Mom's Letters: Christmas 1960

January 15, 1961

Dear Mother and Dad,

Happy New Year and the best to you. I'm sorry I am so slow in writing. I just can't get motivated since Christmas. I was so busy up until Christmas and then Bruce was home until the 2nd and I just relaxed and did not much of anything. We had a lovely Christmas and the Children were so cute. The day after Christmas we went out to Keith and Bette's and had a lovely time. Thank you so much for the monkey pod. It is the prettiest piece I have ever seen and we are so pleased with it. You know, sometimes I find it hard to really express my appreciation and the enjoyment I find in the things you send when I write a letter. We are so pleased with the monkey pod and I was hoping you would send a piece and I didn't expect anything quite so lovely. On new years eve Maxine and Bob came down and we put potato chips in the large side and two different kinds of dip in the two smaller compartments and it was so fun. I hardly know where to start it's been so long since I've written and so much has happened. I did get a letter off to David so he would get the the day before Christmas but I didn't get one off to you. We bought the twins a pretty little slip and some mittens from you, Brett some levis and a shirt, Stacey a darling little two piece butcher boy outfit, and Roark, a book, (his first "long" book with chapters and all) a shirt and some mittens. Aunt Lyda bought all the kids together and electric train (an inexpensive on, thank heaven, but a nice one) and then they got books, I made the twins their skirt weskit and they got a blouse and sweater to go with it and they got a book and a puzzle and their doll with a trunk to put her in. I made a little mattress and pillow and blanket to put in one side of their trunk so they could put her to bed and then each of the dolls a pair of pajamas, a robe, a skirt, a bonnet, and a cute little dress. They are slender 8 inch dolls so it was hectic making such small things but they are thrilled with them. The clothes for the dolls to buy are from $1.75 to $3.50 an outfit and I don't thing I would pay that if I had the money. Julie got a doll and trunk like it and the three of them have a good time. The girls also got some play dishes which Stacey is playing with right now. Brett got a suitcase to put his animals in and many play animals with a truck. He spend hours playing with them and is really cute. Stacey got her doll and a little cradle and I made her a blanket. (I wish you had been here, mother to help me make things) and she had a mattress for her cradle. Stacey had a hard time deciding whose toy she likes best. She is so cute.

Brett and Stacey

 She is trying to talk but not very hard and I think that maybe by the time the baby comes she will have trained herself. I haven't really tried to press her at all but she is trying to learn a little. It seems like all of a sudden she has grown up. She will go get her coat and ask me to put it on (by grunting) and then she will charge outside for a few minutes and then come back in. We have had the driest December on record but it has been cold, it doesn't get much above 35 degrees during the day but she will go outside for a few minutes and that is all. The other day we had one of Brett's little friends in playing with him and his mother didn't know where he was. She put on a sweater and went to look for him and stacey was outside. When Stacey saw her she started to grunt "uh uh uh uh" and  point at our place. Finally Margaret caught on and ask (sic) if David were playing with Brett and Stacey calmly nodded her head and then went on her merry way. I have let them have several tea parties on their play dishes and one afternoon the twins were at Julie's and Brett was at David's and Roark was outside so she brought me one plate so I fixed her a piece of bread. Then she brought me another plate so I fixed another piece of bread. She took them in to the little table and then brought me a cup and I put milk in it and then she brought me another cup so she and an imaginary friend had a play party all their own at the little table. She is really a quite a quite little girl and she just  trips around getting into everything and everyone's things. Roark got clothes, books, a puzzle, pajamas, pick up sticks, and a good magnifying glass. We thought of getting him a microscope because he has enjoyed looking at Bruce's but the cheap ones Bruce didn't want to bother with and of course it is foolish to spend a lot when we didn't even know if he would like it. A friend of his got one and he was quite impressed with it so we told him if he really wanted one and would save his money we would pay half of it. The one we thought we'd get costs $30 and I really doubt if he wants it enough to work that hard for it but we thought we'd give him the chance to get it if he wanted to. He is a hard child to know what to get him. He likes books but he doesn't like sitting down and building things. He will built a few things and then get bored and put them away. Scot got an erector set and he just loves it but Roark never has liked things like that. He can't sit still long enough to make things. He does like his pick up sticks tho and other games. I don't remember too much but I do think he is a lot like I was. If so, as Bruce says, he doesn't know how you stood me for so long. Scot has worms so to diagnose it when he fell asleep they took a piece of Scot tape and with the sticky side pressed around his rectum to get the eggs as the worms come out at  night and lay their eggs. They then brought it down for Bruce to look at under the microscope. Sure enough there were several eggs and Bruce let Roark an Scot look at them. It was really interesting and they were fascinated. They gave the whole family some medicine and of course everything is fine now. A good percentage of people do have these pin worms and these aren't serious.

Thank you for the birthday letter and money. I have put it in the cedar chest and am not going to spend it until the baby comes. I did the same with Stacey's as she doesn't need things right now but she will this summer. I had a lovely birthday but I did spend a time feeling sorry for myself. I'm just glad I have such a good husband and such a sweet family. Bob and Maxine went to Wyoming to see about a job, Dad N. was out of town so Mother couldn't come down, I didn't hear from you and Auntie's friend was who is now living with her came that day and Auntie didn't want to leave her so we just had a party with the family. They were so cute tho. Bruce brought me a lovely blouse, some earrings, and a journal to write in. Mother and Dad gave me money and Maxine and Bob and Lyda gave me a full (gathered) half slip which is really pretty. Bruce bought me a beautiful shortie nightgown (this was for Christmas) for the hospital. It is blue and white and so pretty. I have the hardest time keeping spoons and I was really low on them so Roark whispered to Bruce that I would like some spoons. They bought me eight inexpensive stainless steel spoons and Roark was really pleased with himself. Aunt Lyda gave me a blue purse and I bought me some brown heels with the money Mother and Dad N. gave me and Bruce also bought some perfume. Bruce got shoes, three shirts, two ties, stockings, a pair of cotton pants and a tie pin, He has to wear dress shirts all the time now and he was getting pretty low. I gave him a record of opera highlights and we had a really fun Christmas. It was funny, our priesthood meeting at 7:45 a.m. and then Sunday school at 9:15 so Bruce got up at 6:15 an shaved and then went in and woke up the kids so we could open the gifts and see the toys before he had to leave. That was so unlike him that I really had to chuckle. He had been so cute with the children and he took them al the see the movie Swiss Family Robinson. I had to go to the doctor and Stacey was asleep but he took the four of them and he said they were really good. He was gone so much last quarter that Roark would get up at 6:30 a.m. so he could visit with him for a few minutes and then he would go back to bed. This quarter is much less demanding. He is over to the Veterans Mental hospital just across the highway from here and he is home at 6 in the evening and home for lunch and doesn't have to leave until 7:45 so that is a far cry from last quarter. He quite likes psychiatry but he thinks it is too depressing. I go on and on about us. How are you. I'm sorry you have been ill. Are both of you well now. I worry about you and I do wish you would take better care of yourselves. Do you think you will be here for Christmas in a couple of years. We love you and do wish you were here. We are proud of you, tho, and are thankful for your call. Judy Hill's mother called me and said how much she appreciated you goodness to Judy. I kind of envy Judy to be there and see you. I have gone on and on. Auntie is well and as full of big impossible dreams as ever. She is enjoying her retirement and the children have had fun the few times I've left them there. I do appreciated her and feel sorry for her. It would be awful to be alone. Please write and take better care of yourselves. Love,

All of us.

Note from Jeanne:

That Christmas Roark would have been a little more than 5 1/2, Jayne and I would have been 4 1/2, Brett a little under 3 1/2, Stacey just turned 2,, and mom was pregnant with Shelley who was due in February. Dad almost always gave mom a set of pretty pajamas for Christmas. We often saw a movie after Christmas, many times on Stacey's birthday,, usually the latest Disney movie. The other times we saw a movie as a family was the day school got out for the summer at the Drive-In on Riverdale Road. Dad came home for lunch almost every day of their married life. I remember mom always wanting more spoons. In fact she always had a pretty cut glass red container the size of a small glass called a spooner that was filled with spoons on the counter.