Hi, Everyone!
This week, we got our first snow! It isn’t very heavy yet, but it was fun to watch it come down from my nice warm place in the house. Now I understand why Grandma wanted to get the lights on the apple trees before it started snowing.Last Thursday, Grandma told me it was finally the special day for turning those lights on. She explained this is a tradition to keep us close to Uncle Bill, who died on December 2 in 1996. When it started to get dark, the lights came on for the first time this year. Aren’t they pretty? I wanted to to see them close up, but then I wanted to come right back inside. It’s cold out in the snow!
Today, I helped with another tradition, decorating the Christmas tree at Grandma and Grandpa’s church. Grandma and Grandpa do this with another family whose son died the same year as Uncle Bill. First, I helped Mrs. Hale put the star at the very top of the tree. Then, after all the lights were on the tree, I helped Mrs. Larson add gold-colored ornaments to the strands of raffia. The very last decorations to go on the tree are little gold-colored birds. The ones near the top are reminders of Uncle Bill and Timothy Hale, who always liked to be in exciting places. Grandma held me way up high so I could make friends with the Bill bird.
Grandma says seeing the lights on the apple trees and the Bill bird at the top of the church Christmas tree keep her close to Uncle Bill in a happy way. Traditions are good things for a family to have!
Love,
Lion-san
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