quiet.  What a blessing it is to have a great place to get away from "life" for a few days.

Since the Fairview/Mt. Pleasant area isn't exactly a shopping mecca, I didn't do ANY shopping.  OK. . . we did buy 4 3/8" wooden pegs for a total $.60 but that is not what I think of shen I think of Black Friday.   I have not bought one thing for any of my children.  Or my husband.  I have been teasing the boys that we are having a homemade Christmas and that if I can't make it, they aren't going to get it!  Parker immediately directed me to a kit that allows you to build a muzzle loader.  Very creative for a 15 year old!  Can you imagine me building a muzzle loader?  I'd have to tole paint it or something.

This afternoon I packed away all the Thanksgiving decorations.  I have been editing my decorations, so anything that I don't absolutely love is being donated to the DI.  That made it a lot easier to pack away the decorations because everything fit in the tubs.  "Editing" is such a refined word for "chuckin' stuff."

Then it was time to start thinking about Christmas decorations.  Last year we bought a 12' pre-lit tree.  We have a 16' peak in our family room area, but in the only place we can put a large tree, the height is apparently 12'!  The tree touched the ceiling and we couldn't even put the angel on!!!  I don't know what the heck we were thinking.  Maybe we were suckered into the whole "he who has the biggest tree, wins" thing.  I just don't know.

Anyway, I wasn't happy with the tree, but I didn't say anything since we had just bought it.  Today though, I fessed up.  Ed suggested that I put it on KSL classifieds and in 2 hours and 22 minutes it was sold!  Ed thinks I sold it for more than we paid, but I can't really remember.  I hope I did!  We bought it so late in the season last year that it was on clearance.  For those of you who don't remember last year's Palm Tree, you may need a refresher.  Anyway, I had the tree packed up nicely in two rolling garbage cans so that no dust or spiders could get in- I think that helped the sale.

I still have our 10' tree that we used for 6-7 years.  It is not pre-lit, which is why we bought the new one.  I put it on KSL, too, but if it doesn't sell I might put it up again.   I have found about a zillion strings of lights in the garage during my editing, so if I have to go back to my old tree, I'll have lots of lights to choose from!   I wish Christmas trees were easier to deal with.  I love the beauty, but hate the hassle!

Christmas 2009

We had a great Christmas this year. Our festivities began on the 23rd with our annual Open House. We had a more manageable crowd this year because we didn't feel the need to invite the whole neighborhood. I think we only had about 50 people this year, but we had more opportunity to visit with our guests so it was nice.

On Christmas Eve we had a yummy, but simple ham dinner. I thought it was perfect because I didn't have to work so hard! At 9pm we had our Family Program and then we had dessert. Pumpkin Pie and Cheesecake from Costco were the choices. I am SO glad that Mrs. Costco is a friend!!!

Then the boys opened their early present and got their Christmas jammies. This is a picture of them all decked out.

Christmas morning we opened our stockings and a few presents before breakfast. Unfortunately, one of the breakfast casseroles that I made was disgusting, so we did a little foraging. Then. . . back to the presents.

Jim had so much fun traveling this fall that we bought him a new set of luggage.
Parker got the .12 gauge shotgun that he has wanted forever.
Ed got mostly clothes and gift cards.
Reed got a cool hat and a trumpet.
Colby got a euphonium case. . . but his favorite gift was the Magformers that each of the boys received. He has been making lots of creations and then takes pictures of them with his handheld video camera. I think it is funny that a 16 year old is having such a blast with magnets!

I got a new TV for the kitchen, some Philosophy perfume and a new bathrobe and slippers. It was a relaxed day, complete with naps, and we all enjoyed it.

But next year I am hoping for some palm trees!

Christmas 2008

I have always loved Christmas. I love the decorations and the special baking. I love attending church and reading the story of the first Christmas. I love the stories of Santa Claus and serving others. I even enjoy shopping and wrapping presents!

I thought that the best Christmases would be those when my children were small and the excitement levels were high. They were certainly fun, but small children also get tired and cranky! I think that this was our best Christmas ever. The boys, all three, came barrelling into our room at about 7:30. Between the boys and the dogs, our bed was full!!!! We spent the morning slowly opening our gifts and having cinnamon rolls and biscuits and gravy. It was amazing to look outside and see the snow falling and piling up. Everyone knows that Christmas snow is the very best snow of all!

After shoveling, plowing and sliding at Mitchell Hollow, we enjoyed naps (mine with Lewis and Clark laying on top of me!) and we watched Mamma Mia. It was just a pleasant day.

Our Christmas Eve was just as wonderful! We had a feast of ham and all the fixings. The boys all voted on ham. At 7:30 we had our family Christmas Program. I read a story about Huckleberry Hound that was mine as a little girl. My sister-in-law, Susie, found it when they were moving and sent it to me. It was fun to share it with the boys. Colby played guitar and Reed sang Silent Night. Jim did a little schtick of carols with altered lyrics. He was absolutely hysterically funny! Parker and Ed read "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus." Then we read the Christmas story out of the New Testament and sang several carols. It was a lovely evening and all the kids fell asleep early since they had been up very late the night before.

All in all. . . I couldn't have asked for a better celebration with my family. It was a Merry Christmas, indeed.

Christmas Lights

Every Monday night our family has Family Home Evening. This is an opportunity for us to teach the Gospel to each other and to just enjoy being a family. Tonight we were able to watch a beautiful video put together by Travis Greenwood that featured the song "Mary, Did You Know?" with lots of images of Christ's birth and life. It was really well done and we enjoyed it. Afterwards we had the opportunity to go to Thanksgiving Point where we saw the reindeer, found some Christmas ornaments in the Emporium, and warmed up by the fire. Notice that Colby is not wearing a coat. It was 27 degrees fahrenheit! He thinks that he is half Eskimo.

(I know it is shocking to see three teenage/tween boys smiling in a photo. Do not be alarmed. All is well. I took several photos and photoshopped the smiling faces together!)

After getting some refreshments, we drove through the lighted area. It is amazing to see so many animated, lighted displays. What a perfect evening! The snow was falling gently and it was beautiful!

We then drove around for a while looking at all the lights. We were at the "dancing lights" house in Highland when they turned off for the night and we headed home. At that point we had lost Reed and Parker to dreamland! I ended the night playing with the exposure lengths on my camera- this was my favorite "light candy" photo.