Christmas/Holiday Greetings from Classmates

Updated 12/27/2010....
This post is for any classmate to share Christmas/Holiday Greetings, plans, traditions, family pictures, December activities.  Examples of what you may want to send to sharon @ singo2@frontier.com ~~

·       You may want to attach a family picture to the email (any picture you may want to share ~ grandkids, pets, spouses, family pictures). 

·       Are you travelling?

·       Is anyone travelling to be with you for Christmas?

·       Traditions you will be observing

·       Send your Christmas letter that you send to family and friends

Send a fun Christmas video






Each new entry will be placed here.  Check back often to see new Christmas greetings from classmates.  

Update from Mickey Coleman 12/25 ~ GREETINGS ALL!  IT IS LATE AFTERNOON ON CHRISTMAS DAY AND GENE AND I ARE FINALLY ABLE TO CATCH OUR BREATHS.  REMEMBER IN MY LAST EMAIL, I TOLD YOU THAT OUR MINISTRY (JUST NEIGHBORS) IS INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKET PROGRAM.  WE ARE THE "GO-FERS" FOR THIS PROGRAM.  AGAIN, WE HAVE SEEN A MAJOR MIRACLE.  THERE WERE SEVERAL CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS.  I HAVE NOT SAT DOWN AND FIGURED OUT THE EXACT WHOLE TOTAL YET, BUT I KNOW THAT THERE WERE OVER 300 FAMILIES WHO RECEIVED A NICE CHRISTMAS DINNER.  WHEN EVERY ONE ELSO HAD DONE THEIR BASKETS, JUST NEIGHBORS PICKS UP THE ONES WHO WERE NOT COVERED.  WE DID OUR BASKETS ON THURSDAY DEC 23.  WE MOVE ALL OUR FURNITURE OUT TO THE FRONT LAWN OR INTO THE BEDROOM AND PRAY THAT IT DOES NOT SNOW...THEN WE HAVE SEVERAL YOUTH AND ADULT VOLUNTEERS TO HELP ASSEMBLE AND DELIVER THESE BASKETS.  IT IS QUITE A SCENE FOR ANY ONE DRIVING BY!!!!!!  WHEN WE GOT DONE, WE SETTLED IN WITH A TON OF PIZZA AND POP TO CELEBRATE!  THIS YEAR, WE DID 99 BASKETS / MORE THAN WE HAVE EVER DONE.  THE WHOLE COMMUNITY WAS VERY GENEROUS THIS YEAR.  NOW WE ARE ABLE TO HAVE OUR CHRISTMAS.
                                                                                                                                

Merry Christmas from Julianne Hempel Pacetti

We had a wonderful year filled with many blessings. We enjoyed our hobbies, Stephen with his philately and me with family genealogy, a jigsaw puzzle with an infinite number of pieces.

Thanks to Sharon's blog, I've been thinking about Christmas in Alliance years ago. At Central Grade School, the first floor had wide stairways at either end. We kids would stand on the stairs singing carols, while our parents stood on the floor between the stairways.

In high school, I remember the choir concerts at Christmas with our wonderful soloists. Diana Smaha and Jacki Vallentine. I especially remember Jacki's beautiful, "O Holy Night".

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Merry Christmas from Cheryl Edwards Harris and Todd ~ Guess it’s about time to get busy if I want to tell you all Merry Christmas.  Seems as if the time goes faster and faster and I go slower and slower.  This year has been a year of happenings and blessings.  The first happening was when son Jamie had his leg crushed by a 500# log while working at the sawmill in Hill City.  The blessing was that he wasn’t killed, didn’t lose his leg and is back on his feet (both of them) and working full time.  The process is taking a long time but he is back at work full time now.  Kaitlynn (15) and Jacob (11) are busy with anything and everything.  Tara is working for the Black Hills Playhouse.  The next happening was when grandson Derek (21) joined the Guards.  It was something he gave full consideration to and he just finished graduating from AIT school.  We (both sets of grandparents and Mom and Dad) went to Ft. Knox, KY for his graduation from basic.  He’ll go back to Chadron to continue school.  We’re very proud of him.  His brother Matt (20) was also one of the happenings.  He was in a serious accident after the pickup he was pulling a trailer with, hydroplaned and hit a van.  It was truly a blessing that there were no serious injuries.  Matt’s collarbone was broken but he also recovered.  He’s busy becoming the salesman of the year at the Chadron Home Center, going to school, and working on the house that he and Derek bought in Chadron.  Jeff (and anyone who will work) is remodeling it.  Jeff and Brigit adopted a Weimaraner named Brewster who’s a great dog!  Brigit is involved in several things besides her work as IT at Parker.  John is still teaching 8^th grade but continues to branch out, taking on new responsibilities.  The latest was presenting a program on suicide prevention to Wahoo High School.  Emma and Laura (16) are both driving now and both working part time.  Laura played volleyball and Emma golf.  Em met two of her personal goals this year.  She golfed in the 70’s and placed in the top 10 at State.  (She was 7^th).  Polly is working waaaay to hard at Novartis. As head of quality control, she has been hostess to several foreign quality control groups.  Some are pretty demanding and time consuming.  Todd and I made a trip to Scottsdale last April to see his brother Max after the death of his wife.  Saw lots of beautiful country but not anything we liked better than where we are.  Our priest was gone all of June and July and that leaves me in charge (which is usually all right).  After a particularly stressful couple of weeks, Todd and I went to Ft. Rob, got a room in the Lodge and just enjoyed getting away for a little-finally saw Devil’s Tower.  Todd is still golfing every minute that we have temps over 40.  I still think he’s crazy!  I golf when you don’t need a parka and mittens.  He also does a lot of volunteer work but quits at noon (golf time, you know).  I have started a new project.  Honest – I don’t look for them-they just find me.  It’s called the Bulldog Back Pack Program.  We pack backpacks with nutritional, kid friendly food each Wed. and each Friday the kids pick them up to take home for the weekend bring them back on Mon. to be refilled.  The students are indentified by the school counselors.  It’s been very rewarding to see the excitement of kids waiting for food for the weekend.  Hopefully, someday, along with world peace there’ll be an end to hunger.  That’s the life of the Harris’.  I’m really excited to see everyone next fall.  Don’t forget to send in your info to Sharon and your registration and money to me.  J 

Have a Blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with laughter, good health, hope and peace!!

I received this email ~ I thought it was too good not to pass along ~ Sharon

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL
 
If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com   you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.
     How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!    It is FREE and it only takes a second.
  Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?    Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.
  This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you.    Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do.  We can never say enough thank you's.
  Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Christmas Greetings from Ruby Roberts Coleman

   Wishing all the Class of 1961 classmates a very joyous and blessed Christmas season. 

    I am looking forward to attending the class reunion in August.  Will I know anybody?  Maybe you won't know me!!

   January is coming in like a bang in my household.  On January 5th I have my left knee scoped.  A year ago February 1st my right knee was replaced.  Thank goodness I only have two knees!  Around January 14th I will become a great grandmother.  It's a boy! 

Christmas Greetings from Donna (Shetler) Peckham  

   I just wanted to wish all of the Class of ‘61 a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!  We are staying home (in MO) and going to our youngest son, Chad’s, on Christmas Day.  His wife, Katie, and our two grandsons, Drew, age 8 and Sam (who announced recently he wants to be called “Samuel” now) age 7 will be sharing their day with us.  I hope that each of you has family or good friends that you can spend the day with. 

   I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sharon Singleton for the really great job she is doing setting up all the information for us on the website. (note from Sharon ~ Thank you Donna ~ but as I tell everyone ~ I am the one having the most fun!!) 

   One of our sons, Todd, wife Kathy, and two grand-daughters, Kaylene and Norah, live in the Baltimore area.  Kaylene is 16 and Norah is 2.  We spent last Christmas with them and had a wonderful time.

   Another son, Scott, lives in Colorado, has two grown daughters, Silvia and Lindie, and one son, Derrick, age 7.  Brent, our 2nd son, lives in Arizona.  As you see, we are spread near and far.  Silvia is in the Navy, in a school to become a flight engineer.  We’re very proud of all of them.  Lindie is in college at the University of Colorado at Boulder.  Chad and family live just an hour away in Washington, MO so we get to see them quite a lot. 

    Good Friends, Good Health, and Love to all of you!

Christmas 2010 from Charley and Glenda (Harvey) Rusk

We are remembering you this Christmas and always look forward to hearing about your year.  Every holiday gets a little more meaningful and a little more special to the heart. 

    We are thankful to still have our health and realize as each year passes how important that is.   We were especially saddened to lose Uncle Bob Shankland this year and are still in a state of shock of his unexpected death.  He is sadly missed. 

(A picture of us at the Big 12 Championship)  Our travels mainly revolved around the Cornhuskers this year starting with the Holiday Bowl in San Diego.  They are going there again, but since we have been there…done that, we won’t be following them.  We did get to Dallas to the billion dollar “Jerry Jones Stadium” a couple of weeks ago.   Had a tearful loss as all you Nebraska fans know, but it was worth the trip just seeing that awesome stadium and the huge turnout of Nebraska fans.

    We made a trip to Denver in August to visit son, Doug and my brother, Ron.  We managed to pull Doug away from his work for a few hours each day, and enjoyed some touring of  Denver with him.  We stopped to visit with Charley's son, Brad, and his family on our way to Denver.  Brad is in hospital records at the Sidney Nebraska hospital and Kecla still works with the foster program there.  They are all doing great and Kever is almost as tall as Brad now.  Hard to believe he will be 13 this next year. 

    Jason is beginning his 10th year with Siemens as Product Manager of the Siemens Transportation Systems.  He travels worldwide and really has been to nearly every major city of the world with his company and his 6 years in the Navy. 

    Jason, Charley & I went to Lake Minocqua in Wisconsin in September towing Jason's fishing boat behind.  We managed to be there in time for the beautiful fall foliage.  I didn’t do much fishing, but sure found some great shops within walking distance of our condo so passed my time while the guys fished.  Our first trip to Wisconsin and found it to be a beautiful state and well known not only for their cheese, but cranberries, too.  We visited several cranberry bogs and drove up to Michigan just to say we have been there. 

    I have been keeping busy with several clubs.  A good friend and I were appointed Co-Vice Presidents of the Women’s Welcome Wagon Club of Lincoln in lining up programs for the year and lining up the menus at the Lincoln Country Club. I think the gals have enjoyed the programs we have set up so far and hopefully the remaining will be as enjoyable.  I still keep busy as Treasurer in my P.E.O.  Keep thinking I will retire from that job, but I do enjoy it.

    Speaking of retiring, Charley finally gave up his part time job and says he is retired this time for sure.  I think he is enjoying his retirement and keeps busy.  He enjoys his coffee times with friends and the special one on Wednesdays with Alliancites who have moved to Lincoln.  . 

    We are enjoying watching Freshman Jordan Hooper, from Alliance, play for the UNL Girls Basketball team.  What a great basketball player she is.

    Our great grandchildren are growing so fast.  Mikalah (9) and Sofia (5) are going to dance classes now.  Kaden (3) is a busy boy and keeps Desiree & Chad on their toes.

    Charley and I will be attending our 50^th class reunion in Alliance this year.  We are looking forward to seeing our classmates and can’t believe we have been out of school that long! 

    We just received word we will be spending Christmas in Hawaii…gift from Jason.  I think we can handle that!

    May your holiday season be blessed with the true meaning of Christmas and warm thoughts and best wishes for a Happy New Year!  The best gifts of Christmas cannot be found beneath the tree.  Charley & Glenda 

2010 Holiday Greetings from the Yardleys
(Jacki Vallentine)

    Another year has flown by and we are once again reminded of our reasons for retiring here in Washington – Chris, Michelle, Brian, and Eric and Amy, Franz, and Spencer.  We’ve been able to see them regularly and share in their activities. 

   In January we saw the two oldest grandsons heading back to college – Brian to Gonzaga and Eric to Seattle U.

We made some trips to Coeur d’Alene during the year and found time to stop at Northern Quest Resort and Casino in Spokane.  We watched Gonzaga basketball on the BIG HD screen (30’x10’) at Q Sports Bar – pretty impressive, both the screen and the team!

  We have season tickets to Broadway and More and saw Hal Holbrook in his one man show, Mark Twain – super; also on the agenda Oklahoma, Camelot, Cabaret, and Cirque Dreams.

  In April Amy and Jacki took  a “girls only” trip to Palm Springs (LaQuinta and Indian Wells) where Amy attended a conference and Jacki held down the fort at her sister BJ and Lee’s – lots of laughs and some tears – also got to visit brother Nick and Claudia in Rialto.  One needs to praise Kent’s Herculean effort to see that Jacki made it to Spokane for the flight after she realized she’d forgotten her purse at home.  Our Beamer really does “fly” nicely. J  We made it on time and Amy had already checked us in.

  We took a brunch cruise on a sternwheeler on the Columbia River – a nice experience – one we may do again as a dinner cruise.

We had a really special time in May staying with Spencer while his parents attended a performance in Spokane.  What wonderful grandparent time.

In the spring we spent a weekend in Seattle at Eric’s baseball games and another in Spokane for Brian’s last college games.   Brian graduated from Gonzaga U on 9 May and we were blessed to be there with him, his parents and brother.  Eric continued playing ball during the summer so we traveled to Moses Lake and Walla Walla to watch.

  In July we took a trip to Crater Lake National Park via Baker City, Bend, and Roseburg Oregon – what wonderful sights along the way, and the Lake is incredible!  In August we made a trip to Anacortes, WA and Seaside, OR to visit with dear friends.

  As we near the end of another year, we remain grateful for our health, family, friends, and each other. 

  We wish you good health and prosperity in the New Year.

  Always,  Jacki and Kent

12/10/2010 ~ Merry Christmas from Sharon Phillip Singleton ~ This is our yearly Christmas letter ~ maybe some of you would like to share your Christmas letter here....just send it to me (singo2@frontier.com)...and I will post your letter.

Christmas 2010

Hi everyone,

            This is Tony’s letter to friends and relatives.  My two cents worth is in italics.  J

Here’s a few lines to let you all know what we’ve been doing this year. As before the year started for us in Arizona, sunny warm Arizona;  with all of the winter activities like biking and ATVing across the desert, getting land locked in a flash flood, entertaining lots of people and relatives from up north in the new motorhome, eating drinking and getting sun tanned. We put up with all this until late March and decided to come home because it was getting too hot. When we arrived home we soon found that it was too cold – what a life.  We met cousin Judy & Larry Mann in Las Vegas and spent a month travelling around with them.  Later we met up with cousin Janice & Archie Lawrence and spent another month with them.  Uncles Bob & Leo came down to see what boon docking in the desert of California was like and convinced brother Ray & Judi to do the same ~ cousin Julie joined the party for a couple of days also.

In April Sharon made a visit to son Kenny’s home and brother Ray’s home in Seattle area.  In May, we had a lot of visitors (brother Jim and his daughter Brittany; niece Kelly, brother Bill, Janet, and her mother Shirley, brother Ray, Judi, their daughter Dani and her daughter Jacki).  Later in May, we went to Green River WY for nephew Cody’s high school graduation.  Sharon & granddaughter Cally did the 10 K Bloomsday race in Spokane with brother Bill, Janet, Karla, Toshi & Mae.

In June Terry and Jacqueline flew over and we all explored some places of interest in Washington State. They were here for three weeks and stayed just long enough to experience the US health system in action for my open heart surgery. I shall always be eternally grateful to Sharon who stuck with me day and night (just like she said in our marriage vows) through that experience, and to this day still tells me bits of what went on during those five days when the doctors blanked out my memory.

But here in my second life and later in August cousin John and some of his family made their first visit to USA and stayed with us for a few days and another cousin Linda in Lewiston – only 30 miles away.  At the same time, brother Dick & Cindy made a week-end visit so we had one particular evening of fun bantering back and forth between UK and USA relatives.   

After a few more months of forced convalescence and a little rehabilitation at our local hospital we spent a really joyous Thanksgiving in November at Jim and Kathie’s home in Wyoming amid the snow, blizzards and ice.

Now we are right in the middle of more family fun ~ Dennis & Kenny’s dad and wife are here for Dennis’ college graduation and Cally & Casey’s (grandkids) Mom is arriving for ten days at the same time.  Not sure Moscow is going to be big enough for all these Ex’s.  J

All in all it’s been an eventful and fairly busy year and we’re both keeping fully occupied – Sharon has volunteered to help plan two reunions (one for high school 50^th year reunion and one for the Phillip Family to honor two 90 year olds (Mom and Uncle Bob) and a 70^th wedding anniversary for Uncle Jean & Maxine) in Nebraska next year and from there we’re planning a trip to UK for Neil (Tony’s son) and Becky’s wedding in October. Looks like business as usual in 2011.  (We plan to travel throughout UK prior to the wedding to visit all of you ~ we hope to hear from UK friends and relatives that you will be home during September of next year).

Tony & I were looking around our home and realizing that things are going to quit working…they’re just getting too old…and then the trouble began ~ our smooth stove top cracked but…it is still useable and not noticeably cracked.  Then my hard drive quit working ~ within an hour I was out getting a new computer (priorities, you know).  Next came the microwave ~ and out we went to get a new one.  The stove is till useable and still cracked.  J

Hope you all have a very happy Christmas and a busy New Year.

email – singo2@frontier.com

12/6/2010 ~ David Andrick ~ I received an email from David with the following message.  Some classmates may wish to do this.
        When doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card and send it to this address.  If we pass this on and everyone sends one card, think of how many cards these wonderful special people who have sacrificed so much would get.   When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, please include the following:

          A Recovering American Soldier
              c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
              6900 Georgia Avenue,NW
              Washington , D.C. 20307-5001

12/01/2010 ~ Sharon Phillip ~ here is something for you to do for under five minutes in your spare times ~ watch a video on YouTube ~ Tony & I have one room devoted to my Christmas Village hobby ~ complete with red walls, blue sky, green shelves and gold trim.  It used to take me a long time to set up but now it is a permanent fixture in the home ~ grandkids love to sleep in that room.  Merry Christmas to everyone!

11/20/201 ~ Mickey Coleman ~ HI, GANG, AT CHRISTMAS TIME GENE AND I ARE SUPER BUSY WITH THE COMMUNITY CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKET PROGRAM.  WE START IN NOVEMBER COLLECTING NAMES.  (WE PUT SIGN-UP SHEETS AT COMMUNITY ACTION, HUD HOUSING, AND THE WIC OFFICE)  WE WILL BE WORKING WITH SEVERAL CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS WHO WILL BE "ADOPTING" FAMILIES AND PUTTING TOGETHER NICE FOOD BASKETS FOR THEIR CHRISTMAS DINNER.  WE WILL HAVE OVER 300 FAMILIES SIGNED UP.  AFTER ALL OF THE CHURCHES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS GET THE NUMBER OF FAMILIES THEY WANT, THEN OUR MINISTRY (JUST NEIGHBORS)  WILL TAKE THE ONE THAT ARE NOT ASSIGNED.  WE WILL BE DOING AROUND 85-90 FAMILIES.  IT IS A REALLY FUN TIME AT OUR HOUSE.  WE HAVE SEVERAL YOUTH AND ADULTS WHO VOLUNTEER TO HELP ASSEMBLE AND DELIVER THE BASKETS.  THE ADULTS AND YOUTH WITH DRIVER'S LICENSES WILL BE DOING THE DELIVERING AND THE YOUNGER ONES WILL BE ASSEMBLING THE BASKETS AND WRAPPING THE LITTLE GIFTS.  THEN WHEN ALL IS DONE WE PARTY WITH A TON OF PIZZA AND POP!!!!!!!!!  WE ARE TIED UP WITH THIS PROJECT UNTILL ABOUT THE 26th OF DECEMBER......THEM WE CELEBRATE OUR CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

11/19/2010 ~ From Glenda & Charley Rusk ~ a one minute video of their pet dog opening a Christmas present from a previous year.  Very cute!  Turn up your volume for the music!