December

We had lots of fun this December. The first weekend was a BYU weekend. On Friday night Sarah, Joel and I enjoyed the BYU combined Choirs Christmas concert. It was fun to see and hear many of our Jerusalem Center students. Saturday morning we went to the annual faculty and staff family Christmas party in the Wilkinson Center (where Joel and Will made BYU ornaments) followed by Christmas shopping in the bookstore. That afternoon we all enjoyed the BYU Folk dancers' Christmas around the world. I was a two time dancer in Christmas around the world while working on a master's degree at BYU. That night we all went to the geography department Christmas party at at BYU lodge up Hobble Creek canyon.

Joel (standing) reciting his part at the Brookside Elementary Christmas program. The students sang Christmas related songs (some even Christ related!) from around the world.
Joel and class playing the ukulele.
For Will's actual birthday two friends came over for some creative star wars playing before they all went to afternoon kindergarten. That evening our family enjoyed a birthday diner at Brick Oven.
Later that week other friends joined Will for more celebrating at Jump On It.
Wall to wall trampolines--they had a blast.

Ward Christmas breakfast and nativity. Joel is a wiseman.
Will with a brown Jedi style shepherd's robe.

Our family was one of many who did not win the lottery for the annual Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert with David Archuletta. My sister-in-law Lorie however was much luckier. She submitted requests for every place of residence of her married children and was able to score 20 tickets!. In November I drove to Smithfield (two hour drive) after work to show Holy Land/Christmas slides to her Relief Society. Lorie's kind and gracious thanks to me was four tickets to the concert and a David Archuletta Christmas CD. Sweet! We left Will in the care of Grandma Emmett (who came to stay with us for the weekend to hear us all speak in sacrament meeting) and the rest of us drove to SLC for a great event.



On December 23rd. We hosted an Emmett family visit to the BYU Museum of Art for the wonderful Carl Bloch Exhibit. We then had 35 of the clan come over for a dinner of Grandpa Emmett's famous curry.

Christmas Eve at Aunt Anna's
The tradition is to have a Mexican meal followed by a Mexican posada where the holy family goes from room to to room seeking lodging only to be turned away by many flimsy and humorous excuses.

We then listened to Grandpa Tueller read from Luke 2.
Then Aunt Diane (visiting from Boston) entertained us, along with Sarah and cousin Emma, to her traditional angel dance!
Marie with four of her seven sisters.

When we got back to our home I read a childhood favorite to the children. This was a present to the Emmett children in 1958 from my Grandma and Grandpa Fife. My mom still has the original. I have a reprint that my parents gave to all of us in 1987. Dad would read from this book every Christmas eve. Its text is the Luke and Matthew accounts of the birth and childhood of Jesus. One of my favorite Christmas books.

The illustrators (Maud and Miska Petersham) traveled to the holy land in around 1930 so all of the art work looks very real from the Palestinian robes and kafiyyehs to the domed roofs, stone arches, limestone hills, red anemones, sheep and camels.
Waiting to go out and see what Santa brought.





After opening presents we went to my sister Mary's for a traditional Emmett Christmas breakfast of Aebelskivers and sliced oranges with powdered sugar on top. That evening all of the Tueller family came to our place for a nice spread of Chinese take out. We ate it while watching the last 15 minutes of the Christmas Story where the family goes to a Chinese restaurant on Christmas. After dinner lethargy kicked in.
Aunt Diane surprised our kids with great gifts including Joel's Celtics shirt.
Next day after church we drove to Logan for the Emmett celebration. We started with a nativity.
Followed by a talent show and then community singing.


Next day 33 Emmetts descended on Beaver Mountain for a great day of skiing. All six Emmett children were there with many of their children and one grand child. Sarah, Joel and Will did great after a year hiatus from skiing. We all missed Grandpa Emmett. He loved days like this--the whole famdamily skiing and lunching together.