A Christmas Dress for Ellen

That December her heart was so full of sorrow and concern for her six small children that she felt it would surely break. On Christmas Eve, all her children, except the oldest, Ellen, 10, were dancing around, excited to hang their stockings for Santa to come. Mary helped each one of her children hang a little darned and mended stocking, but she couldn't persuade Ellen to participate. Of all the children, Ellen alone knew there was nothing with which to fill the stockings.

Then the young mother sat by the fire, thinking of her plight. Spring had come very late and winter had come very early for the last two years, causing the crops to freeze and fail.

In October Mary had received a letter from her sisters living in Idaho who, despite their own setbacks, had asked what they could send her family for Christmas.

In November, in desperation, Mary had written.

Mary had requested only necessities. She told them how desperately the family needed food, especially wheat, yeast, flour and some cornmeal. She also asked for some old, used quilts and for some worn-out pants to cut up and use to patch her sons' clothes, and mentioned the family's desperate need for socks, shoes, gloves, hats and coats.

Then finally, Mary asked if someone might have a dress she had outgrown to send to Ellen, who only had one dress that was patched and faded. Mary felt she could fix up such a dress and thus bring some joy to Ellen, who had too much to worry about for a 10-year-old.

The week before Christmas Mary's husband, Leland, made a daily three-hour round trip into the town of Cardston to check at the train station and the post office for a package from Idaho. Nothing came.

Then at 3:30 on Christmas morning, while her husband and children slept, Mary heard a knock at the door. It was the mailman, a member of the Church from Cardston, telling Mary 10 large crates from the States had arrived for the Jeppson family. He knew they had been waiting for the packages and that there would be no Christmas without them. With horse and sleigh, he set out from his home Christmas Eve and traveled eight hours in a severe snowstorm to deliver the crates to the Jeppsons' isolated farm house.

Mary had thanked him all she could, but she always said that there just were not words enough to express her thanks. After all, how do you thank a miracle, and a Christmas miracle at that?''

Inside the boxes was a note from Mary's sisters. They told her that quilting bees had been held all over the Malad Valley, and from these, six thick, warm beautiful quilts had been made for them. They also told of the many women who had sewn shirts for the boys and dresses for the girls, and of others who had knitted warm gloves and hats.

The donation of socks and shoes had come from people for miles around. The Relief Society had held a bazaar to raise the money to buy the coats, and all of Mary Jeppson's sisters, nieces, cousins, aunts and uncles in Idaho had gotten together to bake the breads and make the candy to send.

There was even a crate half full of beef that had been cured and packed so that it could be shipped along with two or three slabs of bacon and two hams.

The letter closed with these words: “We hope you have a Merry Christmas, and thank you so much for making our Christmas the best one we've ever had!”

Mary's children awoke that morning to bacon, hot muffins and jars of jams and jellies and canned fruit. Every stocking that was hanging was stuffed full of homemade taffy, fudge, divinity and dried fruit of every kind.

The most wonderful miracle, though, occurred when Ellen, the very last to get up . . . looked to where her stocking was supposed to have been hung the night before and saw hanging there a beautiful red Christmas dress, trimmed with white and green satin ribbons. She later said it was the most wonderful Christmas morning ever.

“That morning,'' concluded President Monson, “with the Christmas dress for Ellen, a childhood had been brought back, a childhood of hopes and dreams and Santas and the miracle of Christmas.''

“If there is one common denominator, perhaps it is this: Christmas is love. Christmas is the time when the bonds of family love transcend distance and inconvenience,'' said President Monson. “It is a time when love of neighbor rises above petty day-to-day irritations, and doors swing open to give and receive expressions of appreciation and affection.”

(This is the true story of a young mother, Mary Jeppson, who lived in the remote prairie town of Hillspring, Alberta, and how she celebrated Christmas in 1927 as told by President Thomas S. Monson during the First Presidency Christmas Devotional in the Tabernacle Dec. 7, and reported in the Deseret News, 13 Dec 1997)

A Mom's Christmas List

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache, and arms that don't flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mommy' to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
MOM

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

No Santa Claus?

I remember my first Christmas adventure with Grandma. I was just a kid. I remember tearing across town on my bike to visit her on the day my big sister dropped the bomb: "There is no Santa Claus," she jeered. "Even dummies know that!"

My Grandma was not the gushy kind, never had been. I fled to her that day because I knew she would be straight with me. I knew Grandma always told the truth, and I knew that the truth always went down a whole lot easier when swallowed with one of her "world-famous" cinnamon buns. I knew they were world-famous, because Grandma said so. It had to be true.

Grandma was home, and the buns were still warm. Between bites, I told her everything. She was ready for me. "No Santa Claus?" she snorted.... "Ridiculous! Don't believe it. That rumor has been going around for years, and it makes me mad, plain mad!! Now, put on your coat, and let's go."

"Go? Go where, Grandma?" I asked. I hadn't even finished my Second World-famous cinnamon bun. "Where" turned out to be Kerby's General Store, the one store in town that had a little bit of just about everything.

As we walked through its doors, Grandma handed me ten dollars. That was a bundle in those days. "Take this money," she said, "and buy something for someone who needs it. I'll wait for you in the car." Then she turned and walked out of Kerby's.

I was only eight years old. I'd often gone shopping with my mother, but never had I shopped for anything all by myself. The store seemed big and crowded, full of people scrambling to finish their Christmas shopping. For a few moments I just stood there, confused, clutching that ten-dollar bill, wondering what to buy, and who on earth to buy it for. I thought of everybody I knew: my family, my friends, my neighbors, the kids at school, the people who went to my church. I was just about thought out, when I suddenly thought of Bobby Decker. He was a kid with bad breath and messy hair, and he sat right behind me in Mrs. Pollock's grade-two class.

Bobby Decker didn't have a coat. I knew that because he never went out to recess during the winter. His mother always wrote a note, telling the teacher that he had a cough, but all we kids knew that Bobby Decker didn't have a cough; he didn't have a good coat. I fingered the ten-dollar bill with growing excitement. I would buy Bobby Decker a coat! I settled on a red corduroy one that had a hood to it. It looked real warm, and he would like that.

"Is this a Christmas present for someone?" the lady behind the counter asked kindly, as I laid my ten dollars down. "Yes, ma'am," I replied shyly. "It's for Bobby." The nice lady smiled at me, as I told her about how Bobby really needed a good winter coat. I didn't get any change, but she put the coat in a bag, smiled again, and wished me a Merry Christmas.

That evening, Grandma helped me wrap the coat (a little tag fell out of the coat, and Grandma tucked it in her Bible) in Christmas paper and ribbons and wrote, "To Bobby, From Santa Claus" on it. Grandma said that Santa always insisted on secrecy. Then she drove me over to Bobby Decker's house, explaining as we went that I was now and forever officially, one of Santa's helpers.

Grandma parked down the street from Bobby's house, and she and I crept noiselessly and hid in the bushes by his front walk. Then Grandma gave me a nudge. "All right, Santa Claus," she whispered, "get going." I took a deep breath, dashed for his front door, threw the present down on his step, pounded his door and flew back to the safety of the bushes and Grandma. Together we waited breathlessly in the darkness for the front door to open. Finally it did, and ther e stood Bobby.

Fifty years haven't dimmed the thrill of those moments spent shivering, beside my Grandma, in Bobby Decker's bushes. That night, I realized that those awful rumors about Santa Claus were just what Grandma said they were, ridiculous. Santa was alive and well, and we were on his team.

I still have the Bible, with the coat tag tucked inside: $19.95.

Personality Test

There are only 10 simple questions, so grab a pencil and paper and keep track of your letter answers.

1. When do you feel your best?
A) In the morning
B) During the afternoon and early evening
C) Late at night

2. You usually walk
A) Fairly fast, with long steps
B) Fairly fast, but with short, quick steps
C) Less fast, head up, looking the world in the face
D) Less fast, head down
E) Very slowly

3. When talking to people, you
A) Stand with your arms folded
B) Have your hands clasped
C) Have one or both your hands on your hips
D) Touch or push the person to whom you are talking
E) Play with your ear, touch or chin or smooth your hair

4. When relaxing, you sit with
A) Your knees bent and your legs neatly side by side
B) You legs crossed
C) Your legs stretched out or straight
D) One leg curled under you

5. When something really amuses you, you react with
A) A big, appreciative laugh
B) A laugh, but not a loud one
C) A quiet chuckle
D) A sheepsih smile

6. When you go to a party or social gathering, you
A) Make a loud entrance so everyon enotices you
B) Make a quiet entrance, looking around for someone you know
C) Make a quiet entrance and try to stay unnoticed

7. You are working hard, concentrating hard. You are interruped. You
A) Welcome the break
B) Feel extremely irritated
C) Vary between these two extremes

8. Which of the following colors do you like most
A) Red or Orange
B) Black
C) Yellow or Light Blue
D) Green
E) Dark blue or purple
F) White
G) Brown or Gray

9. When you sleep, you lie
A) Stretched out on your back
B) Stretched out face down on your stomach
C) on your side, slightly curled
D) With your head on one arm
E) With your head under the covers

10. You often dream that you are
A) Falling
B) Fighting or struggling
C) Searching for something or somebody
D) Flying or floating
E) You usually have dreamless sleep
F) Your dreams are always pleasant

Points:

1. A)2 B)4 C)6
2. A)6 B)4 C)3 D)2 E)1
3. A)4 B)6 C)2 D)1 E)5
4. A)6 B)4 C)3 D)5 E)2
5. A)6 B)4 C)3 D)2
6. A)6 B)2 C)4
7. A)6 B)7 C)5 D)4 E)3 F)2 G)1
8. A)7 B)6 C)4 D)2 E)1
9. A)4 B)2 C)3 D)5 E)6 F)1
10.A)2 B)1 C)4 D)6 E)7 F)8

Over 60 Points
You are seen as a vain, self-centered, and extremely dominant. Others may admire you and wish they could be more like you, but they don't always trust you and hesitate to become too deeply involved with you.

From 51-60 Points
Your friends see you as an exciting, highly volatile, rather impulsive personality; a natural leader, quick to make decisions (though not always the right ones). They see you as bold and venturesome, someone who will try anything once; someone who takes a chance and enjoys an adventure. They enjoy being in your company because of the excitement you radiate.

From 41-50 Points
Others see you as fresh, lively, charming, amusing, practical, and always interesting; someone who is constantly on the move. Also as kind, considerate and understanding. Someone who will cheer them up and help them out.

From 31-40 Points
Other people see you as sensible, cautious, careful and practical. The see you as clever, gifted, or talented, but modest. Not a person who makes friends too quickly or too easily, but someone who is extremely loyal to the friends you do make and who expect the same loyalty in return. Those who really get to know you realize that it takes a lot to shake your trust in your friends, but , equally, that it takes a long time to get over it if that trust is broken.

From 21-30 Points
Your friends see you as painstaking an d fussy. The see you as very, very cautious and extremely careful, a slow and steady plodder. It would really surprise them if you ever did something impulsively or on the spur of the moment. They expect you to examine everything carefully from every side and then, usually decide against it. They think this reaction on your part is cause partly by your careful nature.

Under 21 Points
People think you are shy, nervous, and indecisive, someone who needs to be looked after, who always wants someone else to make the decisions and who doesn't want to get involved with anyone or anything. The see you as a worrier, who sees problems that don't exist. Some people think you are boring. Only the people the know you well know that you aren't.

Temple Handkerchief

When I was in Young Women's our Young women presidency gave us each a handkerchief with this poem in a card. The card was title I'm Going There Someday

This handkerchief was made with love
especially for you by __________________ (mine was made by Sister Gloria Dockstader

We want to give you this handkerchief
To remind you we are always concerned
About to who and where you will be married
And how well this principle you have learned,

Have you truly made a commitment
To follow our Father's plan?
That you may kneel in His house
Someday in marriage to a worthy man.

Nothing will bring you greater joy,
When you come to your wedding day,
But to know you kept yourself clean
And pure in a very special way.

Will you save and cherish this handkerchief
Thru the next few years of your life?
To remind you of our Father's plan
To be eternally husband and wife.

And when that beautiful day arrives,
And you've pledged your love so true,
Will you take this lovely handkerchief
To that holy place with you?

Love,

______________________

101 Fun Date Ideas

1. Go for a walk
2. Have a picnic
3. Go camping
4. Build a puzzle
5. Play soccer
6. Fly kites
7. Visit the zoo
8. Go swimming
9. Climb Trees
10. Make cars out of boxes and have a drive-in movie at home
11. Go for a bike ride
12. Plant a garden
13. Go to the skate park
14. Roller skating
15. Have relay races
16. Go to the library
17. Watch home movies
18. Build a tree house
19. Have a snowball fight
20. Play kickball
21. Go bowling
22. Have a garage sale
23. Visit historical sites
24. Go for a hike in the mountains
25. Have a car wash
26. Act out your favorite movie
27. Horseback riding
28. Go fishing
29. Play croquet
30. Make treats for a neighbor
31. Cut pictures from magazines and make a collage
32. Visit temple square
33. Plant a flower garden
34. Go to the beach
35. Play frisbee
36. Go ice skating
37. Have a bicycle rodeo
38. Play volleyball
39. Make a miniature gold course
40. Go for ice cream
41. Make ice cream
42. Have a scavenger hunt
43. Visit a museum
44. Play softball
45. Make instruments and have a band
46. Have a fashion show
47. Play board games
48. Make and pull homemade taffy
49. Have a water fight
50. Go to the rodeo
51. Make home videos
52. Plan a party
53. Go river tubing
54. Have a road rally
55. Hold a story hour
56. Go sledding
57. Play football
58. Make boats out of things around the house then try them out
59. Put on a puppet show
60. Go to the fair
61. Go miniature golfing
62. Play water balloon volleyball
63. Make lemonade and sell it
64. Birthday parties
65. Have a pet show
66. Go Christmas caroling
67. Go paint balling
68. Visit the pet store
69. cook a dutch oven dinner
70. have a pillow fight
71. make salt dough ornaments
72. have a date bake-off
73. tie-dye shirts
74. Go to local sporting events
75. Finger painting
76. Eat dinner without silverware
77. Go dancing
78. Have a water balloon fight
79. Go to musical concerts
80. Make ginger bread houses
81. Rake leaves and jump in them
82. Have a karioke night
83. Do a creative service project
84. Make homemade Easter baskets
85. Make popsicle stick crafts
86. Put on a dinner show
87. Photo scavenger hunt
88. Make house out of refrigerator boxes
89. Hold "Teacher Appreciation Dinners"
90. Make your own Halloween costumes
91. Put together a box of items for a family in need
92. Make dinner together
93. Make sidewalk art with chalk
94. Go to a play
95. Movie marathon, you pick the movies
96. Have a magic show
97. Make holiday treats
98. Build a snowman
99. Shovel the neighbor's snow
100. Go for a drive and play road games or sing songs
101. Have a watermelon eating contest

Questions to ask yourself?

1. Do I study and ponder the scriptures in an effort to know the will of God and understand His commandments regarding His children?

2. Do I follow the counsel of God's living prophet, or do I merely select those things with which I agree, disregarding the others?

3. Do I seek the advice and counsel of my bishop and stake president on matters of concern to me and my family?

4. Am I earnestly striving to discipline myself, placing my physical appetites under the subjection of my will?

5. Am I making every effort to repent of past or present wrongdoings and correct them by doing right?

6. Do I have an attitude of faith in God even though I experience trials, adversity, and affliction? And do I bear my burden without a complaining spirit?