The Magical Month of December

This was a magical month packed with all kinds of activities, sweets and surprises....and work.  We'll get the work part out of the way before we launch into the magical moments.  We currently have three empty homes that we need to repair and paint, the operative word being REPAIR on all three.  Most older homes have six things in common; cracks in the walls and ceilings, cupboards in need of fixing, plumbing issues, mold in varying degrees of severity, the need for a complete paint job,  (outside as well as inside), and yards that need cleaning up and fences to be painted.  The yard work will have to wait until spring.   One family got really creative in their paint colors, so we are trying to cover deep purples, mauves, oranges and blues.  We'll spare you the details and get on with the month.

Trying to "Light the World" through service was a focal point for us.  I'll just mention a few things we did.  Remember the 94 year old lady we visit?  I have been without hand chimes for 2 Christmas', so I ordered a set of Baby Bells on line, and what came in the mail was "Preemie Bells".  Rather than being 6 inches tall, they were about 3 inches tall.

Despite  the fact that they were rather small and high-pitched, I taught 4 little girls to pay 5 carols, which we took to our sweet friend's home.  We also took a keyboard along so the girls could play their favorite carols.  The 5-year old forgot her music book so she played a tune called "Chromatic Scale" involving every note.  It was precious.  Our elderly friend doesn't get out much, so she was thrilled with our musical serenading.

We were also instrumental in helping the Young Women make toys to give to every Primary child in our ward (only 17 kids), and we took three boxes of toys to the Children's Ward at a local hospital.
The Youth also made Cookie Plates for the older members of our ward, so we split up and delivered them on a Mutual night.

Bruce was able to literally "light the world" for a sister he home teaches, whose porch light hasn't worked for a long time.  He made her very happy!

I went on a history excursion with two sisters in our ward and visited Chatsworth Estate. The Estate celebrates Charles Dickens and his works, so the whole place was decorated for Christmas with  scenes from many of his books.  I took a ton of pictures but will just share a couple.

This is a dining room from Great Expectations, where Miss Haversham's wedding celebration was canceled because the groom didn't show up.  Miss Haversham actually appears in the dining room in her aging wedding dress and tells her story of woe about how her beau ran off with a considerable amount of money that she had loaned him.  The cake, candles, etc include years worth of cobwebs.

 
In one of the ornate bed chambers an animated Scrooge is literally shaking in fright as he awaits one of the Ghosts that will appear.  It was amazing and fun.  Although Charles Dickens didn't live here, he actually visited several times and we saw a couch in the library where he actually sat at one time.

The highlight of the month was traveling to Germany for Christmas, where we visited Bruce's brother Ed and his wife Judy, who are serving at the Freiberg Temple.

We stayed in one of the apartments that Temple Missionaries live in next to the Freiberg Temple.
The Temple is on the left, the meetinghouse is on the right, and the accommodations building is behind the two.

So, our December temple excursion was in the Freiberg Temple!  How wonderful is that?

We visited a Christmas Market in Dresden and bought a couple of ornaments.

We also toured the famous church in Dresden that was destroyed in the war and was featured in one of Dieter F. Uchtdorf's conference talks.  The church was rebuilt using as many of the original blocks as possible.

The black blocks are from the original church, and the dark section on the right was in shambles, but remained standing.

Another Germany highlight was spending time with my niece Jennifer Maschke and her family.

Jennifer, Frank and their six kids at church.

Of course the biggest highlight of Christmas Day was talking to our kids and their families across the good old USA!   Because of a 6 to 9 hour difference in time, we had an elaborate schedule where we could reach everyone....some at 7:30 in the morning their time!  What troopers!  It was a lot of fun.

Things we learned this month at a sing-along concert:  not all countries sing the carols like we do in the USA.  The English have a whole different tune for "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" and "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night".  We all speak English, but not the same vernacular.  While ice skating with the YW/YM, I got derailed by a Kleenex that had fallen out of somebody's pocket.  While explaining the situation to the YW, they all said in unison, "What is a Kleenex?"   Also, Christmas Crackers are not something you eat in England.  It is something you wear on your head, read and play with after opening.  Are you intrigued?

We are grateful for this time of the year and the tender feelings that people express as they remember the birth of our Savior.  We love you all!