Christmas Past and Present, from the Battle of the Bulge 1944 to Today!

Hello everyone!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and I hope everyone is doing great for this time of year. I love this time of year. The atmosphere, the decorations. We had all the kids for thanksgiving and they decorated they way they usually do the Friday after turkey day. HEE HEE it is awesome.
Beside the very spiritual side of Christmas and the true meaning of why we in my family really celebrate Christmas and that being the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, I look forward to this time of year because I love to remember the past and look forward to the future Christmas mornings “when everything is right with the world.”
First is the memories of years past and the biggest being of this time of year and when SJ and I met and got married three days after Christmas in 2002. Man nothing could have been better than that. Bennett’s BBQ, Temple Square lights, Christmas parties at her and my work. All of these won’t mean anything to others, but they mean so much to SJ and me.



Another set of memories is when I was on my mission and the first time I experienced an Ohio Winter storm and driving through Amish country on Christmas day two days out on my mission 1989. Man that was crazy!! Or I think of tracking in Sandusky Ohio 1990 or Youngstown Ohio 1991. I don’t have any pictures scanned from my mission so you would have to use your imaginations about the winter storms.


I also remember being a thirteen year old teenager and going to the dollar theater in Albuquerque to watch A Christmas Story with my friend Jeff Horne and totally loving the movie. The red rider BB gun, the lamp, yeah STATUE...... FRA GIL eee..... I Double Dog DARE YOU or “You’ll shoot your eye out kid, HO HO HO”!!!!! I have to say that the movie has a sentimental tie to me and my history. First off, the youthful memories of that, second watching that movie twenty-four hours every Christmas and Christmas-eve on TNT, and last that it was filmed where I served my mission in Cleveland Ohio on Cleveland st.








Now as a history buff, another part of Christmas for me is to remember the Battle of The Bulge 1944. I read and study that part of history over and over again. So many stories, so many heroics, and so many lives changed. My back ground for my blog is of a soldier during the Bulge in the Ardennes forest. I cannot imagine what our veterans from that time went through. Their sacrifices, their loyalty and patriotism to defend our way of life and to die for what we live and believe in today on a foreign soild frozen and not ever knowing when and if they get home. Fighting off a huge German offensive and to be as true Americans are, dependable and true to the fighting end. I love reading about it all. Those are such true heroes to me and always think about their sacrifices for us on 16 Dec 1944 all the way through the end of the month. So when we are all warm this year and enjoying this time of season, maybe think about our countires important past and about cold, shivering soldiers, living in fox holes suffering frost bite, or trench foot, having no hot showers or hot place to sleep or eat a warm meal, living on K rations and on Christmas day a cold turkey meal and be thankful for this country and the world that has been provided for us from their giving sacrifices.







My words don't do justice but to me that is Christmas. SJ, my family, my mission memories, A Christmas Story, and The Battle of the Bulge. I have been giving so much and blessed with so much in my life and it makes me not take these things for granted because I cherish all of these memories and the new memories I make with my family each year. Especially with my love of my life SJ. Man what a woman, and a mother. She is hot too by the way. I love my kids and that is what I love about Christmas!!!!!! Also I love my Mom and Dad and sisters. The memories we had recording into a tape player waiting for Santa to come!!! I love all of my memories and realize that my parents did a great job. Hope my kids can have great memories like I have when they grow up!!!