A MEMORY OF CHRISTMAS

A MEMORY OF CHRISTMAS
LOCATION WAS MYTON UTAH
YEAR WAS ABOUT 1943
BY NEIL R. MURRAY

MARCH 27, 1994

Some times we, in our family setting like to ask our grandchildren questions concerning a current activity. There was such a time this last Christmas, Dec. 25, 1994 as Ella and I visited with our grandchildren. I asked the grand children if they could think of a Christmas that was outstanding to them. The grandchildren were coming up with times like the Christmas that we spent at the Aspen Grove Lodge. This was a Christmas where we rented one of the lodges at Aspen Grove and spent Christmas eve and Christmas day there. Along with Christmas we spent some fun time in the snow. At any rate as I listened to their most remembered Christmases I could not help but think back to my own younger years. This is not as easy as one may think.

{(Note to neil from neil) This event was a post LasVegas item. After returning from Vegas Dad went to work for the Renyolds Constution Company based in Springville Utah. Dad was having an operation to repair a hernia . Two as I recall. My mother gives an account of this in her history of Dad.}

There did not seem to be one that I remembered as outstanding but there was one that did stand out. This one was a Christmas that we children were home alone. It seems like it was the year that dad was operated on for double hernias. For some reason the took place in Springville, Utah. I'm not sure but I think this was also the time when Jerry was quite ill. LaVora became quite concerned when Jerry started to talk out of his head. He was saying something like this, "it's under the bed in the basket". LaVora soon dispatched me to sister Giles for help. This good sister accompanied me back to the house to see if she could see what Jerry's problem might be. She must have put our minds as ease. At any rate we retired for the evening.

This Christmas morning found our house without power. This meant that there was no heat as well as no lights. You know the big thing on Christmas morning is to get up early, before daylight to see what Santa brought. Well since our folks were not at home what Santa left was what ever the folks had left for LaVora to put out for the younger children. None-the-less this is the only Christmas that I can remember trying to open the gifts from our uncles, aunts and grandparents while in bed and with no lights. One of the gifts that I remember receiving was form Aunt Grace. it was a boy scout first aid kit.

None-the-less after what seemed like a long wait the sun came up so that we could see our way around. I dressed and found my way down stairs and outside to the fuse box. After a little checking I found that for some reason one of the fuses had blown. I soon found another and it was not too long before the house began to get warm and we could really enjoy the things we got for Christmas.
I remember when dad and mother came home they brought LaVora and I each a pair of ice skits. I remember trying them out on the canal that runs past the farm that used to belong to W. E. Broom. These are the ice skates that Reed had hanging over his mantle.

One thing that I remember most was that after Mother and Dad got home all of out trials were soon forgotten.

I met some other boys. S