On November 17th we went into Manchester for the German Christmas Market. They set up literally blocks of booths, portable restaurants, ice skating rinks, etc.
German Christmas Market – Temporary Restaurant
That evening, we went into Southport to an old fashioned choir presentation called No Wars Can Stop the Singing. Some members of our Ward are in the choir. It was held in the Temperance Institute–which is quite a historic building in the area. A truly old fashioned feel. The choir was okay, but their enthusiasm (for a group of mostly over 65 year-olds) was quite remarkable.
Choir at Temperance Institute
September 24th was our Ward’s indexing extravaganza. We went over the the Church in the evening and did indexing for a couple of hours. It as a learning experience for both of us. I’m not sure I would be able to do that for extended periods–but there are those who really enjoy it–so why deny them the experience?
First Thanksgiving away. Major time of missing family–especially my mom and dad. Thanksgiving, even more than Christmas connects me to memories of being with my folks. Mom’s lime-meringue pie and orange rolls and grandma’s gravy are just part of the holiday. I think the number of years we had our Thanksgiving dinner at the church with expanded family created some deep memories. I don’t think mom loved anything more than having so many of her family together. And dad would count descendants to his heart’s content.
They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in England but they are intrigued by it and want to respect our observance. The temple had a Thanksgiving lunch for the American temple missionaries. They had the turkey and sweet potatoes, but the rest was pretty standard faire. It was actually very thoughtful and appreciated. Thursday night, we went over to the Backmans. They had two couples visiting from the US. His in-laws, Jim and Irene Smart and Lynn’s niece, Tamie and her husband, Rick. The food was very good (and totally American) and the company was nice.
The serving table
Jim asked each of us to recount some connection with England (in most cases the story of a relative who immigrated to America). That turned out very inspirational. I shared the story of James Holley who joined the Church down in Herefordshire and traveled in wagon to SLC–passing the Willie/Martin handcart company just days before its demise. We were eclipsed, of course, by two direct descendants of Heber C. Kimball himself.
Today, we drove with the Backmans to Ulverston for the annual Dickensian Festival. There were parades, booths, fireworks, and lighting of the tree and street decorations. The weather played into the occasion.–cold, rain, and wind.
Participants dressed in Dickensian costumes
Laurel was born in Ulverston
We put up our Christmas tree today. What’s the vote on spray-snowing the windows?
It’s not much…but
Enjoy the season!