Boxing Day

This time, I'm going to remember as many details about the day after Christmas as I can.

2011. I think I had Taylor Swift's Speak Now album on in the living room while we were taking down Christmas decorations. My dad said he wanted to keep the ornament lights that change color up, but I planned to take them down. My mom reproved me for wanting to take down the one thing my dad said he liked. Ya-ping called, so my mom turned the music off.

2010. I woke up to my mom telling Franklin to wake me up. He came and got on me and warmed up to me super fast. David said it was because I looked enough like my cousins. Church was cancelled that day in Tennessee because it snowed the day before. It was time for the boys to open the presents that we brought for them. Preston opened the toy that had the plastic pins that you can push in and make imprints, and he said, "I always wanted one of these!" My mom told me that I made a good choice in getting it for him. Franklin correctly identified my gift to him as a stingray. David asked the boys if they wanted to keep their Christmas tree up or take it down, and Preston said to keep it up. A little later, Franklin was playing with Preston's pin toy. One of the plastic pins was bent, so I pulled it out because it was interfering with some of the other pins. Franklin took the pin and was trying to put it back in. Preston came over and saw what he was doing. He said, completely distressed, "Franklin, no!" I told him that I had taken it out because it was bent. He started crying. I told him that he couldn't even notice that it was out, but he pointed to the hole and kept crying. David saved the day when he put the pin back in. A little later, David needed to go to his work (to feed fish?). He asked if I wanted to come with. I asked if the boys were going, but since they weren't, I didn't go.

2009. All ten of us in the family went to Chuck-A-Rama for lunch. After that, my mom took me to Deseret Book so I could pick a Cherie Call CD. I couldn't find her new album, Grace, so I picked Beneath These Stars instead. Then we drove home and I put in the CD. My mom told me that the CD was more upbeat than she expected of Cherie Call, but I thought it was less upbeat than some of her other stuff. I think I played a velcro ball game with Preston. Then I had to work on my homecoming talk and I stopped and put a status on Facebook: "I'm currently writing my homecoming talk for tomorrow but I get bored and distracted easily even if it's something interesting. (The curses of being a monotonous individual!)" It was my subtle way of letting everyone know I was giving my talk, but I don't think anyone came who didn't already know about it.

2008. We drove back to Ritzville that morning, and when we got there, one of the neighbors came out and gave us the Christmas packages that had been left on our doorstep. If I had my journal, I could look and better see what happened, but I don't right now.

2007. I think we had interviews with the mission president that day. The sisters gave us a ride, and we brought our boxes of cherry cordials. One of them fell on the concrete outside the church door, but Elder Chun picked it up and put it back in the box. Then we had to tell President Clark not to eat from that box. Interviews were really long. We watched a pioneer video, but I couldn't stay awake for most of it. President Clark asked me to come in with Elder Chun. That was the only time I ever went in with my companion. Elder Chun talked about how the members kept signing up for dinner appointments on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, when we were only supposed to eat with members if they had an investigator present on those days. President Clark was very forceful with Elder Chun that we weren't supposed to eat with members on those days. Then it was time for my individual interview. I told him how I felt bad for Elder Chun because I was always doing lots of stupid things. At the end of the interview, President said to me, "Elder Melville, will you check that your zipper is up? Will you just check?" It wasn't up, and I told him that showed how I was always doing stupid things.

2006. I think I drove to my counseling appointment while listening to the Beatles LOVE album that I got for Christmas. I liked "I Am the Walrus." 

2005. I remember cleaning the church. It was the day for the young men to clean the church, but I was the only young man who showed up. I remembering vacuuming a classroom while thinking about the "Have a Happy" song from Rudolph's Shiny New Year. 

2004. We drove to church and the radio was playing a Christmas song. I was a little annoyed, because Christmas was over. In Sunday School, Sister Olsen had a bunch of candy for us. One was a chocolate bar with almonds in it. Sister Lance said, "Oh, like a Mr. Goodbar?" When she was eating some, she said, "I love Mr. Goodbars," and I thought silently about how Mr. Goodbars have peanuts, not almonds. After Sunday School, Sister Olsen asked me about what I got for Christmas. I told her about all the Wario Game Boy games I got. Then for priesthood opening exercises, we sang "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day," and I was surprised Christian Ulmer picked that instead of "Ring Out Wild Bells."

2003. It had snowed a lot overnight, and our power was out. We might have tried to go sledding, but I can't remember. My mom had heated some water on a portable propane stove so we could have hot chocolate. As it got dark, my mom got into bed. I remember sitting in her bed and making an impromptu New-Year-themed story with shadows in a flashlight. David said something about a New Year tree from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I told him that there were only seven holiday trees in the movie, and there wasn't a New Year tree. He started making up that there was another grove of trees with other holidays, like Veterans Day--he said there was scary stuff in that tree. Then I remember being in the living room, doing weird exercises to try to keep warm. Ya-ping's friend Hui-Ru said "Frankfurt" in Chinese because she wanted me to hold baby Allie. Eventually the power came back on and I was really excited. David told me I shouldn't turn everything on until we were sure the power was going to stay on. When we were sure, I went downstairs and watched Happy New Year, Charlie Brown.

2000. That morning we went and saw the Jim Carrey Grinch movie in the theater near Kmart (that isn't there anymore). We were just a little late, so we missed the trailers and some of the opening credits. Then I went home but my parents were out doing errands. I watched the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas! special while following along in the book. I was surprised at all the differences, such as "red thread" in the book and "black thread" in the special.

1996. I wonder if this was the time we were in Fillmore and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was on TV. At the part where Max's tail gets in the sewing machine, Sarena said, "Doesn't that just make you hurt?"

1993. I remember waking up in my grandparents' motor home as we drove into California, seeing all the palm trees. I think we picked a campsite and a nearby RV had Christmas decorations up. That night we went to a beach and there were little slugs all over the sand. At some point in the trip we went to a nearby gift shop and they had a decoration that was a melted snowman--a container of water with a little hat and other snowman accessories floating in it--but I don't remember if we went there the day after Christmas or if it was only on a different day. 

Merry Christmas!

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 Yuletide by the Fireside, and Joyful Memories There