Christmas 1966 - At Grandpa Lou and Grandma Alice's

Christmas in Two Harbors. Grandma Alice and Grandpa Louie hadn't moved into their house on 6th Avenue yet. When these photos were taken they were living in an apartment above their bakery.

Top photo: Aunt Alice Mae photographs me along with the cousins.

Middle photo: Uncle Dale is on the far left.

Bottom photo: Grandma gets a shot too.

Christmas 1988 - Dad and Uncle Dale

A rare photo of Dad and Uncle Dale together. Here they are at Grandma Alice and Grandpa Louie's house.

Christmas 1988 - Opening Presents

Left to Right: My cousin Deb barely makes it in the picture. Next to Deb is her husband Larry. Uncle Dale is on the chair with the door behind him and Aunt Alice Mae is in front of him openening a present. Grandpa Louie is in his easy chair and opening a present as well.

Christmas 2000 - Dad and Uncle Dale

Uncle Dale, my dad's brother, spent Christmas Eve with us between the years 2000 and 2006. I spent my first five or six Christmases with him at Grandpa Louie and Grandma Alice's house in Two Harbors. He continued to spend Christmas with them until Grandma Alice died in early 2000. Dad died in early 2007. He always brought interesting gifts like commemorative plates, Reader's Digest condensed books and sometimes even lottery tickets.

Christmas 2006

In the fall of 2006 we found out that my dad had later stage lung cancer and that he only had about 7-8 months to live. The holidays were very bittersweet that year. On the one hand I remember feeling so thankful that we'd have him with us for another Christmas. On the other hand I felt so sad that it would be the last Christmas I'd ever spend with him. I remember going over to the house on Stevens to visit shortly before Christmas. He was in the basement working on putting together some photo albums. Another project involved assembling collections of the state editions of the U.S. quarters to give to the grandchildren. My partner Dale remembers that the two of us spent Christmas Eve with my Mom, Dad, and Uncle Dale. We did fondue and opened presents. One little present that Mom got Dad was a booklet about tying knots. Dad laughed when he opened it and joked that tying knots would give him something to pass the time after he passed away. We actually interred him with it. It was placed in his shirt pocket.

This Christmas is notable because it was the first Christmas for Cashel (Sam and Becky's second child), and Abby (Pete and Stephanie's, first child). Both were born in 2006.