Christmas Shoes

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May the gifts you give be more rewarding

than those you receive!

What child is this?

What child is this....

Who can change night into day?

"Stories on the Sabbath" - Apple Of Love

We have a Tradition in my Tenney extended family called,  'The Apple of Love'.
Here is the story behind how this tradition began.

My great grandpa, Samuel Benjamin Tenney had been very hurt when his daughter, Ida ran away and married Uncle Todd the cowboy. However the first Christmas she was away from home she sent a box of delicious red apples and expressed her love for Grandpa and her love for her husband who was a fine man.

                                 (Ida in black dress on the right of Grandpa Tenney)

It was also at this time that the Saints were being driven out of Old Mexico. General Pancho Villa, head of the rebels in Mexico had driven the Americans from their comfortable homes.  Many of them had to flee for their lives, some of them left with only 15 minutes notice. Grandpa’s brother, Ammon M. Tenney was in Mexico with one of his wives and children. Grandpa was very concerned for his safety.

Uncle Ammon came from the Colonies through Douglas where Grandpa lived. He arrived at about the same time as the apples arrived from Aunt Ida. Grandpa, being a very tender hearted and forgiving man, his heart was touched.  He was so grateful for the uniting of his brother’s family and the love of his daughter, Ida, that when the apples arrived he wept. After the banquet, he served the apples and christened them the 'Apples of Love'.

He gathered the family around and related both incidents and said, “With all my heart I forgive my daughter, Ida for any offence against me. And I thank My Heavenly Father for the safe return of my brother and his family”.

He then cut the biggest apple into slices and said, “The whole is made of many parts, just as our family is. However forgiveness is the adhesive that puts families back together. And now I’m going to serve these apple pieces to each of you. Will you each in your hearts forgive anyone in the family who has offended you in anyway, just as I forgive my beloved daughter, Ida?"

It was Grandpa's desire that every member of his family serve the ‘Apple of Love’ at Christmas time and as we eat, have a desire in our hearts to promote more LOVE, more UNDERSTANDING and FORGIVENESS for all mankind and especially for our immediate family.

For many years I remember having the 'Apple of Love' at Christmas time as we gathered together with all of our cousins.  As years have gone by and we've all grown up, we now look forward to this special tradition at our family reunions.

                                                             *****

My Aunt Dode and cousin Princess put together a special song, entitled 'The Apple of Love'.

I want to share this special message with you this Christmas.

If you have any bad feelings towards anyone you love, 

Please forgive them so that the love of the Savior 

can bless both of your lives.

Merry Christmas!

Our Romney Christmas Traditions

When I was a little girl, every Christmas morning we would wake up with great excitement to open all of our presents.  However, we had a special tradition that we did BEFORE any presents were ever even touched!  We all gathered in a line, youngest to oldest and walked into the living room singing a very special song, written by my Grandma Vilate Lee Romney.  

We lived in Arizona and most of my Romney relatives lived in Utah.  Because of finances we didn't get to see them very often.  One Christmas my grandma mailed us a "record" with her talking to us and singing this very special song.  I can still picture that black record and oh how I loved hearing grandma's voice.  I must have listened to it hundreds of times, because I still have the words she said to us memorized.  Below are the words in BLUE that my grandma said on the record, and then below that, is a sound clip of my grandma actually singing this special song, "Wish you Merry Christmas" to us all.  

"At this glorious Christmas time, my heart is full of love and appreciation for you and all my blessings.  It seems but yesterday that you were just my little children.  Eagerly anticipating the thrill of Christmas morning.  It seems that I can hear your father say, "The fire in the fireplace is crackling hot mother."  Then Sankie blows the whistle and what a scampering down the stairway, then you call, "Merry Christmas".   Then listen we hear.... (click on the link below to listen to my sweet Grandma Romney)

After she finished singing, she ended with these words that we have quoted through the years.

"A very Merry Christmas to you all.  May peace fill your heart, 

and may the Love of Him, whose birth we celebrate, abide in your home."

All my love,  Mother

Now, fast forward 20 years later, and I am a mother with 5 growing children.  What has happened to this special Christmas morning tradition?  Watch this video clip and see for yourself.

As you can see, the tradition is still alive in my family, however I have a family of non-singers.  Too bad I don't have a clip of some of my sister's families who harmonize and make the song actually sound beautiful!

Below is a clip of when some of my kids were older and married.  The tradition is passed on yet a another generation, with the birth of my first grand daughter, Allie.

So here you have it, FIVE GENERATIONS of family passing on this special Christmas Tradition.

Wish you Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas all.
May the richest blessings, ever on you fall.
Every year be brighter, than the one before.
And your Christmas mornings many, many more.

Wish you merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry merry, Christmas all.
Wish you merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry, merry merry, Christmas all!

Yep, that's right, there are ten different Merry's!  

Bet you've never been wished that many

Merry's before!  :-)

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Three modern day wise men

show us that the greatest gift we can give

Jesus Christ is the will of our hearts

We Three Kings

(If you are receiving this as an email and can't view it, click on the blue highlighted name of the post and it will take you to my blog where you will be able to view the video.)

The Wise men present Jesus with gifts.

                     

                                                     

Last week I went to our Relief Society Christmas Dinner and we had a wonderful speaker who has a doctorate in Judaism.  She talked of the significance of who the wise men were and what they brought.  She said that they were from the east, which was probably Babylon and that they were most likely Jewish, (taken captive when Jerusalem had been overthrown) because who else would have been reading the Talmud to know that the "King of the Jews" had been born?

She said that the gifts that they brought of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh were very significant for Mary and Joseph and Christ.  When the wise men found Jesus he was two years old.  King Herod being threatened by news that the "King of the Jews" had been born, sent out a decree that all baby boys two and under be killed.  So Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt to save Jesus' life.  Egypt was a center for learning for the Jews and what better place for the Jesus to taught then here.  However education was expensive and so the Gold that they received from the wise men paid for his "tuition" (if you will) for higher learning.

Frankincense was used for temple worship, to be burned at the candle of shrew-bread and other places in the temple.  Myrrh was like an oil that could be used to anoint Jesus with.

I never realized that these gifts actually had a significant use for Jesus and his family.

Oh Come ALL Ye Faithful

Oh Come all ye Faithful!

How faithful are we when it comes to 

living our lives as Jesus would?

Away in a Manger

Away in a Manger

No crib for his bed....

The little Lord Jesus

lay down his sweet head.

The Birth of Jesus

The Story of Christmas is a Story of Love!

What would we have done had Christ never been born?

How Grateful we should all be

for that babe in the manger!

"Stories on the Sabbath" - Papa's Song

This is a true story that happened to my niece, Marlene's best friends Nettie.

Papa’s Song

I was torn between loving home and wanting to go on with life. Papa’s song healed my heart.  I don’t think I will ever forget that Christmas. There was little snow that year. It was as if the world couldn't quite decide whether or not winter had really come. Such were the conditions as I drove home from college to spend the Christmas holidays with my family.

I suspected it would be the last Christmas I would spend at home. We all knew that soon after Christmas I would leave on my mission. Then would come marriage and Christmases from then on would be spent with my own little family. Oh, I knew there would be years when I would spend Christmas Day with my family, but never again would I be there for the “season,” the days of baking, nights spent caroling, the stockings to be hung, and other activities which filled the weeks before Christmas. I was growing up. I was leaving home, and the thought scared me.

I had anticipated that last Christmas at home for months. My family had many holiday traditions which we celebrated together for years, and each held a special meaning for me. I was the second of eleven children, and my nine younger brothers and sisters also added to the excitement.  

That week before Christmas was wonderful. I savored every minute of the gingerbread houses, the stockings hanging in the living room, wreaths in our windows, acting out the Nativity, decorating our tree, and all the secrets and surprises which seemed to invade every corner of our warm house. It was everything I could want my last Christmas at home to be like. Yet, despite the happy feelings, I kept being reminded that this would be the last year things would be the same.

One of the Christmas traditions which we children looked forward to the most took place on Christmas Eve. Starting with the youngest, Papa would take each child downstairs to the living room. Then, holding him or her in the old rocking chair, Papa would sing us a special Christmas song. It was the same song every year, and we all knew it by heart. The song talked about angels and dancing toys on Christmas morning. Sitting there in Papa’s arms with the Christmas tree lights shining in the dark room, you couldn’t help but feel secure. Somehow you knew you were still a child, and tomorrow would reveal all the joys that Christmas morning could bring. No matter how old we were or how big we grew, Papa always rocked us on Christmas Eve.

As I lay in my bed that night, I watched each of my sisters and brothers in turn be taken down the stairs. I was the oldest child at home that year since my older sister had left on her mission. Below me in the living room, I heard the song over and over as each child was sung to. Then it was my turn. I followed Papa down the stairs into the living room. He sat in the big chair and opened his arms.

“Do you still want me to sit on your lap?” I asked.

“Of course,” he smiled. Gratefully, I climbed onto his lap and pulled my knees up to my chin, snuggling up next to him.

“This is my last night to be rocked,” I said.

“I know,” came his quiet reply.

As the first few strains of the familiar tune began in the tape recorder next to us, I thought back to all the years I had heard this song on Christmas Eve. Suddenly something in me wanted to stay. I was so warm and comfortable, and I had no idea what the future months and years would hold. I started to cry.

Don’t let this song end, I thought.

Papa began to sing.

Heaven bless you little one while you’re fast asleep.

You’ll awake to dancing toys,

Candy canes, Christmas joys.

And I pray your whole life through,

Angels will watch over you,

Loving you the way I do,

My little one, sleep well.

Each year before this night, the song had reminded me of Christmas and what the next morning would bring. But on this last time, I knew Papa was singing about life and the years ahead—not toys that would break or wear out, but eternal joys I would find on my journey through life, joys I was not even aware of now. On this night I heard the emotion of his voice as he sang for angels to watch over me, not just for tonight but for tomorrow night and all the nights that would follow when he wouldn't be there.

I let my tears flow, as the last strains of music faded away. Papa and I watched the lights of the tree in the darkness, and we rocked and rocked, long after the song had ended.

As we rocked, I thought what our last night in heaven must have been like, the night before each of us came to earth to be born. Did Heavenly Father hold us close and tell us of the joys and dancing toys which we would find on the morrow? Did we cry and wish we could stay with him forever, even though we knew earth life would bring us more joys than we could imagine? He must have held us long after his song to us had ended, asking that angels would watch over us in our earthly journey, that our years away from him would be filled with happiness and would eventually lead us back to his presence.

I found comfort as I thought of my Heavenly Father that night, while my earthly father rocked me. Even though Papa couldn't be there every day in the future to help me with each struggle I would face, my Father in Heaven would be there. No matter what the years ahead would bring, I would not only have the support of an earthly father but of my Heavenly Father. And he would guide my paths and bring me home for good. That night I felt he too was singing, “Loving you the way I do, my little one, sleep well.”

                       BY NETTIE HUNSAKER FRANCIS

This story can be purchased in booklet form with the sheet music and the illustration at Deseret Book here.

O Come Emmanuel - Amazing!

This year I have been deeply touched by several new videos

 depicting the different aspects of Jesus's birth.  

Please allow me to share a daily 2-5 minute

Christmas video from now until Christmas 

to help bring the Christmas spirit into your heart and home.

Busily Baking....and Bragging!

I had so much fun baking today.  I was extremely happy that I had the energy this Christmas to make and deliver treats to my neighbors and that they turned out so nice!  

  Here I am taking a moment to brag!

Now for a quick video of me frosting the rolls....

I've made cinnamon rolls before, but this time I wanted to make 

huge individual ones like you order at the bakery.   

So here ya go!!!!! Woot, woot! 

 Here are my Christmas Wreath - Cinnamon Rolls

Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Eating!

Good News and Tidings of Great Joy!

Life has been very good lately.  I recently went to the doctor and had my CA-125 Blood test taken again.  This blood test is a tumor marker and helps the doctors know how my cancer is reacting to the chemotherapy.  Normal is 0-35.  When I was first diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer my CA-125 was 687.9.  After surgery it was 307.3 and after my first round of chemo it was 165.1.  Since then it has continued to go down.  My sweet husband offered to make a chart and graph so I could enjoy the success I was having in this area.  As you can see, my last CA-125 test taken on November 30th was the lowest it's been at 10.3.  Yippee!

                                                                             (Normal is 0-35)

I am so grateful to be feeling so good this Christmas season.  I think back to how fragile I was last year and I am over joyed with my progression.  Every now and then I have a down time, wondering when my cancer will come back, but my husband is so good about helping me to live in the NOW and enjoy the blessings that I am able to experience right NOW!  Ovarian cancer never goes into remission, however when the cancer is at bay, it is called N.E.D. (No Evidence of Disease).  So I am in N.E.D. right now. :-)

I'm busy doing all the normal things that everyone else is doing this season and I'm thrilled that I am healthy enough to do it! I'm Christmas shopping and wrapping for kids and grand kids,  making bread for a friend's birthday, making cinnamon rolls for my neighbor gifts, taking dinner to my visiting teaching sister who is sick and helping my daughter plan for a wedding.  I'm even well enough to take an elderly sister to our Relief Society Christmas dinner tonight.  Last year I was the one who was picked up and taken to the dinner, not knowing if I would have the energy to stay the whole night or not.  How wonderful to be on the other end of giving again!  I'm enjoying myself so much this Christmas season, I hope you are too.  My mother used to tell me, "If you are feeling sad, (which often happens this time of year) look outside of yourself and find someone who looks sad or lonely too and reach out and serve them.  You'll be surprised how fast your sadness is cured!"

"Stories on the Sabbath" - My Glowing Fire

This is a true Christmas story that happened to my Aunt, Uncle and Grandma Tenney.                                                        

                                                   "My Glowing Fire..."

             

               "What's wrong dear?" Rachel sweetly asked.  The woman tearfully replied, "I can't mark this menu knowing that my mother and four children will have no Christmas dinner."

               My sister-in-law, Rachel had just had a baby and was still in the hospital getting her strength back.  In the bed next to her was another little mother.  They began talking as they nursed their new babies.  A nurse had walked in and asked them what they would like to eat the next day.

               Rachel listened as this young mother explained that they had just moved there from a nearby town.  With what little money they had, they had barely been able to rent a small cabin in the pines of Groom Creek, near Prescott, Arizona.  Her husband had left several days before to bring back their last load of belongings.  He was still gone.  The weather was so bad that all traffic had been stopped.  The roads were closed, which meant that he wouldn't be able to get home for Christmas.

                It was Christmas Eve 1944, when Rachel was released from the hospital and taken home to the ranch.  The first thing she did was to tell Mother (my Grandma Tenney) about this little mother.

              Mother replied, "We'll see what we can do."  That always meant that she would find a way to do it.  The problem she faced was that there was no phone at the ranch. This meant that she wouldn't be able to get a hold of Rachel's husband, Boyd, until he drove up from the feed store after work.  That would be too late to do anything. Mother prayed that the Lord would help make a way possible to help out this little stranded family.  As if in direct answer to her prayer, one of Boyd's workers, a man named Carl, drove up with the wood and coal truck.  Mother ran out to stop him before he returned.

            Quickly she wrote a letter of explicit instructions and asked Carl to make sure that Boyd read it.  Boyd was so busy that most of the time he tended to forget things.  "Get a hold of him by the lapels of his jacket like this," Mother said as she grabbed Carl's coat with both hands.  "Once you've gotten his attention say to him, "Your mother wants you to read this letter right now, and do something about it." When Carl met up with my brother Boyd, he did exactly as Mother had instructed and Boyd read the letter and set to work. 

          The first thing he did was to call me.  I lived in town and I had a telephone.  "Sis, I need your help," he informed me.  He then read me the letter from Mother.  Included in the letter was a list that Rachel had provided with the names and ages of the little mother's children.  I knew exactly what to do.

          It was three p.m. and time was of the essence, for it was Christmas Eve.  I immediately called the Relief Society President and told her of the plight of this little family.  Within moments, phones began ringing as the word went out through the visiting teachers to the members of the branch.  They were instructed to ask the families to bring anything they could donate for Christmas to the feed store by six o'clock that evening.  That only gave everyone three hours. 

          It was amazing to see how much people united in a common goal can accomplish.  By six o'clock the families responded with gifts for everyone.  There were dolls for the girls and toys for the boys, along with a complete turkey dinner.  Someone had taken their own turkey right out of their oven and given it to this needy family.  It was a heart-warming experience for me to witness this outpouring of love.

        The truck was loaded with the items for this family.  When Boyd arrived at the ranch, he loaded the rest of the truck with wood and coal to take to keep the cabin warm.  "The roads are in terrible condition," he announced, "We'll never get a truck into that cabin now.  We'll wait until early morning when the snow and slush have frozen." 

         So, at three o'clock on Christmas morning, Mother and Boyd carefully drove the truck over ice-crusted roads to the cabin.  The spirit of Christmas illuminated their hearts as they drove through the moonlight night with the moon glittering off the frozen snow.   Before they got in sight of the cabin, Mother had Boyd stop the truck and put on a Santa suit she had rounded up. They entered the yard area and quietly knocked on the cabin door. 

         The grandma and all the children were asleep in the same bed.  There was no fire.  There was absolutely no more wood.  They had gathered every stick and broken off every branch they could reach within walking distance.  They were freezing to death!  The only way they could stay warm was to get in the same bed and combine all of their body heat.

         Boyd knocked a little louder this time.  He heard a fumbling noise and then saw the glow of a freshly lite kerosene lamp illuminate the inside of the cabin.  The grandma opened the door to see Santa Clause standing in his red suit with arms laden with presents. Within moments all the children were at the door.  "I told you he'd come," the littlest one yelled when she saw Santa.  "Grandma, Santa Clause DID find our cabin!  Heavenly Father answered our prayer!"

         The grandmother was overcome.  "My little grandson would not give up hope that Santa would find us," she explained.  "I tried to discourage him, but he never gave up the faith."  She wept.

        Santa brought in the gifts and then returned with a fully-trimmed Christmas tree.  Mother acted as Santa's helper by bringing in the turkey dinner.  Boyd quickly started a fire.  It wasn't long before the fire was glowing and the cabin was filled with warmth and love.  Mother and Boyd left as the family settled in to spend a Christmas they would never forget.  A very concerned father returned three days later to find all well after the roads were finally opened.

       What happened that Christmas morn was truly a "gift" to all.  I think of the sacrifice that was made in behalf of those less fortunate and I am moved to tears.  We never were able to find out who gave up their turkey dinner for this needy family.  Whom ever it was truly followed the Savior's counsel found in Luke 14:13.  "But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:  And thou shalt be blessed..."

        The Lord will always bless us as we reach out and serve those less fortunate.  As I remember this touching Christmas scene and the immediate response the members of our branch gave, the words of a familiar hymn burn deep within my soul. "I cannot see another's lack and I not share, my glowing fire, my loaf of bread, my roof's safe shelter overhead, that he too may be 

comforted."  

In my life I've seen many acts of service, but none have touched me so deeply as the experience that happened one Christmas day, over fifty years ago.

                   -- Eudora Tenney Patterson,  (my aunt) mother of five, grandmother of 28