We are finally settled in our little apartment and I will be lucky if my carpal tunnel syndrome doesn’t flare up again due to the amount of furniture I have assembled in the last week.  We were not taking over an apartment from anyone else so we had to buy all new things.  This is nice in one way but it takes a toll on the wrists.  Our place is very yellow.  The walls are pale yellow and then the leather which covers the chairs and sofa is pale yellow.  This is not on purpose, just accidental, so I intend to brighten things up with touches of red.  So far I have a red clock and a picture from Ikea of a red double decker bus in London.  The rest of the picture is black and white.  I have ordered some lovely LionBrand Homespun yarn to make an afghan to throw over the pale yellow sofa.

Though we have been to the Bishop’s Storehouse several times, tomorrow will be the first day that we see it in action.  The delivery truck will be there at 7:30 in the morning and we will be there to meet it.  So obviously it’s time for bed.

I was listening to a list of people’s favourite Christmas songs the other day.  It included “Silent Night”, “The Little Drummer Boy” and “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.”  I have never liked “The Little Drummer Boy” (the only version I really like is the symphonic version called “The Little Bolero Boy”, sort of a blend between “The Little Drummer Boy” and Ravel’s Bolero) but I really HATE “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer.”  Even when I was a child I disliked this song.  I thought about the cruelty of the other reindeer in slighting Rudolph and then their insincerity in accepting him only when he could be of use to them.  Would they revert to their former behaviour after New Years, I thought.  What was Santa up to, anyway, allowing the reindeer to indulge such bullying in the first place?  I like the cartoon where Rudolph relaxes in an armchair while above him there are mounted deers’ heads labeled Dasher, Dancer, Blitzen, etc.

There are other Christmas songs I also hate.  Such as, “I Wonder as I Wander.” I hate it because of its rampant bad grammar.  “Like you and like I?”  This sounds like the Marilyn Monroe character in “Gentlemen Prefer Blonds.”  “A girl like I.”

Then there’s “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  I want to know.  Does ANYONE like “The Twelve Days of Christmas?”  I have heard several amusing version of “The Twelve Days After Christmas” but the traditional “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is just universally annoying, as far as I know.

But there are some songs I love.  I never used to like “O Holy Night” until one year I heard it performed by a girl at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and hearing her sing it was an epiphany.  In actual fact, I think there should be a law that you have to have a certain quality of voice before you are allowed to perform this song.  It is so beautiful that it should not be performed by less than stellar voices.

The Wexford Carol is lovely.  Good People, All. 

Your opinion?

It is rather tremendous to see all the new, young missionaries here although some of them have questionable (read appalling) taste in ties.  But overall they are wonderfully beautiful, all those worthy young men in dark suits and well dressed young women.  The head of our department is also a stake president and he said that as of the change from 19 to 18, he has 110 applications on his desk.  They can no longer accommodate the seniors at the MTC but are housing them at the Marriott and teaching them at the stake centre next door.

The RS on Sunday, our speaker was Linda S. Reeves of the new General RS Presidency.

Sunday night the fireside featured a men’s choir from BYU.  I love male voices.  They sang lovely Christmas songs and several of them spoke.  The second and third speakers just may turn up as general authorities some day.  The third one said he was introduced to the church by the “flirt to convert” initiative.  He is now back from a very effective mission and he never mentioned the original girl so we must conclude that though she played an important part in his conversion, she is no longer in the picture.  But what a great influence she had for good.  The last song was accompanied by one of the films from the New Testament which had everyone (including me) in tears.

Tuesday’s devotional featured Elder Hallstrom of the Seventy.  The fellow who leads the music is always very enthusiastic and earnest.

Monday we went to Welfare Square.  I missed being able to sort through Deseret Industries while there.  I love thrift stores.  To Paul’s consternation, I already bought six sewing patterns and three knitting magazines at a different DI.  He is carefully watching the capacity of the car.  They make great cheese at Welfare Square.  The Deseret products are very good but we don’t have them in Canada because of labeling and “best before” issues.  We are learning things but I think the best teacher will be on the job.  We are anxious to get going.

The paper today featured a news item about the Mayan prediction that the world will end on December 21.  That will be tough on my granddaughter who had her braces removed on the 10th.  I personally have too much wool to knit to have the world end just now.  I found this great website that has fabulous sales every Tuesday.  The end of the world will just have to wait.  There are still the hungry to feed and souls to save.

Love to all.

Our first day off.  We were to have had a Welfare Services meeting today but as they are expecting the first influx of 18 year old missionaries next week, they are now longer able to accommodate the senior missionaries at the MTC.  We will have to relocate to one of the stake centres.  And weep for us.  They didn't even have space for us to stay at the MTC.  We had to suffer with accommodation at the Marriott.  The things we suffer for the kingdom!  We have been in a "District", a group of eight where we have done all sorts of role play in learning to teach.  It is beginning to be cold here and may even snow today.  We are glad that we are not leaving today.  Several in our district are going to places that I was frankly afraid to go:  Uganda and Albania, and (not so much) Hong Kong.  They have long plane rides to look forward to and, some of them, malaria pills to take.  The ones in Uganda will look forward to boiling their water and washing their food in bleach for 18 months.  They all say they envy us our assignment.

Next week we are going to Welfare Square and will probably be following the "Humanitarian" training as we have already toured a couple of Bishop's Storehouses.  They don't quite know what to do with us as we are neither fish nor fowl.  Normally managers of Bishop's Storehouses are called from within the adjacent district so we are peculiar (as if you didn't already know that).