Dear Kids,
          I’m really looking forward to the Messiah tonight! I only wish I could be singing in it myself, but I was never in good enough shape after my surgery to go back to the practices. Tom and Bentley will both be in the choir, though! There’s a pre-party at Tom’s house at 5:30 pm. I’m bringing pumpkin cookies. Be there or be square!
          The family Christmas party is next Saturday afternoon, the 16th, at Nora’s. There’s ice skating from 12:30 to 2:30 (call Nora for the address), and dinner is at 5:00. We’ll start the gift exchange at 6:00. For me, this family party is the real Christmas. It doesn’t get any more exciting than that, with 30 kids squealing and opening presents.
           Next Sunday night, the 17th, Allen will be playing in a Christmas piano recital in Centerville, and there are rumors that Nora will be playing a duet with him. The recital is probably at 5:00, at a church, but I don’t know any more than that. I’ll have more details next week.
           I’m not sure yet of our plans for Christmas. I really would like to do the Christmas Eve hike up Memorial Hill, but my surgery is just three days before that, and I don’t know what kind of shape I’ll be in. Same for Christmas day. But we’ll absolutely have the sledding party at the cabin the day after. (Tuesday, the 26th.) Even if there’s no snow. Plan on bringing your Christmas leftovers, and I’ll make sloppy joes.
          Sharon called to tell me about a test question she had on a biology exam. A woman that’s heterozygous for color vision (one good x chromosome, one bad) (that would be all you girls in our family) is married to a color blind man. Sharon had to diagram the chances for each child, girls and boys, to be color blind. After she answered the question, she put a note to the professor that this was her family, exactly. Also Grandpa and Grandma Allen, which is why I have deficient color vision. (Two bad x chromosomes.) Sharon will be having finals this week, and so will Julie, and even James! Good luck to all you college students!
          I’ve had a terrible pain in my abdomen, sort of on the side, for the last couple of weeks, ever since I went off the painkillers from my surgery. I finally went to Instacare and saw a doctor, and they even sent me for a cat scan. Nothing. But I was still in misery. Then, after I prayed about it, the phrase "bruised rib" came into my mind. I googled it, and it described my symptoms exactly. Then I went on Amazon to see what a rib brace looks like. Then I went to Walmart and bought it. Thanks to my three favorite corporations, Google, Amazon, and Walmart, I’m out of pain now. Thanks to Heavenly Father, too, and all your prayers for me.
          Lots of love, Mom