Show lf'' Wednesday December 22 2004 Heaven Help Us the time we parents (and grandparents) tend to gripe about little things I have a certain way I like to do dishes: I fill up one side of the double sink with hot soapy water and scrape off the dishes into the disposal rinsing them before I put them in the I have the pots and pans soaking dishwasher Meanwhile After I’ve started the dishwasher I wipe off the cabinets and then proceed to wash the pots I've always thought my way was more efficient than just diving in and washing everything But I learned to close my eyes when my kids washed dishes in their haphazard way just happy they were actually scrubbing away remember a friend who thought she was “teaching” her kids when she criticized their bed making and floor sweepthe chiling She managed to squelch whatever enthusiasm dren felt and soon found herself alone doing things the “right” way is only a couple of days away so instead of stressing over what needs to be done what others may or may not be doing stop your frantic activity The pace at this time of year heats that dismays those of us with already busy schedules Give yourself the gift I discovered shortly after my first grandchild was born At the time we lived in California where I had to get up at 5 am in order to be sure my teenagers attended early Christmas morning seminary at 6:30 then my grade school kids departed at 8: 15 taught English at Cal Poly so had a a pile of papers to correct In addition pile of laundry seemed to rise like bread dough in front of the washYou can probably substitute your own unending machine ing chores Because of my teaching schedule on this particular day about noon realized — as I swept the lumpy tile floor in my house — that I faced a stretch of time from pm without a break of any kind Dinner would be wolfing down a sandwich between my two composition classes I fixed two sandwiches for lunch and put one in the fridge for later Just as I sat down to eat new mom Dolly called to ask me to keep Cameron for an hour while she picked up bread and eggs and paid the light bill Cameron who at four months weighed close to 20 pounds was more than she wanted to lug around At first “Oh no! I can’t possibly baby sit I thought have too much to do to get ready for my classes” Then like understand said “Of course sweetwill new grandma any heart bring him over” A half hour later I was peacefully settled into the rocking chair Gary had given me for my first Mother’s Day the chair in which I’d rocked Dolly Cameron grinned up at me and was lost in his sapphire eyes I snuggled him a bit closer inhaling the fresh scent of his silky black hair the tension in my back and shoulders loosened And time really seemed to stop When Dolly returned an hour later as she’d promised Cameron was asleep on my lap a sweet solid weight against my arms I don’t remember w hat I was teaching in those composition classes but remember rocking Cameron my first grandchild Today he towers over me and reaches down to hug me We share a special bond formed by many instances of my taking the time to hold and care for him May heaven help you do the same with the loved ones in your life Merry Christmas! B1 Valley Edition JayCee 'corner’ was center for Gunnison Christmases way bach token By Darlene Agren Staff writer Christmas joys Since I make my living by giving people advice I find heshe should do XYZ instead myself thinking “Goodness of ABC” I’ve found however that people listen to me much I what they’re doing right inif more readily acknowledge stead of telling them what they’re doing wrong Of course be stopped but much of must or misbehavior genuine error Messenger-Gunniso- Everyone got involved Corrie Lynne Player By Sanpete Sanpete Messenger v GUNNISON— Paul and Delma Dyreng fondly remember Gunnison Christmases of long ago “Way back when” according to Paul Dyreng “ everyone came to celebrate the holiday together and everyone got involved” The biggest event of the season was held a few weeks before Christmas on the comer of Main Street and 100 West TheJayCees cut Christmas trees in the neighboring canyons and brought them to be sold on the corner as a fundraiser for community projects Early on a Saturday morning the group placed an enormous Christmas tree on the street comer and got the tree lot ready for the evening's festivities Using a huge load of firewood they built a bonfire Santa came with bags of candy for all the little kids A program followed with choir students from the high school and other performances from various members of the community Local stores stayed open extra late so those attending the big bonfire could Christmas Discounts and shop afterwards prizes were given to entice the holiday shoppers "There was many a year when we would stand outside in sleet or cold wind and endure it all just so the kids would get a chance to visit with Santa” said Delma In the 1940s Gunnison was desperate for a new hospital Proceeds from the JayCee Christmas gathering went to funding the hospital The Home Health building of today was built the newly Gunnison In front of their home build the hospital and later to buy blankets or other items needed in the newborn nursery To this day many comment on the lights and decorations along Gunnison's Main Street US 89 ‘There have always been city lights along Main Street It has been a wonderful tradition here” said Paul Another fun JayCee activity was playing the part of “Santa’s Elves” JayCees visited certain homes in the valley on Christmas Eve with sacks of candy tor children And prior the to Christmas JayCeettes an- swered letters kids in the valley wrote to Santa Hospital back in the early 1950s The JayCees also used to provide a large freshly cut Christmas tree for the Gunnison Slake Center That ended when the LDS Church went to artificial trees for safety reasons “Oh we had so much fun harvesting those trees as a group" said Paul “We would spend all day having fun in the snow with all the other young couples in Gunnison Our wives would come meet us with sandwiches and hot chocolate for lunch in the canyon" Each year the wives of the JayCees called the “JayCeettes” purchased a beautiful doll and every member ol the club made an outfit for it Delma recalls They sold “chances” for this doll at 25 cents a ticket “It seemed all the women in the valley wanted that doll for their little girls and we’d sell many tickets every year” Proceeds from ticket sales went to help AGREN DARLENE Paul and Delma Dyreng “There was also a lot more snow back then” said Paul who was interviewed on a winter day in Gunnison “The kids used to spend hours outside enjoying the snow It hasn't been as heavy since” Paul and Delma Dyreng raised four boys and one girl Their children have blessed them with many grandchildren and Over the years their family has held onto some Christmas traditions from earlier times and created new ones of their own They have never missed a season of getting a tag for a tree and cutting a fresh pine locally for Christmas How many Christmases does that make? Too many to count but one thing is for sure the Dyreng are doing it now and the in MESSENGER PHOTO Gunnison PHOTO COURTESY OE PAUL AND DELMA DYRENG 1998 each of the Dyreng children’s families created a singing Christmas letter to the tune of a Christmas carol Above Kent Dyreng a son and his family perform their Christmas letter From left are Kent his wife Tamra and children Stacey Matthew Timothy and Randon In will be participating soon too As the Dyreng children married and had families of their own affording gifts lor all beThe family decame difficult cided early on to exchange names without the knowledge of “who had who” Each family set about to give a “homemade" Christmas gift to the family it had been assigned The fact that these gifts must be homemade lends to unsurpassed creativity Some gifts have been made of metal or wood Some have simply been a family game bag in which to carry favorite games while tiavelmg oi camping One year each family was given a tune to a populai Christmas song hey were asked to write the lyrics to tell ol their family events and happenings from the previous yeai “Some were really quite good and pressed" said Delma The Main Street corner doesn't host an annual or community piogram but residents of today do hold a Christmas tree bonfire in January The JayCeettes don't exist anymore hut the current JayCees and Lion's Club still do many wonderful things loi the community The JayCees don’t harvest many Christmas trees but many Gunnison families make it a tradition to get a tiee tag for the holiday season All in all Gunnison still holds to the tradition of a Christmas Whether family comes to Gunnison lot the holidays or Gunnison residents liavel to neuiby gatherings the “small town feel" seems to clude evciyone was im Boore Audrey (Continued from A I it to the house and “Mom let’s put this up so the girls ill have a Christmas tree" We found a gallon can and filled it with coal and stood the “weed tree" in the can and placed in the place where the tree was to stand As was getting the kids ready for the Primary pro- brought said gram their Dad went to Grandma’s house brought the tree home in the back of the pickup and parked the truck some distance From our family to yours our heartfelt appreciation for your friendship and support throughout the year From Merrill & the gang at D Land Title Manti COPY! from the house so the kids wouldn't sec the tree had gone down a few days earlier and put little limb in the holes the tree out After the program when the kids visited with Santa they all asked for a real Christmas tree I think Santa was a bit puzzled by these requests On returning home we had our snack and played some games each and fluffed hoping the kids would get sleepy This was also the year the space shuttle was orbiting the earth playing Christmas carols all the long night The children were excited on Christmas Eve and hard to get to bed but this night they were very wide awake About pm we tied sheep bells to the doors of their rooms so if we went to sleep we could hear them get up A while later the little one went to sleep but not the other two Some time around 3 am their Dad got out his lanat rope and tied the bedroom doors together so they could not get them open at all It finally got quiet and the weed tree got changed for the one artificial tree and hastily decorated w ith the presents under it We removed the mpe from the doors but left the bells on It seemed as though our heads hail hardly touched the pillow when we heard our son say “We have a real PHOTO COURTESY AUDREY BOORE Audrey Boore 's children Danny (with radio) Sandra (with accordion) and Nancy Sue in 1969 Christmas tree come see" Tixlav when our family talks about favoiite ( Tuistmases is the first one mentioned tins |