He had found a wood stick in the park near our home and carved from it a small toy knife. How I love her for that! Another year my brother, who is 12 years older than I, gave me a precious gift. It could not have been a work of art, but she treated it like a treasure. One year, I remember drawing a picture as a Christmas gift for my sister. They went to great lengths to make Christmas a special time for our family. Although I grew up in modest circumstances, my parents wanted Christmas to be a time of joy and wonder for their children. “Like many of you, I find that some of the warmest and most vivid memories of Christmas come from my childhood. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency May every heart open wide and welcome him-Christmas day and always.” 1 Gifts Received as a Young Man ‘For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life’ ( John 3:16). “Heavenly Father is ever mindful of those who need, who seek, who trust, who pray, and who listen when He speaks. A warmth, a feeling of indescribable joy, filled my heart. Tears came easily to me as I closed the door to the empty rabbit hutch.

“He took the box, climbed the fence, and headed for home, a Christmas dinner safely assured. Immediately I took my friend by the hand and rushed to the rabbit hutch, placed the rabbits in a box, and handed the box to him with the comment, ‘Here, take these two rabbits. Then I remembered I did have two pet rabbits. There was no prompt response-just a downcast glance and the comment, ‘I dunno. I asked what his family was going to have for Christmas dinner. “It was then that I realized that my friend had never eaten chicken or turkey. “Again a question: ‘What does chicken taste like?’ “I responded, ‘Oh, about like chicken tastes.’

A neighborhood pal of mine asked a startling question: ‘What does turkey taste like?’ We were preparing for the oven a gigantic turkey and anticipating the savory feast that awaited. Their stories capture the nostalgia of a good old-fashioned Christmas and celebrate faith, family and the special beauty of this magical time of year.“Christmas time had come. And Jane reminisce about the year just after they all moved home and opened Grace Chapel Inn, when she organized a Christmas cookie drive for shut-ins that ended up teaching the whole town a lesson about generosity. Alice talks about the year she got stuck running the children’s Christmas musical at Grace Chapel and pulled it off only with the help of her sisters. Louise shares about one snowy Christmas in 1951 when the young Howard sisters, visiting their newlywed Aunt Ethel’s farm with their mother and father, witnessed the birth of a lam. Grace Chapel Inn, the gracious Victorian bed-and-breakfast run by the Howard sisters is ready to welcome you home for the holidays.Īs the three Howard sisters gather around the fire on Christmas Eve, they reminisce about their favorite Christmas memories. Snow is falling, carols are playing, and the Christmas spirit is settling over the small town of Acorn Hill. Book DescriptionĬhristmas Memories at Grace Chapel Inn – Book 48 Here they rekindle old memories, rediscover the bonds of sisterhood, revel in the blessings of friendship-and meet many fascinating guests along the way. It’s the kind of town where friendship and faith flow together like a wide river on a fine spring day.Īnd you’ll love spending time with the Howard sisters, who have begun a new life together in their childhood home, a gracious Victorian house now a bed and breakfast called Grace Chapel Inn. Townsfolk relax on their porch swings or gather to discuss the day’s events at the Coffee Shop over homemade pie. Once you visit the charming village of Acorn Hill, tucked away in rural Pennsylvania, you’ll never want to leave.