Christmas Day

Ann and I putting seasoned flour on chicken

This year Christmas Day was a busy day for us. We spent most of the day preparing Christmas dinner for the mission including the temple missionaries and family guests. There were about 240 total. No, we did not volunteer for the project. 

Ann loading seasoned chicken in roaster pan

Back in November, we were asked to serve on the Christmas dinner committee. It turned out that Sister Williams who was called to be over the event, turned in names and she just picked the missionaries who's last name began with the letter "H." So, the committee was made up of Elder and Sister Harper, Elder and Sister Hufstetler, Sister Hoen and us with Sister Williams and her husband as chairmen. Our assignment was to work with the Hufstelers on a vegetable and the main dish item.


We started the day by having the Hufstetlers over for breakfast at 8:00 a.m. After breakfast, we went over to the stake center to Start preparing for the 3:30 p.m. dinner. Sister Hufstetler had an orange chicken dish that she wanted to do. We cooked the chicken and beans in roaster ovens

Men servers in their Christmas dinner aprons

Sister Williams wanted all the men on the committee plus two others she recruited to hop serve to wear some special aprons she ordered. Originally she wanted the men to serve tables but we convinced her that making three serving lines would be much faster and more efficient. Everyone was served in about eight minutes.

Two of the three serving tables, Ann
and I are on the one to the left

The clean up started right after serving and through the program so that when the program ended we had most of the washing of pans etc. done. By the time we got home, we were tired. It was a long day

Christmas Eve

Lf to Rt: Fuellenbachs, Ann, Jones' and Hufstetlers

For Christmas Eve, I got our MTC (Mission Training Center) district together for dinner. I was the district leader. So, I have felt that it was my responsibility to lead out on get togethers. We had planned to host the dinner. However, President Jones wanted to prepare the main item for us, so it was decided that it would be easier for them if we met in their home.

It was a delightful evening. We had Spanish breaded and baked chicken dish for the main item, steamed fresh vegetables, a Christmas jello salad and rolls to round out the menu.  For dessert, we took the apple slices wrapped in crescent rolls and baked in a sauce.

Following dinner, we played a game of matching Christmas carols followed by my reading the Christmas story "That Thy Alms May Be in Secret" and Sister Hufstetler reading a story about the World War II Candy Bomber.

Family Christmas Card

Our family posted the following Christmas card for us on our family blog site:

Snow and Cold

One of the temple gates

Saturday night we had an ice storm that covered everything with ice. Then on top of the ice we had about six inches of snow. The past couple of days have been very cold.  We got up to 7 degrees today and the low is expected to be -10 degrees.

A slow and cold Sunday afternoon
at the Brickyard waiting for visitors

Yesterday, Ann and I were assigned to serve at the Brickyard site. We had the family of one of the senior missionary couples. There was 13 of them. Other than that we had no other visitors or guests. This time of year it is not uncommon to go all day without anyone visiting a site. However, during the week I have projects in the cabinet shop to keep me busy all day.

Last night all the missionaries met at the stake center at 6 o'clock following the closing of sites at 4 o'clock. We had soup and bread dinner provided by us missionaries. Afterwards, we had pictures taken on the temple steps. It was so cold. We then divided up into three groups and went caroling up town for a while. Afterwards, each group went to the home of one of the members of the mission presidency for wassail and hot chocolate.

Christmas Decorations in Nauvoo

Some of the Greenery Ann helped to make

Decorating the mission sites for the Christmas Season began on 6 December. As explained in an earlier entry, Ann and a few other sisters started making bows, garlands and other greenery on 4 to 5 December. There were about 500 bows tied and then attached to hundreds of feet of garlands and swags. So, now the sites and Visitor Center are decorated for the Christmas Season. We even have a few decorations in our apartment. 

Ann showing some of the items made

Christmas Tree in Visitor Center

We've included some pictures to give you an idea how things appear here with all the decorating that went on here. First is the Visitor Center.

Part of Life Size Nativity in Visitor Center

Basket in Visitor Center

Candle Arrangement in Visitor Center

Nativity with lights from above

The next set of photos are of the Heber C. Kimball home and some of the decorations inside.

Heber C. Kimball Home

Stairway in Heber C. Kimball Home

Parlor in Heber C. Kimball Home

Nativity on Piano in Parlor in Heber C. Kimball Home

We've included a few of the site buildings to give and idea as to how they are decorated.

The building to the left is the Browning Home and Gun Shop









To the right is the Sarah Grainger Kimball home. She is the one who organized the women to do service projects which lead to the organizing of the Relief Society.



Below is the Scovil Bakery after the snow storm..




We managed to put together a few items of decoration in our apartment. These help to create a little of the Christmas season spirit in our Nauvoo home.

Our Christmas Tree

Our tree is borrowed from Facilities Conservation and came with the ribbons. The other items on the tree were little items we received or picked up.

Center Piece from Carrie
and Family

We know that after all is said and done, the greatest Christmas gift is the one from our Father in Heaven, our Savior, Jesus Christ. No matter what, we must remember the Gospel is true and to always follow the prophet.

Senior Single Sisters for Dinner

Table set for the dinner

After being made Bishop in our old 16th Ward in Layton, Ann and I started a tradition at Christmas time of inviting the widows of the ward to our home for a nice dinner. We did that for several years until we moved into what became the Forest Park Ward. When we moved into the ward, all the families were younger and there were not even any senior couples let alone widows or senior sisters. As a result, we discontinued the tradition.

Several years ago, after families had aged, ward boundaries had been adjusted, people had moved in and out of the ward, some of the men of the ward had passed away, we realized the demographics of the ward had changed. We once again had widows and senior single sisters in our ward.

We decided to resume the tradition of having widows and senior single sisters come to our home for dinner during the Christmas Season. Ann and I have always had fun doing it and the sisters seem to really enjoy it. 

Ann with the single senior sister missionaries

We were talking about how we would miss having them in our home this year while we are here in Nauvoo. Then the thought came to us that although we would miss doing the dinner at home this year, we could do the same thing for the single senior sister missionaries serving here in Nauvoo. We found that this evening was an open date for the mission, so we sent out invitations to the nine senior sister missionaries. Eight of them were able to come.

We had a nice dinner of cranberry chicken, whipped autumn vegetables, peas with baby carrots and ginger-streusel pumpkin pie for dessert. Following dinner, I read one of our favorite Christmas stories. They all really enjoyed being here and like the sisters in our Layton ward area, we loved having them. The single senior missionaries bring a special spirit and courage to the mission.

W did had to shorten our even somewhat because the mission president had decided to have an option home evening for the mission tonight which involved some of the single sisters.

Winter Snow in Nauvoo

Old Post Office on Main Street and  
John Taylor Home next door

Our first real snow came last night. We woke up this morning to about six inches of the white stuff. Every thing  looked beautiful with the blanket of white. Since it was our preparation day, neither of us had an assignment for the day. So, I took a drive around old Nauvoo and took some pictures with every thing in its new white mantel. I thought it would be nice to share some of what I saw.

Joseph and Hyrum Statues in front of the temple

View of the temple from Partridge Street

This afternoon, we did venture out and drove up to Iowa City about two hours away to see a sister missionary who was hospitalized with a severe burn just a few days before she and her husband were to go home. By the time we got to Mt. Pleasant, the roads were mostly just wet. The storm had not gone that far north and west.

The "Grove" taken from White Street

Our Mail Room where we pick up mail

Snow covered trees by the mail room

Tin Shop on Main Street

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Elder Hufstetler doing sidewalk snow removal  

Elder Hufstetler and his wife are from Layton, Utah. He is assigned to the Grounds Department of Facilities Management. During the summer, he mows lawns. He has a large stature and fills the cab of one of the small tractors used for clearing snow from sidewalks leaving very little room for movement