Mattson/Williamson Family Christmas Party 2003. Does This Family Know How to Party or What!

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
     In yesterday's holiday post we revisited the family's 2003 Christmas Eve party.  The Christmas Eve party is the second family gathering during the holidays. The first is always the Mattson/Williamson party held a few days before.

     The following photos come from the 2003 Mattson/Williamson Family Christmas Party held at a reception center in downtown Provo.

     I'm embarrassed to confess my ignorance with names.  Remembering my first cousins - no problem. Remembering the names of their children - the gears in my memory's clockworks produce a syllable or two before freezing up.

     My thanks to cousin Angie for filling in the gaps.    

This is Joe Mattson proudly displaying his daughter hope.  

This is Jacob Mattson and his daughter Audrey.

Finally two faces I recognize.  Gina Mattson Walker is on the left with sister Angie Mattson Berntsen.  We may our flaws, but you've got to admit this family produces mighty fine teeth.

 Joe's daughter Faith being all shy.

Valerie Mattson (Kirk's wife) enjoys her dinner with sister in law Camille Mattson.

     Luella glares at her rambunctious grandchildren and great grandchildren along with her great grand nephews and nieces.   "Where did all these kids come from?" she scowls.  "Someone's gonna get hurt.  They need to stop running."  Two bites later and her ever watchful eyes and radar ears catch more roughhousing and a scream. "Who's crying. I told you someone was gonna get hurt. People gotta get their kids under control. There's people trying to enjoy a meal here."
     Kirk Mattson and Kent Berntsen (Angie's husband) pretend not to know to avoid a lecture on the proper way to bring up respectful children.

    Jilane Bodily sits with neice Ashley DelGrosso and father Grandpa Charles Williamson. Seeing Grandpa Charlie at a family party is almost as rare as finding a Williamson with a well thought out and documented opinion.
     "Is Wal-Mart closed?" Someone asked near the sloppy joe refilling station.  "Uncle Charles is here!"
     "I heard someone say he's got something terminal. Come to say his goodbyes," another said in a hushed voice.
      The truth be told, Grandpa Charles purposely misses, or shows up late, to many of these family holiday get togethers to preserve his sanity. The shock of transitioning from the relative quiet and order of a Walmart store at Christmas to the semi-contained mass hysteria of a  Mattson / Williamson family party is too much for someone of his advanced years and reclusivity to absorb.
     Brayden Bodily is seen in the background sitting on one of the younglings and hoping nobody notices.    

Forest DelGrosso gives his mother Kim a bear hug.

Brock Bodily, Avery DelGrosso, Amara Belnap, and Brayden Bodily sit in a Grandma Luella ordered time out for roughhousing.

Joshua Mattson (Jake and Emily's son). My memory of the evening is peppered with the shrill sound of Joshua's screams.  You did not want to cross this young man. His scream did the job of another kid's fists. One blast and you were across the room with ruptured eardrums :)

Emily, Joshua, and Jake Mattson.

Gina, Quin, and Quade Walker.  Quade is seen adoring his mom, or his dad, or perhaps he's noticed a young cousin nearby ripe for a thrashing.

Taylar Berntsen (Angie and Kent) and Porter Mattson (Kirk and Val).  On a side note, Porter is currently serving an LDS mission to Guatemala. They've all grown up.

A second attempt was needed to try to get Porter under control.  We nearly succeeded.

Cooper Mattson (Kirk and Val) wondering why batteries weren't included.

Joan (Aunt Bev's sister), Robin (Bruce's wife), and Bruce Bean (Joan's son).

Tiernan Belnap with her mom Annette and Hope Mattson.  Again, you gotta love those teeth.

Luella and John, brother and sister, photographed contemplating their creations.

Forest flashing the DelGrosso gang sign.  Those Michigan DelGrossos are not a family you wanna mess with - if you know what I mean.  Kevin Bodily is on Forest's right.

Annette with husband Thane Belnap.  Someone looks like he needs some time with Grandpa Charlie at Wal-Mart :)
AND ANOTHER SIGHTING OF THE ILLUSIVE GRANDPA CHARLIE in the dark background. Further proof he was there.

Brock has found a new purpose for living.

Brock and Brayden Bodily along with Averie and Abrea DelGrosso. Amara Belnap is squeezed between.  

Kenya (Angie's), Faith (Joe's), Addie (Kirk's), Kenedee (Jilane's) and Brooklyn (Jilane's).

Hope Mattson.

Afton and Amara. Amara tolerates her cousins - but only just.

Kenya, Addie, and Faith, with new friend - cousin Tiernan (Annette's)

Young Brooklyn Bodily with cousins Averie and Amara.  Brooklyn looks like she's in need of a good meal.

Tiernan, Annette holding Amara, Ashley holding Hope, Avery and Afton holding Audrey.

Jake Mattson holding daughter Audrey with Jilane and Brayden.

     Grandma Luella with brother John and husband Charles.  Luella is laser focused on the grandchildren while John and Charlie talk.
     "I hear there are more roll-backs at Wal-Mart," John asked.
     "You bet," Charles answered."You're not going to believe this, but I did a roll-back on the price of snow shovels before coming over. The company is desperate. They'll be out of business in a year or two."
     "You don't say," John replied.

And finally, the breaking of the pinata. There were only a few bruised ribs and three concussions from wild swings. Grandma Luella had to go on oxygen. It was all too much. 

The Williamson's Christmas Eve Party of 2003. Several Pictures paired with Unreliable Memories.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

The Family Christmas Eve Party. December 24, 2003

Hello All,
     What do I love most about this time of year? Is it the holiday itself or the two weeks I have off from school?  I'll answer my own question, It is definitely the two weeks I have away from school. Mind you, I have a great group of sixth graders, but by December we're all in need of time away from each other.
      In today's digital family gathering we're going back in time with the help of the Ghost of Christmas Past to Christmas Eve 2003. We find ourselves in Pleasant Grove, Utah - more precisely, we are in the Belnap living room.  The room is full of people talking at once. Nobody is listening to anything anyone is saying. It is the trademark of a Williamson family gathering. We feel instantly at home.    

     Ten year old Brock Bodily walked by holding young Amara Belnap, the family's newest arrival. Brock was growing into his two front teeth.  Amara was perfectly satisfied with the attention given to all new arrivals but secretly feared being dropped. She sensed quivering in young Brock's stringy muscles.

     It was Grandma Luella Williamson's turn to pay homage to young Amara.  Tiernan Belnap, a former recipient of everyone's attention until Amara's birth, moved in for the photo.  If a bit of respect for a former child star wasn't given freely, she took it.
     Grandma Luella looked a bit tipsy. Was it the camera's shutter capturing her in mid blink, or perhaps the tablespoon or two or three of NyQuil taken to get her through most family gatherings? Her holiday colds were as predictable as the winter snow.

     Kevin Williamson had the honors of holding Amara next.  No one asked if he wanted to hold Amara. She was just thrust into his arms.  His look is one of concern, fear, and mistrust.

     Kevin was meticulous about his appearance. The hours spent grooming for the family party could be for naught if Amara erupted over his jacket and shirt. The sweat forming on his forehead gave his true feelings away.

 

     Ashley DelGrosso quickly assessed the situation, saw Kevin's predicament, and came to her uncle's rescue.  Besides, she held the next number to hold, kiss, and cuddle the new arrival.

     Amara was still indifferent, but comfortable with her role as Iuvenes Regina.  She seemed to sense that one day her subjects would abandon her for the next new arrival. But until that day, she would enjoy the family's doting homage.

     It was nearly Amara's bedtime. She made one last round around the room before retiring to her chamber.  Kim is concentrating. 

Tiernan and Tait found the black olives.  

     Williamsons have an addiction to black olives.  Just the sound and smell of a can being opened draws us like a pack of hyenas to fresh kill on the African Serengeti.  Rarely do the olives make it to the serving dish. They are inhaled in transit from the kitchen counter to the table.    

     Brock and Caden (Lisa's eldest) prepare to be annoying.  In their defense, they sat nicely for longer than anyone expected.

     Grandma Luella is photographed with those not grazing at the buffet.  Getting Williamsons away from food, especially free food at an all you can eat holiday buffet, requires something more pressing than "please come sit and have your picture taken with Grandma".   Thankfully, Ashley, Autumn, Jilane, and Afton put their plates down out of respect to their matriarch and responded to my invitation.  

     This photograph, taken by a team of nature photographers from the National Geographic Society, shows the Williamson family grazing at the local watering hole and holiday feast, completely unaware of anything around them.  There is one exception.  Look closely at Lisa's face.

     Lisa was disgusted by what she saw. The grunting, growling, snorting, gulping, spilling, drooling, smacking,  sloshing, and choking was almost more than she could stomach.

     Lisa's aura darkens during these moods. Mysteriously, the camera caught the sinister halo emanating and pulsing behind her.

     Forest (Kim's eldest) was the opening act for the evening's entertainment leading up to Santa's arrival. Forest is an excellent breakdancer.  His has some awesome moves, when done on a hard surface. Sadly, Forest suffered second degree carpet burns a quarter of the way through the performance and had to surrender the floor to the 'opening of the box' game.  

Kevin did a bit of filming at the end of the 'opening of the box' game.

Just then we heard a knock at the door followed by a robust "Ho Ho Ho."
"Who could it be?" an anonymous mother exclaimed.  "Could it be Santa?"
The house groaned as the weight of a couple dozen well fed Williamson's shifted from the far side of the room to the front door.  

Abrea DelGrosso asked Santa for a remote controlled buffalo and a fly swatter.

Draker (Lisa's second) asked Santa for a Unicorn that pooped rainbows.

"I don't understand what you're saying," Santa replied.
"OK, I want to be Batman," Draker responded impatiently.  Santa was still confused.
"How about a nice fire engine?"
"Stupid Santa," Draker muttered as he scooted down and found his way to the buffet in search for a dozen or so black olives.

     The family watched The Peanuts Christmas Special while they waited for Tait to finish his entire wish list. He had it edited into chapters and broken down into electrical and nonelectrical sections.

     Aidia (Lisa's youngest) asked Santa for a jar of pickles, a live penguin, and a dancing polar bear.  She also wanted him to change her Barbie's hair from ginger to blonde.

     Averie DelGrosso asked Santa for peace on Earth, a gumball machine filled with avocados, and a box of Stove Top dressing.

     Brock was too taken by Santa's eyes to ask for anything. "He looks like Chaz," he replied when asked why he just sat there staring at Santa.

     Caden was just about to plead his case on the question of whether or not he was a good boy for the whole year when he heard a sound from under Santa, followed by the smell of something distinctly non-Christmas.   

    Autumn waited patiently for the air to clear before taking her spot on Santa's knee and presenting her letter in person.

"What would you like for Christmas young man," Santa asked Brayden Bodily.  Brayden thought long and hard before replying.
"I have one wish Santa. I don't want to crack under pressure any more on the basketball court. I need to prove to my uncle that I'm the real deal!"
A tear came to Santa's eye. "I'm sorry Brayden, there are some things even out of my power to grant."

Jilane Williamson Bodily was photographed kissing Santa Claus.
"Mommy's Kissing Santa Clause," exclaimed young Brooklyn as Santa recoiled at the horror of it all.

Kim, Lisa, and Kevin were photographed waiting their turns on Santa's lap.  

Shortly thereafter the party wound down. Everyone's sugar highs crashed and drowsiness set in. 

It was time to call it a night.  

And so ended the memorable Christmas Eve party of 2003.  

Simply,

Victor 

The Unofficial Wedding Snapshots: Kim Williamson and JD DelGrosso. 1978.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Today I'm posting the snapshots taken at Kim and JD DelGrosso's wedding in 1978.  I missed the event. I was working as an LDS missionary in England at the time.

Dad (Charles) leading his eldest daughter down the aisle.  Kim was, and still is, the family's flower child.  She has never lost her free spirit and love of nature.

The ceremony. The gentleman in white officiated. You'll notice the official photographer, so rest at ease. The grainy snapshots posted here are not the official wedding photos.   

The event was sealed by a kiss.  Annette and Lisa Williamson are in this photo. Grandma Mattson is on the far right in blue.  

Annette intently examining her oldest sister

L to R: Jon, Kevin, Charles, JD, Kim, Luella, Janice, Jilane.  The kids L to R: Brandon, Forest, Annette, and Lisa.

JD and Kim with Kim's grandparents. Grandma Mattson (Luella's mother) on the left then Grandma Elda and Grandpa Leissman. (Charles' mother and step-dad).

Luella Williamson, JD, Kim, and Charles Williamson.  Grandpa Liessman is on the couch.

Kim and JD with both sets of parents.

JD's parents.

JD's family.

Officiator, Best Man, and bridesmaids.

JD's family.

The Toast.

Aunt Annette and Nephew Forest dancing at the reception.

JD's grandpa holding Annette and Lisa.

Kim and JD.

 Annette hogging the show.

 And finally, the last shot on the roll of film. Janice in the car. The blue tape vinyl repair above Janice's head is typical Williamson!  It was the South Dakota Hillbilly's comin to town fer the wedding.

Simply,
Victor

Christmas Memories from the Late 1970's. Rapid City. Kim and her Boys. Jon's Curly Head of Hair and Ukrainian Lisa.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,

I was in England from 1977 to 1979 serving an LDS mission. I missed those two Christmases.  Thankfully, Mom sent a few pictures to take the edge off the homesicknesses.  In today's digital family album I give those pictures back, plus one I took from the Christmas of 1976. 

 

     Christmas Eve 1976 at 2214 38th Street, Rapid City, South Dakota.  I'm behind the camera of course then comes from left to right, Luella (Mom), Grandma Mattson (Mom's mom), Janice, Grandpa Leissman (Dad's stepdad), Jilane, Jon, Lisa, Grandma Leissman (Dad's mom), and finally Charles (Dad) with 9 month old Annette on his lap. Absent from the picture are Kim and Kevin. Kim was married; and Kevin, most likely hogging the one and only furnace vent in the living room to the right of the TV.  The tree looked pretty good when compared to the Charlie Brown trees we normally had delivered by the Boy Scouts (their Christmas time fund raiser).  And yes, who can forget the Santa Claus overlooking the happy event from his perch atop the tree.  That Santa was as much a part of the family as any of us. It topped our tree as far back as I can remember - and looked the part when inspected up close.  

     Christmas was the happiest time in the Williamson house. The presents were modest by today's standards.  I believe we each had a $50 limit in the late 1970's.  We spent many a long, dark winter's evening leading up to Christmas examining the store catalogs page by page looking for the best gift or gifts we could squeeze out of Santa's limit.  

     Taking the presents out of the calculation, I would say having our grandmas together was the second best thing about the holiday.  Only a blizzard closing the roads out of North Dakota would stop Grandma and Grandpa Leissman from coming.  Grandma Mattson lived in Rapid City. We got to see her all the time, but having them together was the best! 

     Grandma Mattson was fun to tease.  She took it well and gave it right back.  Grandma Leissman, on the other hand, lit the room with her stories.  A prompt from one of us was all it took to get her going. Sure, we all knew the stories from multiple tellings over the years. It wasn't the story, it was the telling of the story that lit up the room. We'd listen as she'd start the story and take great delight when she'd pause to laugh long and hard as she relived the event in her mind.  Sometimes the laughing was so hard, Grandma had to quickly make a dash for the bathroom.  

     Christmas was the best time of the year for us. Dad wasn't much of a fan of the holiday. Large family gatherings unnerved him, but he'd soldier through without too much complaining (except when we'd all leave him alone in the living room with Grandpa Leissman and retreat to the safety of the kitchen.  Saying Grandpa Leissman was long winded was an understatement).  

Christmas 1977.  Kim was by herself, a single mother of two and only twenty years old.  Forest is on the left and Brandon is on her lap.  You see what I meant about our Charlie Brown Christmas Trees?

This was one of the two Christmases I missed.  Forest was three and Brandon was two.  You gotta love Brandon's little boots!  What a chubby little guy when compared to that adorable, yet scrawny Forest :)

 Christmas 1977. Ice skating was the event of the day.  Look at Jon's curly hair!  Jon had a perm at the time.  Not sure why a 14 year old boy would subject himself to that, but that's what he did. Twelve year old Jilane is with him.  

The siblings taking a breather.  Janice, Lisa, Jilane, and Shirley Temple Jon.

And finally, to top off tonight's album, a snapshot taken in our LDS meeting house's gym on Canyon Lake Drive.  Lisa is standing next to the ADHD boy in the red shirt.  She's looking all Ukrainian with the skirt and scarf.  The only other people I recognize in this photo are Dan Weyland standing next to the woman with the long strands of limp spaghetti drooped over her head, and the Nally girl next to the pink dressed Swiss Miss.  Lisa will have to fill us in on this photo.

Simply,

Victor