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Show December 11, 2013 mPAOGOS TIMES 5 l;vi,i- - i --,rr. - , rfT- --- raagM" :::::: Pleasant Grove Had a Very Diverse Christmas Past Some years later, with a new Primary president, the Christmas program again fell into her able lap. At the last mo-ment Santa failed them and by default the task was put on her shoulders. Without hesitation she "donned the bright coat, padded her waist generously to fit the pants, covered her face plentifully with the cotton beard, pulled on the cap and sal- - lied forth to meet the children." They were pleased that Santa knew their names and their be-lief in him increased as he cau-tioned them to refrain from ill deeds they had committed in the past in Primary. It was a fine performance and Santa exited with bells ring-ing and an empty sack, but in her hurry to get out of the un-comfortable costume, the oth erwise anonymous president didn't notice two children who follow her out. Moments later the two shocked children ran back to the party, bawling at the top of their voices, "Santa Claus is bad. Santa Claus went into the girls rest room!" Food was a mainstay at any Christmas social, with a variety of ethnic dishes, from English plum pudding to Scandinavian delicacies and all the fare in be-tween. However, the food was not so plentiful at one memo-rable party. Many adult friends had planned an evening of car-oling, games and visiting, with a dinner to follow the activities. "All the luscious food was made ready at one home so it could be eaten without delay when the "X-m- as Past" continued on Page 8 by Geri Taylor In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it is good to pause for a moment and think upon an earlier time, before Christmas became a commer-cial enterprise. While children may not agree that less is better, those who remember a. simpler celebration have fond memories of family and community to getherness. In the archives of the Pleas ant Grove Review was a Christ-- ! mas article written by Effie Adams, a prolific historian and contributor to the paper, and as I take literary license, my hope is to open a window of a by-go-era. ; Pleasant Grove ,became a melting pot as pioneers of di- - ; verse nationalities, as well as American backgrounds, were sent to settle hundreds of areas in the untamed western territo- - ries of the United States. There was a large Scandinavian popu-- lation representing the Danes, Swedes and Norwegians, whose .1 similar languages made it pos- - sible for them to communicate as they assimilated into Ameri- - can culture. The English and Scots were well represented and a smatter- - ing of German converts also added rich customs from the Old World. Arrivals from the deep South and New England brought their own traditions that would soon be integrated into their new way of life. Religion was their bond and traditions became their common thread. Each ward was a commu-nity within itself and when a celebration took place, all were invited and all came. Because Christmas was for the children, it was often left to the Prima-i- - i jry to plan and coordinate the 1 program, food and the "invi- t-ing" of Santa Claus. "Aunt Maggie" Sorenson, a Danish immigrant, was the Primary president of the Manila Ward for many years and took the re-sponsibility of making gifts for each child in her care. She also furnished food from her own pantry to make up what Danish people considered a "good sup-per". During one memorable Christmas program, the chapel (now Stone Gate) was beauti-fully decorated with evergreen boughs from the foothills and scarlet berries gathered from bushes along the ditch banks. The center attraction was a freshly cut tree from Cedar Bench and lit by dozens of red and green candles anchored in clip-o- n holders which held them upright. Adams reminisced: "The generations of Christmas celebrants who have not seen a candle-li- t Christmas tree cannot know real Christmas beauty. The flicker and soft flame must be protected with almost bated breathing." This night, as the candles were lit, there was time only for a "Merry Christmas" to be sung or shouted when Santa made his impressive entrance before the candles expired. Bag bulging with gifts, cotton beard flowing, and his cotton-decorat- coat billowing around his pillow-padde- d middle, Santa became the center of attention in more ways than one. It seems he got a little too close to the lighted tree and "with a startled gasp the audience realized that all the glimmering light was not from the tree, but from Santa's cos-tume flaming". Everyone cooperated in "saving Santa" and to the dis- - appointment of the children, his identity was necessarily re-vealed, but the gifts (and build-ing!) were safe and the program went on. Jackman Electronics Moves to New Location ' 'TV BEPAW- SOSisD SEHVItISS PL GROVE, UTAH llt ' . ...... 785 - 2B94 Cell 8QI3t,OljJ , ' f I f 1-- - - by Angie Walker Jackman Electronics, owned by Stephen Jackman, re-located to 155 West 400 North in Pleasant Grove in July 2013. He wants the public to know, "I am still in business." Digital satellite systems and electron-ics equipment repair which includes stereos, microwaves, and antenna installations are some of the services Jackman Electronics offers. In January 1979 Stephen began his business in a shop which he built onto his home at 133 East 200 North in Pleas-ant Grove. Stephen bought the building downtown located at 3 East' Center inl989 and after remodeling, opened for busi-ness on February 20, 1990. Since moving his business to his home this past summer, Jackman said his business has increased. . On August 15, 1975 Ste-phen graduated from BYU with a degree in Radio and Televi-sion Broadcasting and he mar-ried his wife, Mary Ellen, the next day. In July 1976 Stephen worked at Geneva Steel until the plant closed in July 1986. At this point he was grateful to have and devoted all his time to his electronic business. He makes house calls in his mobile Stephen Jackman can be contacted at his home by ringing the bell by the garage door. home which also serves as his workshop. Stephen was born and raised in Provo arid his wife was born in Washington and raised in Ephraim. Together they have six children, three boys and three girls. They have eleven grandchildren with two on the way. Stephen loves gardening and finding wishing rocks. He also devotes his time serving as an Scout leader. 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