December 30, 1984 Billings, Montana

Dearest Roy; Bob, Claire, Michael & Laura; Rick, Jean, Ricky, Barbara Jean & Mary Ann and Ron, Ann, Susanna, Jessie, Russell & LeeAnna:

It's Sunday morning again and hopefully I'll be able to get most of my letter written before it's time to go to church. It is so-O-O cold in our bedroom that I may have to do this in short spells - the thermometer in here says 30(!!!. It was supposed to get 20 below last night but I haven't heard how cold it was - Daddy and I wait until the Elders come home usually before we go on our two mile walk each night and last night they just begged us to not go - they said someone had told them the wind chill factor was 70 below zero - it didn't seem that cold to us but we walked mighty fast. We have a lot of snow too and the roads are just terrible - Johnny hasn't even had his car out of the garage!

We have had the most wonderful Christmas week and I can't tell you how much we love and appreciate each one of you for your thoughtfulness to us - your gifts are all just perfect and we love them but most of all we love your expressions of care and concern and we hope you will never feel the necessity of giving gifts - your money and your time needs to be used where you personally need it and not for us. This will be our last Christmas in the Mission Home and the last one we will spend with Johnny for two years so it has been very meaningful to us and we have tried to put our priorities in their right place - we had friends come from Phoenix to visit their children here (Shirley & Parl Larsen) and they wanted to come over on Christmas day but we just wanted the three of us to be together so I told them we would have to just visit over the phone (that isn't even like me but it was so neat to have Johnny with us and we were having such a good time together!). I had a wonderful birthday too- I was so proud to talk to each one of you - Ann & Jean had called on Christmas day and then Bob & Roy called on my birthday and I LOVED it - when the mission secretary called me to take one of their calls, he said, "Sister Mellor, this is another of your sons" - our missionaries are very impressed with our family!!! The office staff sent me a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers and that always makes me feel bad because I know they can't afford it - I'll get even with them someway!

Your Christmases all sounded so happy too and don't we have a lot to be thankful for!!!! Roy, and Patrice had spent a quiet Christmas day with some of their college friends coming to visit with them and then they left Saturday to go to a country home of their friends to spend New Years - we have watched your weather and it sound so warm and beautiful and very unusual for this time of year (at least in Boston and we hope it's that nice in New York too). Bob & Claire had had Claire's family with them including Steve and his fiancé from California and they had had a great time - it was funny - when we were shopping for the children and bought those wooden tops I bet Daddy that they would enjoy them more than the expensive toys they would get from Santa - well, Bob said that Michael loved his but he liked to spin it on the top of Laura's head- Ha! Ann & Jean called when Ron & Rick had all the children out sleigh riding so the wouldn't have to share the phone with all the children - we didn't blame them! They all got together at the Woolleys on Christmas Eve and Ann had made gingerbread for each one of the children and had it all scored and ready for each of one to make & decorate his own gingerbread house - Jean said her children were so excited and they took them home as trophies that night - to me, that is the most meaningful thing to do on Christmas! They all spent Christmas day at the Weinerts and Ann just raved about the good food Jeannie had prepared and especially her candy! Just think - next year we will be with some of our grandchildren and we can hardly wait!!!

Daddy and I spent most of last Monday getting ready for the missionary dinner that night. We made a special spaghetti sauce and Johnny made a special garlic toast - he sliced the bread lengthwise and spread it with garlic butter and then grated mozzarella cheese on top and baked it until the cheese melted - it was wonderful - then we had a big green salad and ice cream sundaes and cookies for dessert. After dinner we all went right by the mission home and did some caroling - it was bitter cold so we didn't stay out very long. After that we came back to the home for a little gift exchange - everyone had brought a gift costing not more than two dollars and we played that fun game where you select a number and then a gift and then the next person can either choose a gift someone else has or a new gift. It was just hilarious and we all had such a good time. Then, we went around the room telling about our most memorable Christmas and it was really interesting to hear Johnny tell about the Christmas that meant the most to him - it was the one where our whole family was together right after Jeannie & Rick were married (do you remember, he had his collar bone broken and he couldn't convince me it was broken until I reached down to give him a hug and he just screamed). Anyway - he said that there was such a big difference in his age and the ages of his brothers and sisters that it really meant a lot to him to be with all his family. His family is really important to him!

We received a new missionary Christmas Eve night - this is his third mission - he start out in El Paso, Texas and then he went to Mexico and then to Billings! Daddy fully expected a real problem but so far he is doing fine - I guess it has just taken him this long to decide he wants to be a missionary. Can you imagine coming from hot Mexico to Billings when it was 10 below zero the night he got here! We all got up about 7 o' clock on Christmas morning and Daddy I fixed a big breakfast for them - hotcakes with different kinds of syrups, sausage and eggs and orange juice and milk. I had told them I was not going to spend all Christmas day in the kitchen so they could either fix their own Christmas dinner or accent dinner appointments. 'Later in the day I did fix them a big punch bowl of ice cream frappe' and some cheese & crackers besides all the sweet things I had fixed and some that had been brought in - I did even check to see what they ate. They can become very dependent on me if I'm not careful.

We got Johnny a jigsaw puzzle - it was a picture of some fish (gold and other colors) and it looked so complicated to Daddy and me. Well - we put it up and I have put about three pieces together and Daddy about four and Johnny has put that whole thing together - we were so surprised that he could do it in such a short time that we have framed it for him to take back to school with him. I waked up one morning and could see a light on in the apartment living room so I went to turn it out and there was Johnny working on that puzzle and it was three o'clock!!!. I have always loved jigsaw puzzles but Daddy has always thought they were such a waste of time!!! Bob - do you remember the one you worked on for so long and never did finish it so we put it under your mattress when you left on your mission and you were suppose to finish it was when you got back - we finally ended up throwing it away.

Yesterday was little LeeAnna's birthday! I remember so well how worried we were a year ago and how grateful we were for Ron's mother to go help them. We just love the pictures we received of our grandchildren for Christmas and LeeAnna looks like she could just jump right out of the picture - she is so-o-o loveable and cuddly - we hope she had a really happy birthday - she's at the age where her brother & sisters will enjoy it more than she will.

My hands are frozen and Daddy just came in to remind me we have to give a little talk in church this morning so I'll quit for now- I think I have told you all the news anyway. They are having a special missionary sacrament meeting today and I never worry about having to speaking because we are always the last on the program and the time is always gone.

One more thing - have you all heard that they captured the "Mountain Men" who were hiding out in the Gallatin mountains near Bozeman? One sheriff captured them single handed - he had backup officers close by in helicopters and on foot but he went into their camp alone! That has been a very interesting thing for us to follow- I personally am so glad they are in a warm jail instead of up in those freezing mountains and I hope they let the young man go free - they will have to prosecute his father because he killed a man.

We love you all so very much and we're so proud of you!!!! We want the very best for each one of you in '85 and we hope you'll let us k now how we can help you! PLEASE BE REALLY CAREFUL IN EVERYTHING YOU DO!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR

P.S. We'll try to duplicate the pictures of the "Seafood Dinner" to include in this letter - that is surely something we will never forget!!!



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