Christmas--Gotta Love it!

As far back as I can remember, Christmas has always a very critically important event in my family. It was a special time of family, great food and presents from Santa. Growing up in a small rural community in Northern Utah, I'd have to say my life was sheltered. (That would be an understatement.) Though we weren't what you would call rich, we had enough and to spare. We had the basic needs that every human craves. Love, fidelity, friendship and loyalty. Christmas was just a time to express those emotional traits.

One of the very first Christmas's that I remember was when I was almost five. I got a huge doll with thick curly hair and a rockin' horse. I treasured them both.You could find me practically every weekday riding my horse to the sounds of "Hi Ho, Silver, Away" or "Keep Those Doggies Movin', Rawhide". Man! That brings back blissful memories. The faster the action on the screen moved, the harder I rode the springed beauty. I put a lot of pressure on those coiled springs.

I remember one fateful Christmas when I had the measles. We couldn't have the blinds open in the front room for fear my eye sight would be damaged. That was a miserable year. I had to stay laying on the couch while the boys had their Christmas cheer without me.

Some of family traditions included mom's homemade oat and chocolate chip cookies and homemade fudge. Grandma Oldham's Alper's cookies and homemade pickles. Grandma Olsen's pies and mom's Christmas dinner. We had a living room that could be shut off from the rest of the house and we weren't allowed to enter the room Christmas morning unless all of us were awake. Trust David, my youngest brother, to be the hold up. He could sleep through an atomic blast and not move a muscle. We'd have to wait hours for him to drag his butt out of bed. Then it was bedlam.

We usually spent the day with Grandma Oldham and then ended up at Grandma Olsen's. The family would gather and good times were had by all. I can still here Grandpa Olsen yelling for me to get out of the way of the T.V.The last Christmas we spent in North Logan, Utah, my oldest brother Scott's family joined us. Judy, his wife, and their two oldest children, Fred and Jon helped us welcome in the holiday. I think that was my favorite Christmas. My second oldest brother, Reed, was designated as the gift hander-outer.Mom and Grandma Oldham were always wearing their aprons and usually in the midst of cooking up a Christmas storm.Mom and dad got new clothes and went out on the town. Don't they look great?Christmas time is a fantastic time for family photos. This was no exception. So many changes happened in that following year. My father lost his business, we lost our home and were forced to relocate to California. I'll always remember that very last Christmas in my home town. Pictured in back: Scott, his wife Judy, Dale's first wife Tanya, Dale, mom, David. Front: me, Grandma Oldham and Reed. Those were sweet, peaceful, innocent times. The world was blocked out of our thoughts as we shared happy times, calorie laden food and the spiritual blessings of being wrapped in the love of family. Thank the Lord these memories will always be in our minds and hearts as we look forward then take a step back. My family will always be the most important thing in my life.

Now I have my own family. A husband and a son. Watching Christmas unfold through his eyes will always be a great pleasure to me. His excitement and enthusiastic response to Christmas morning made my heart sigh. One of the best things about Christmas for Mike, was that most every year we spent it was Grandma and Grandpa Olsen. Even up to the a couple of years before mom passed away, they traveled to California to be with us.Their visit turned our tiny family into a big celebration. We miss them so much. Dad has a new wife now and mom is gone. On the 20th it will been three years since she passed away. Now all I have are memories of Christmas's passed and mom always there.

Well enough of the sentimental journey and just for the heck of it, I'm going to go against the P.C. crowd and wish you all a Merry Christmas! Wow! That felt good. I'll say it again. Merry Christmas! Remember those you care about the most this Christmas, even if you're not related to them. Make memories that you can look back on and feel glad.

New Family Blog

I am the editor and chief of my Olsen family newsletter. I thought I'd get around to doing a newsletter once a month, but getting family information was like pulling teeth and I'm not a dentist.

So I decided to start a family blog and my dad's name wasn't taken. So if you're interested in family junk and my family has a lot of junk, especially me. My junk is by far the worst. Check it out at Paul Olsen Family Blog.

I'm leaving Thursday, October 23, 2008 for Northern Utah. It's my dad's 90th birthday celebration. Although he turned 90 last Sunday, October 19, 2008, the rest of the family is having a get together this Saturday at my brother Scott's chapel in Brigham City. It's the only place big enough for my family.

I'm the only one of my dad's children that lives outside the state of Utah so my husband Tim and I are the only one's who have to travel for two days to get to Brigham City, Utah.

I'm the one trying to look out from behind my brother Scott.

Just to let you know the extent of my family. I have four older brothers. Scott, Reed, Dale and David. Between the four of them there are 34 grandchildren. I only have one son, Mike, (see previous post).

At last count, those grandchildren have had over 75 great-grandchildren and numerous great-greatgrandchildren. My family takes very seriously the commanded to "multiply and replenish the earth". I figured one times one is still one. That's why we only have one child. (Right!)

So hopefully it won't snow and mess up my weekend. I don't do snow!

We make as the usual stops along the road to Brigham--new kind of Mexican restaurant in St. George; the Famous Cheese Factory in Beaver (for curds); The Church's distribution center on 17th South in Salt Lake for church stuff; and great buffet in Salt Lake City, if we're lucky.)

We're going to attempt to go to the Logan Temple. It's for research for my second book as well as wanting to see inside. That's where my parents, my maternal grandparents and my fraternal grandparents were married. Then we slip by another cheese Factory on 10th North in Logan for all kinds of dairy delights. And I can't forget to purchase my year's supply of Brigham City's famous candy on the way out of town. I'm on a diet now and have to ration my chocolate supply until our next trip to Utah. Do you think that just one year, just one trip I could go to Italy or China or someplace equally as thrilling? Probably not! My life and my love and my family are in Utah, so that's where we go. For sympathy, please leave a comment.

Family---It's About Time!

That statement--Family, It's about time can mean two different things. It can mean that families take a considerable amount of time to maintain, cherish and nurture or it can mean it's about time we made our families a priority. I like to think it means both options should be considered.

Family--we all come from a family. We're involved in a family of some sort right now. Whether we have the traditional family--consisting of a mother, father and several children or not, it doesn't matter. We are surrounded, if we're lucky enough, with people we love and consider to be part of our family.

My family is very important to me. They are part of me. Spiritually, emotionally and physically. Physically, I inherited my nose from my father, my facial features from my mother's side of the family and my blue eyes, from Heaven knows who, because my parents both have dark eyes. Those are my physical inheritances from my parents.

Spiritually, I was taught in the religion of my parents. I was instructed at an early age about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and developed through the faith and testimony of my parents, to believe and follow the teachings that would bring me the most joy in my life. I will be forever grateful for their love and faith.

Emotionally, I was raised with four older brothers. Scott, Reed, Dale and David Olsen. They taught me a love of country, sports and the great outdoors as well as a respect for nature. I'd like to say we were the most obedient and respectful children in the world, but that wouldn't be the complete and honest truth. We had our problems and challenges. Happy times and sad. Life was not idyllic, but I wouldn't change those experiences for the world.



Through the long season of my parent's marriage, some 152 people have come to be called members of their family. Some of those people have left the family due to divorce and others were added over time due to marriages to individuals who already had children or their own. But all were adopted in, loved and considered members of the Paul and Helen Olsen Family. Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even great-great-grandchildren have graced my father’s family. What a great heritage! What a great posterity!

I guess I'm just a little proud and boastful of my family. I love my family. That's why I spend my vacations visiting with my family. My husband Tim and I just got back from a trip to Utah where we attended two family reunions. One for my father's family and one for my mother's family. We spent the time renewing and strengthening family ties and enjoying the company of extended family. It's always a pleasure to see new families being added to the fold with new babies born. It's a testimony to me that people have faith in the human family of man.

As time goes by, family members die and leave us. My mother passed away December of 2005. It was a tremendous blow to me and my family. Of her family of seven children, only three brothers remain. In my father's family of nine children, six siblings are still living. Two children are missing from this photo on the right.) Pictured are my father, Paul Olsen, his sisters: Lois and Zola and his brother Larry. Missing from the reunion are my dad's brothers Frank and Roger.

Soon the older generation will be gone and I and my brothers will be the older generation. But that's as it should be. Death is inevitable. We just live our lives and pray that our children will remember the legacy of love we tried to leave with them and hope they will pass that same legacy on to their children.

What ever your family situation may be, I only hope that you will take advantage of the time you have with your family to love and cherish them. We never know when they will no longer be with us. And what a shame to waste even one precious second being mad at them or of leaving forgiveness until it's too late. Families are about time--taking the time to relish these precious, finite relationships and consider taking the time to do more to hold them close.

I just hope you will consider your own family. Time is passing--