"My last day of work was on December 21. It was a very busy day! I had to get the library straightened out for the vacation. But I got through it okay.

On Friday, Dec. 22,1 slept in until 10 o'clock in the morning. Most of that day I sewed on my nieces' and my children's stockings. We didn't have much money this year for Christmas so I made felt stockings for them. I decorated them with sequins and cut out patterns of Christmas trees, snowmans, or bells. We bought small gifts to stuff them with. I also cleaned, swept and mopped my house.

On Dec. 23rd I was still trying to finish the stockings. I had to make my own letters for the names of all my nieces to sew on their stockings. I also decorated them with sequins.

On Dec. 24th I was still working on those darn stockings!! I had two more to make! Most of that day I was baking goodies for the Christmas Feast we were having at Alvin and Agnes' house. Having a big dinner party on Christmas became a tradition at my parents' house after Arthur Owletuck's death. Every year my sisters, Linda and Rena and I cook and bake for this event. We also celebrate Christ's birth. So our Christmas feast has a double celebration. Palassa Sergie also helped a lot during this big feast.

We attended the Christmas program at the gym. We had to come to the gym early because our youngest child, Tamlyn, was in the Headstart Program. They were so cute!! The program was fun! I liked the part about the laughing jingle bells and the Mexican with a big hat!! I laughed till my side hurt and tears were streaming down my cheeks. My stomach was sore for two days!

Dec. 25th I baked a turkey at 8 o'clock in the morning while my sister Linda made the salads and other food. At 12 noon I went to my parents' house to help set up the table and get food ready to be served. At 12:30 P.M. our whole family ate Christmas dinner. It was noisy, there were 9 granddaughters and one grandson ranging from ages 1 month old to 16 years old. It was packed!! That's how it was all day. On the 26th I just rested. I was too tired to enjoy the day. From Dec. 27th to Jan. 5th I enjoyed staying home with my three year old, Tamlyn. She's a barrel of laughs sometimes! Boy, she's learned a lot of words from being in Headstart and books being read to her by her dad, brother, sisters and myself.

During Slaviq I helped my sister, Rena, prepare the feast for the little star. The children were told to go to Willie and Rena's house at 12 P.M. to eat lunch, then they would go to Myers' house to sing and so on down town. Then I helped my mother-in-law at her house when the big star got there. She had a big feast. The star got to my house on the 9th or 10th. This year we just served snacks and gave out small gifts to the carolers."