A Wonderful Holdiay Season

A talented family that enjoyed singing Christmas songs

December 15-30

Various Visitors

The month of December is such a special time at the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial.  The hours are extended from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. and the number of guests increase dramatically.  The evening hours are especially interesting because of the diverse groups that come from all around New England.

Yummy! Cookies and Hot Cider

This is a youth group from the Randolph Community Church

They came last year, too.  They loved singing Christmas Carols

Newell Dayley spent some time visiting during the Holidays.






He has written music and is trying to finalize the script for the 1st JSBM Pageant to be performed next July (2015).  It will be called:  "Out of Vermont" so he is interviewing people that have been around a long time and know stories from the history and heritage of this location.

 Happy Birthday! Joseph Smith

 December 23 is a very special date.  Of course, it was on this day in 1805 that Joseph Smith Jr. was born right here--at this sacred place!  It is only natural that a celebration takes place on this 209th anniversary.

We appreciate the Jim and Tasha Parker family from Nashua, New Hampshire for performing for over 350 people at the ‪JSBMemorial‬ to help commemorate this event.  This family of twelve children is absolutely amazing!  Some are serving missions or attending BYU, but there was still plenty of talent to go around.  They all play various instruments and sing, as well.  It was a wonderful evening!

 

Merry Christmas

Christmas morning began at our apartment for breakfast.  We start with a breakfast get-together because December 25 is also Sister Osborn's birthday.  We also have to have a time before the Visitor Center opens because that requires one couple to be on shift.  This year the FM Missionaries (Harmans & Mooneys) took advantage of their time off to go on a little Christmas vacation. That left the three Visitor Center Couples:  Osborns, Ogdens, and Petersens.

Our apartment Christmas Tree!

Our Christmas Stockings!

Christmas Dinner at the Residence with V.C. Missionaries and a few Ward members

Loved all the Christmas Cards !!!

Dazzling December

December 1-15

Blistering Blizzard

Driving home in the snow storm

Snow started falling the first weekend in December and seemed to get more intense with each passing day.  By Tuesday the temperature dropped dramatically and the snow was heavy and cold.  It coated the trees with amazing weight which toppled many trees and limbs throughout the vast forests.  The power was out in many areas of Vermont--including ours.  (It was reported that 30,000 people were without power).  The Memorial has a back up generator that immediately kicks in whenever there is a power outage.  However, this was not enough to illuminate all of the Christmas lights.  So they had to get extra generators to run the lights. It took a week before normal power was restored, so it was worth getting extra generators.  After all the work of putting up the lights, no body wanted to have them down for a forth of the Holiday Season.  I guess it is only fitting to experience this type of New England storm.  Last winter we didn't have extended power outages so we had our turn this winter.  Our apartment was without power for much of four days.  So this leaves us without lights, heat, or water--since the water is pumped in from a well.  It is difficult to function in a dark apartment and very boring when you don't have t.v. or internet.  It is amazing to realize how dependent our lives have become on electricity (stoves, fridge, microwave, computer, etc).

Elders Harman & Ogden inspecting some of the broken trees

Driving up Dairy Hill Road

Winter Wonderland

Entering LDS Lane

Frosted "Lights of Christmas"

(Sorry for all the "light" pictures, but I will weed them out later)  The display impressed a large number of people. 
They were:  9778 cars drive through (the Church counts 4 people in each car) which makes 39112 people who came to see the lights, etc.  Of that total, we talked to 5547 of them individually and it was estimated 4817 of them were non-members.