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"! vj yrr (r Dolls and dances cherished Yule memories remain fresh after 81 years Scott Bishop By Staff writer MORONI — For resident Marietta Henriod We’ve come through Halloween a hotly contested often bitter political campaign and Thanksgiving Now the Christmas season is upon us In saying “Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays this year I want to say “Hooray for America” and “God bless the USA” I want those on the winning side to refrain from gloating and the losing side to accept the reality (and beauty) of our unique system of government Gloating like criticism only antagonizes the listener I’ve talked repeatedly about the futility of criticizing somebody in an attempt to change the person’s behavior I for one am so thankful that we live in a country where we shoot each other with words instead of bullets In fact now that we are officially deep into the “Christmas Season” I want to reaffirm my gratitude for living in such a wonderful country I can freely express my opinions on any subject I can even get upset by what I view as the rigidity and irresponsibility of other people I can make my feelings known I find it interesting to watch how losers in the presidential Christmas in Moroni has always been a special time of year Each Christmas Eve Moroni residents gather for the Christmas program In 8 years Henriod cannot remember missing a single one Originally begun by the local LDS ward and now presented the by city the program includes a nativity activities for the children singing and all who attend receive a small bag of Christmas candy The crowds are large as extended families make trips from all over the state and beyond just to attend Henriod’s own children return as often as they can One son attended the celebration each year for over 30 years until he moved to Cheyenne Wyo She even has one grandchild who comes each year Henriod also remembers the Christmas dances held in a building they called the “Old Bungalow” in Moroni when she was young Even though these dances were held for the adults many parents would bring their children because they could not leave them alone at home The children would sleep on the benches surrounding the walls of the room while the adults danced through the evening She remembers these dances being so popular that people would often come down from Salt Lake City to attend As a child Henriod remembers Christmas in her home in the same humble way as many other members of her generation celebrating campaign have reacted Whatever happened to being a “good loser” to sportsmanship and drawing together for the common good? President Bush won by a comfortable margin in both the popular vote and the Electoral College In fact no president since Franklin Roosevelt has had a greater win at the polls I see a few Bush is leading our country during a period as critical as the one we faced in the Great Depression and World War II I’ve heard about people advocating seceding from the United States abandoning their country Are they serious?? We hold elections and adhere to a divinely inspired Constitution so we don’t deteriorate into chaos as happens in countries around the world Changes in leadership come only after armed conflict and terrible bloodshed In our elections the candidates come up with some pretty heated rhetoric and blast each other but nobody uses guns May I gently suggest that the losers in this election “get a grip” Analyze within your ranks about why the election didn’t go your way and plan what you will do to change the outcome in 2008 But don’t threaten violence or throw away your citizenship Such an attitude is ridiculous and ignores the great blessing of being able to gripe and grouse without fearing a knock at the door in the middle of the night As Christmas approaches let the beauty and serenity of that story warm your heart and bless your life Even if you don’t believe the Christ Child was the literal Son of God heart and mind to His teachings and to the spirit of open your giving and tolerance that can permeate the very air we breath Realize that hate and bitterness never accomplish anything but more hate and bitterness Love and hate are emotions that multiply If you wallow in them they will increase and intensify Christmas is the time to turn away from hate and indulge in love John H Groberg whose experiences were documented in the movie “The Other Side of Heaven” describes godly love “God’s love fills the immensity of space therefore there is no shortage of love in the universe only in our willingness to do what is needed to feel it” He goes on to say that obedience to God’s laws leads to service to others which leads to greater love for God greater service greater happiness and so on He explains his point with vivid metaphors: ‘Trying to find lasting love without obeying God is like trying to quench thirst by drinking from an empty can go through the motions but the thirst remains Similarly trying to find love without helping and sacrificing for others is like trying to live without eating-- it is against the laws of nature and cannot succeed” Resolve with me to put bitterness behind to stop criticizing and look for the good in people-I’- ll continue with this line of reasoning next time Emergency IV Sedation y Service Available Missionary Discounts Insurance and Medicaid TOLL-FRE- E celebrated Christmas On Eve her had after family soup returning from the Christmas program and then opened one or two small handmade gifts before going to bed Her mother was an excellent seamstress and would make gifts for many of her aunts uncles COURTESY PHOTO MARIETTA FOR ML AGES Root Canals General Dentistry Wisdom Teeth Children's Dentistry Extractions and Dentures 1834 S State Orem COPY! HENRIOD Jay Blackham and sister Lotus (standing) with their Henriod (seated) sister Marietta in 1928 In their stockings they would usually find an orange and some hard candy and under the tree there would be one or two gifts For Henriod this usually meant a doll with a beautiful wardrobe sewn by her mother In the days following Christmas Henriod remembers gathering the discarded Christmas trees and hauling them on sleds to the local sledding hill Once there they would bum the old trees for warmth as they spent the day sledding For Henriod one Christmas was particularly special On Christmas morning she woke to find sitting in a rocking chair a large baby doll that was just her size She could not believe that such a nice gift could possibly be for her She told her mother that Santa must have left another girl’s gift by mistake because it was just too nice to be her gift ler mother took her by the hand and showed her that the doll was indeed hers and that Santa had not made a mistake That Christmas created a memory she has always cherished Christmas trees Santa and dad deliver By Miriam Petterborg Publisher MT PLEASANT—Lenor Simons is not a Sanpete native but she was bom in Chesterfield Idaho a town so small she’ll tell you that no one has ever heard of it Her family moved to Centerville Utah when Simons was three years old It was 1931 and the Great Depression was taking hold across America “I guess my family was poor” she says “But I don’t remember ever feeling poor All our friends and neighbors had as much or as little as we did” Simons’ family did not select and decorate a Christmas tree Traditionally in her family when Santa Claus came on Christmas Eve he filled the children’s stockings with nuts candy and small gifts A candy cane was usually in each stocking and sometimes an orange Santa also brought the fully decorated Christmas tree In her earliest Christmas just memory Simons sees herself as a small child gazing in awe at the beautiful tree And under the tree Santa had left her a tiny glass tea set — just what she had hoped for now to New Year’s Eve Jan 30 1959 On that day in Spring City Lenor married Lynn Simons They cel- ebrated their MCAIB ACCEPTED and cousins she had made gifts for her own children On Christmas morning they would wake up to see what Santa had left them after Today Marietta Henriod enjoys reading and remembering special family and community Christmas memories wedding day by moving Lenor and Danny her son from her previous marriage into Lynn's Mt Pleasant home She had happily traded her life in the big city for life again in a small town Lynn was a carpenter and he immediately began to remodel their home By the time their first Christmas together rolled around Lenor no longer had to do the family washing in the backyard shed A new addition to the house gave Danny a room of his own r and a nursery was ready for his baby sister Evva Jane who was bom just in time for Christmas As a child Lenor had missed the joy and excitement of trimming the family Christmas tree a tradition she did not want to continue She and Lynn began their own tradition Early in December Lynn drove to Manti to get a permit from the Forest Service and to find out where they could go to cut the tree Every year it was a different location Lynn watched the weather “Today’s the day” he reports would announce on a clear and beautiful morning when the bright sunshine was turning snow crystals into colorful gems and no storms were predicted Lenor filled thermos bottles with hot cocoa and put snacks and sandwiches in a bag They bundled up in their warmest sweaters coats boots scarves and mittens Into the truck they went w'ith Danny in the middle on pillows so he could see out the windshield and Evva Jane in Lenor’s lap to find the perfect Christmas tree On the third year another baby girl Jody Lynn shared Lenor’s lap As the children grew the truck got more and more Lenor Simons has fond memories of Christmas trees both ones that Santa brought and those provided by her he came home cold tired and a little discouraged When he brought the tree into the li ing room Lenor was silent She that’s still the ugliest tree I’ve ever seen ” Varling — Lenor Simons crow VVl trfVUV home and cook a special dinner for the tree hunters The years passed and the children too began to stay behind The day nally came when Lynn had to find the perfect tree alone The snow was particularly deep that year Lenor worried about Lynn alone up on the mountain It was dark by the time hus- band Lynn over the years (UVUIIU UIV W VAliUlM!- ing it from every angle Then she her arms around put Lynn’s neck nttiAVU and said “Darling that’s the ugliest tree I’ve ever seen” "It will look better when it’s decorated” Lynn replied Together they put on the lights and added the decorations When the tree was finished Lenor put her arms around Lynn's neck again and said “Darling that's still the ugliest tree I’ve ever seen" She paused for a moment and went on “So ugly in fact that won’t have it in my living room" In shocked amazement Lynn watched as Lenor picked up the tree carried it out the front door and planted it firmly on the porch In no time at all the tree was soon the talk of the neighborhood The ugly tree was the last tree Lvnn ever cut Dan and his sisters were neatly grown They w'ould soon be making Christmas traditions of their ow n Life was changing for Lenor and Lvnn The next Christmas they found their perfect tree at the local hardware store |