CHRISTMAS AT THE MTC!

The Nativity at the entrance of this temple complex sets the scene for Christmas.
Our festivities began Friday night as we paused to celebrate Joseph Smith's Birthday. We gathered round the tree, put on our shawls and bow ties, lit the candle and shared stories and testimonies of the Prophet Joseph and sang "Praise to the Man".

And then we topped off the evening with Happy Birthday and a birthday cake!!!

Our Christmas meal was served at noon Christmas Eve so that the chefs could have the rest of the week-end off. Luca is our Italian chef and his pastries are his specialty! Ugh! They are almost irresistable! (Wake up Luca! The day is just beginning!)

A typical Christmas dinner here is turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts with chestnuts. In fact, brussel sprouts are the center of the meal. They sell them in the markets on the stems they grow on. One of these days I will get a picture of them. They are really so cute!

And you eat them, even if you don't like them. Many of the missionaries discovered them for the first time but they ate them and some of them really liked them!

Following lunch we went to Chorley and caroled. The little town was buzzing with people!! Last minute shoppers filled the streets and after they sang we gave them 30 minutes to wander and capture the spirit of the day!

When we returned to the MTC we showed an Elder Holland Devotional, had dinner and then connected with my brother (Elder Hinckley) through the Church video conferencing system from his home in Salt Lake. Jane (Sister Hinckley) started the evening by strumming the guitar and having the different missionaries sing Silent Night in their native language. He then gave a Christmas message that was right on and for us it was great to get just a touch of family!!!!

And then we took them all into our apt. to finish the evening with a typical family Christmas Eve.

We sat around the tree, read Luke 2 and sang the carols. We finished the evening with a couple of stories including this one that Richard told:

The story is told of a young man who, at the age of 6 developed muscular dystrophy. As a result, he was confined to a wheelchair. When he was 9 years old his parents scraped up enough money to send him to a neighboring state for a special operation. There was not enough moey for a parent to go with him, so he was to travel alone. After much preparation, the day finally arrived. His father took him to the airport where he would say good-bye and help him depart. As they waited to board the child's fear began to well up in him and he wondered if he could do this. The tears started to run down his cheeks. His father, seeing the tears, took from his pocket a clean white handerchief and put it into the hand of his son. "Take this", he said, "and when things get too difficult to handle on your own, take this handkerchief out and think of me. Remember that I am always with you."

The young man received his graduate degree and grew into a wonderful and productive individual whose accomplishments have blessed the lives of many. Through all those years he kept the handkerchief and it served as a source of comfort and strength during difficult times.

I had put white handkerchiefs all through the tree and at the conclusion of the story, Richard invited each of them to go to the tree and take a white handerchief. He told them that though he was not their father, he loved them with the love of a father and in the days ahead, when they faced challenges and disappointment, take out the white handkerchief and remember this night, sitting a room on Christmas Eve enveloped in love and feeling the spirit of the Savior.
As we all knelt together in family prayer we offered gratitude for the season and for this wonderful work.

Sisters with their white handkerchiefs

The white handkerchief tree

Elders and hankies

We then sent them off to bed and began our work, creating the magic that comes with Christmas morning.

Christmas morning found them all in our apt. for a breakfast of waffles and home made fruit cocktail (a family tradition). We had filled a sock for each of them and put them around on couches with their gifts from home.
The socks had twinkling lights (amazing what you can get at the Pound Store aka the Dollar Store) and when they came into the room the socks were twinkling and the magic was there! Santa came, even to the MTC!

Our little sister from Switzerland (our Swiss Miss) had Swiss Chocolate bars for everyone that had been sent by her mother!

The room danced with lights and music and smiles and warmth.

And of course the roses -- from the jolly old man himself!

The pillows are a fitting accent to our home -- and in case anyone needs reminding!!!

After breakfast we went to the stake center for Sacrament Meeting. The missionaries sang and the spirit was almost crushing. It was a beautiful service complete with flutes, piccalo and solos. Then.......we got a three hour break and the missionaries split up and went to member's homes for lunch and time with a family.

At 3 p.m. the Queen gave her annual Christmas message and we all watched it on TV. May I say at the outset that I am a fan of the Queen. She is regal in every sense (if not a bit stiff) but she handles the role of monarch in a queenly way. And her speech was simply wonderful. It could have been given in Sacrament meeting. It focused on the family and on Jesus Christ. It was bold and well stated!

All in all, it was a most wonderful Christmas! From beginning to end it was all that Christmas should be i.e. fun, exciting, sweet, spiritual, simple, and totally exhausting.

And if you don't believe it, just take a look. A picture of Christmas Fatigue!

But it was worth it when a sister said, "I will always remember this Christmas because I have never before read the Christmas story with my family on Christmas Eve and I have never knelt in family prayer with my family and someday when I have my own family we will do both and it will feel just like it felt tonight."

At the end of the day we told all the misisonaries to go to their rooms, put on their slippers, bring their Christmas goodies including popcorn and root beer and meet in the theater. And we relaxed while we watched "The Muppets Christmas Carol".

Even the swans joined us for Christmas which completed the picture of a perfect day.