Stop Doing List (New Year's Resolution Time)

Best New Year's resolution? A 'stop doing' list
By Jim Collins

Each time the New Year rolls around and I sit down to do my annual resolutions, I reflect back to a lesson taught me by a remarkable teacher. In my mid-20s, I took a course on creativity and innovation from Rochelle Myers and Michael Ray at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and I kept in touch with them after I graduated.

One day, Rochelle pointed to my ferocious work pace and said, "I notice, Jim, that you are a rather undisciplined person."

I was stunned and confused. After all, I was the type of person who carefully laid out my BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals), top three objectives and priority activities at the start of each New Year. I prided myself on the ability to work relentlessly toward those objectives, applying the energy I'd inherited from my prairie-stock grandmother.

"Your genetic energy level enables your lack of discipline," Rochelle continued. "Instead of leading a disciplined life, you lead a busy life."

She then gave me what I came to call the 20-10 assignment. It goes like this: Suppose you woke up tomorrow and received two phone calls. The first phone call tells you that you have inherited $20 million, no strings attached. The second tells you that you have an incurable and terminal disease, and you have no more than 10 years to live. What would you do differently, and, in particular, what would you stop doing?

That assignment became a turning point in my life, and the "stop doing" list became an enduring cornerstone of my annual New Year resolutions — a mechanism for disciplined thought about how to allocate the most precious of all resources: time.

Rochelle's challenge forced me to see that I'd been plenty energetic, but on the wrong things. Indeed, I was on entirely the wrong path. After graduate school, I'd taken a job at Hewlett-Packard. I loved the company, but hated the job. Rochelle's assignment helped me to see I was cut out to be a professor, a researcher, a teacher — not a businessman — and I needed to make a right-angle turn. I had to stop doing my career, so that I could find my real work. I quit HP, migrated to the Stanford Business School faculty and eventually became — with some remarkable good luck along the way — a self-employed professor, happily toiling away on my research and writing.

Rochelle's lesson came back to me a number of years later while puzzling over the research data on 11 companies that turned themselves from mediocrity to excellence, from good to great. In cataloguing the key steps that ignited the transformations, my research team and I were struck by how many of the big decisions were not what to do, but what to stop doing.

In perhaps the most famous case, Darwin Smith of Kimberly-Clark — a man who had prevailed over throat cancer — said one day to his wife: "I learned something from my cancer. If you have a cancer in your arm, you've got to have the guts to cut off your own arm. I've made a decision: We're going to sell the mills."

At the time, Kimberly-Clark had the bulk of its revenues in the traditional paper business. But Smith began asking three important questions: Are we passionate about the paper business? Can we be the best in the world at it? Does the paper business best drive our economic engine?

The answers came up: no, no and no.

And so, Smith made the decision to stop doing the paper business — to sell off 100 years of corporate history — and throw all the resulting resources into the consumer business (building brands such as Kleenex), which came up yes, yes and yes to the same questions.

The start of the New Year is a perfect time to start a stop doing list and to make this the cornerstone of your New Year resolutions, be it for your company, your family or yourself. It also is a perfect time to clarify your three circles, mirroring at a personal level the three questions asked by Smith:

1) What are you deeply passionate about?

2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just "made to do"?

3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

Those fortunate enough to find or create a practical intersection of the three circles have the basis for a great work life.

Think of the three circles as a personal guidance mechanism. As you navigate the twists and turns of a chaotic world, it acts like a compass. Am I on target? Do I need to adjust left, up, down, right? If you make an inventory of your activities today, what percentage of your time falls outside the three circles?

If it is more than 50%, then the stop doing list might be your most important tool. The question is: Will you accept good as good enough, or do you have the courage to sell the mills?

Looking back, I now see Rochelle Myers as one of the few people I've known to lead a great life, while doing truly great work. This stemmed largely from her remarkable simplicity. A simple home. A simple schedule. A simple frame for her work.

Rochelle spoke to me repeatedly about the idea of "making your life a creative work of art." A great piece of art is composed not just of what is in the final piece, but equally important, what is not. It is the discipline to discard what does not fit — to cut out what might have already cost days or even years of effort — that distinguishes the truly exceptional artist and marks the ideal piece of work, be it a symphony, a novel, a painting, a company or, most important of all, a life.

Jim Collins is author of Good to Great and co-author of Built to Last.

Nativity 2006

Robison Annual Nativity Production - 2007

Ye shall find the babe....lying in a manger!

Babies! What wonderful news to learn that new babies will be born in 2008 to the Robison posterity. Jenny and Karenin (and perhaps another sibling soon) have announced great news.

Christmas is a time we think about a new born baby in particular, even our Lord and Savior. I hope each of our grandchildren will sit by the fire and have read to them the words from Luke 2: 4-17

And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem.
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manager; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddelnly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
And when they had seen it, they made know abroad the saying whcih was told them concerning this child.

Let's talk about the wonder of a baby coming into the world. A favorite poem of mine about babies was penned by William Woodsworth:

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting
The soul that rises with us, our life's star
Hath had elsewhere its setting
And cometh from afar:
Not in entire forget fulness,
And not in utter nakedness
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God who is our home.

In a tribute to the birth of the prophet Joseph Smith, I came across a quote about babies that intrigued me from F.M. Bareham, written about sixty years ago:

"A century ago (in 1809) men were following with bated breath the march of Napoleon and waiting with feverish impatience for news of the wars. And all the while in their homes babies were being born. Who could think about babies? Everybody was thinking about battles. In one year between Trafalgar and Waterloo there stole into the world a host of heroes: Gladstone was born in Liverpool; Tennyson at the Somersby Rectory; and Oliver Wendall Holmes in Massachusetts. Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, and music was enriched by the advent of Felix Mendelssohn in Hamburg." (We might add, and Joseph Smith was born in Vermont, four years earlier.) The quoting F. M. Bareham further:"But nobody thought of babies, everybody was thinking of battles. Yet which of the battles of 1809 mattered more than the babies of 1809? We fancy God can manage His world only with great battalions, when all the time, He is doing it with beautiful babies."

President Kimball quoted that in his tribute to the birth of Joseph Smith, and then in that same speech spoke of babies in this context:

"When a wrong wants righting, or a truth wants preaching, or a continent wants discovering, God sends a baby into the world to do it. While most of the thousands of precious infants born every hour will never be known outside their neighborhoods, there are great souls being born who will rise above their surroundings.....one mother gives us a Shakespeare, another a Michelangelo, and other an Abraham Lincoln. When theologians are reeling and stumbling, when lips are pretending and hearts are wandering, and people are running to and fro, seeking teh word of the Lord and cannot find it--when clouds of error need dissipating and spiritual darkness needs penetrating and heavens need opening, a little infant is born."

What a wonderful way to conclude 2007 - to celebrate the birth of the Savior and Joseph Smith and anticipate the births of new grandchildren in 2008.

Family Home Evening Activity:

1. Read Matthew 2: 1-12 (or memorize) while sitting by the fire and the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.
2. Act out Luke 2:4-17
3. Tell the story of what is was like for the family when the previous babies were born and how happy everyone was.
4. Look at the baby pictures of each of the grandchildren
5. Bear each other your testimony about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

6. Bake some cookies together that you can give away on Christmas Day to a neighbor

Praise to the Man!

December 23, 2007. Two hundred and 2 years ago, the prophet Joseph Smith was born. He was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont.

They Named Him Joseph. "When theologians are reeling and stumbling, when lips are pretending and hearts are wandering, and people are 'running to and fro, seeking the word of the Lord and cannot find it"--when clouds of error need dissipating and spiritual darkness needs penetrating and heavens need opening, a little infant is born. Just a few scattered neighbors in a hilly region in the backwoods even know that Lucy Smith is expecting. There is no prenatal care, nor nurses, no hospital, no ambulance, no delivery room. Babies live and die in this rough environment and few know about it.
Another child for Lucy! No trumpets are sounded; no hourly bulletins posted; no pictures taken; no notice is given; just a few friendly community folk pass a word along. It's a boy! Little do the brothers and sisters dream that a prophet is born to their family; even his proud parents can little suspect his spectacular destiny. No countryside farmers or loungers at the country store, no village gossips even surmise how much they could discuss, did they but have the power of prophetic vision.
"They are naming him Joseph," it is reported. But no one knows, not even parents, at this time, that this infant and his father have been named in the scriptures for 3,500 years, named for and known to their ancestor, Joseph, the savior of Egypt and Israel. Not even his adoring mother realized, even in her most ambitious dreaming and her silent musings, that this one of her children, like his ancestor, will be the chief sheaf of grain to which all others will lean and the one star to which the sun and moon and other stars will make obeisance.
He will inspire hatred and ambition; he will build an empire and restore a church--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Millions will follow him; monuments will be built to him; poets will sing of him; authors will write libraries of books about him.
No living soul can guess that this little pinkish infant will become the peer of Moses in spiritual power and greater than many prophets before him, He will talk with God, the Eternal Father, and Jesus Christ, His Son; and angels will be his great instructors.
"We fancy," said F. M. Bareham, "God can manage His world only with great battalions, when all the time He is doing it with beautiful babies."
Oh foolish men who think to protect the world with armaments, battleships, and space equipment, when only righteousness is needed!
Having read the pages of history, six thousand years of it, can we not see that God sent His babies to become the teachers and prophets to warn us of our threatening fate? Cannot we read the handwriting on the wall? History repeats itself.
Oh mortal men, deaf and blind! Can we not read the past? For thousands of years have plowshares been beaten into swords and pruning hooks into spears, yet war persists.
The answer to all of our problems--personal, national, and international--has been given to us many times by many prophets, ancient to modern. Why must we grovel in the earth when we could be climbing toward heaven! The path is not obscure. Perhaps it is too simple for us to see. We look to foreign programs, summit conference, land bases. We depend on fortifications, or gods o stone; upon ships and planes and projectiles, our gods of iron--gods which have no ears, no eyes, no hearts. We pray to them for deliverance and depend upon them for protection. Like the gods of Baal, they could be "talking or pursuing or on a journey or peradventure sleeping" when they are needed most. And like Elijah, we might cry out to our world.
"How long halt ye between two opinions! if the Lord be God, follow him...(I Kings 18:21)
My testimony to you is, the Lord is God. He has charted the way, but we do not follow. He personally visited Joseph Smith in our world, in our century. He outlined the way of peace in this world and eternal worlds. That path is righteousness. The Prophet Joseph Smith with all the successor prophets proclaiming the ripening of this world in iniquity and the solution of all vexing problems. The Book of Mormon which he translated relates the story of 200 years of peace in the old days, which was the greatest era of happiness of which we have any complete record. (They Named Him Joseph, by Spencer W. Kimball, December 1966)

Praise to the Man! Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fullness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord's annointed in ancient times,, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood." (D&C 135:3) Praise to the Man!

Family Home Evening Activity:

1. Color a picture of the prophet Joseph Smith
2. Have your mom or dad tell what it was like living at the Hill Cumorah for three summers and participating in the Pageant.
3. List the things that Joseph Smith accomplished that you can remember.
4. Study the prophesy of Joseph Smith from 2 Nephi 3:15.
5. Tell a story about what Joseph Smith was like as a little boy. Perhaps tell the story about when he had an operation on his leg.
6. Share your testimonies with each other about Joseph Smith.

Robison Family Christmas Traditions

Joelle . Here are a couple of my favorite Christmas memories. Every year Mom would say that she is going to keep this Christmas a small one, but every year there were a mountain of gifts ... more than we could think to ask for. Now that I am a parent I see how much joy it brings to find the perfect gift for one of the girls and be more excited about giving that than anything I could possibly receive.

I love the big breakfasts dad would make. I have bought everything right down to the blueberries so that John can do the same.

Here is one funny memory. I can clearly remember laying in bed trying to sleep, but just being way too excited. Justin tip-toed into my room and said that he had "accidently" snuck into your closet sometime during the day and he had seen some cabbage patch kids, one with a pacifier.

I want you guys to know how much I enjoyed everything about Christmas when I was young. I remember everything being just perfect, and now I know how much work it takes to make a perfect Christmas. I hope we can spend a holiday with you guys soon." Love Joelle

Justin . "Mom's Christmas Eve dinner feasts (it was like having a 2nd Thanksgiving every year), and here are the others:

• Opening a present or two on Christmas Eve

• The thousands of white lights on our house on south drive
  

• Driving around to see the lights

• Making the rounds to ward members homes on Christmas eve

• Singing carols, eating treats (Mary kay cookies/ Nanaimo bars- yum)
  

• The Musson's Christmas lights & their Christmas parties

• Our late night appetizer & present party the past couple of years
  
  
• Christmas 'cracker' (popper) things for dessert
  
  
• Santa's footprints
  
  
• Lining up to go see what Santa brought
  
  
• Fun stocking stuffers (oranges, chocolate, Toblerone, magazine..)
  
  
• Entenman's coffee cake or cinnamon rolls while waiting for the action on Christmas morning
  
  
• Dad's famous breakfast with blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage
  
  
• The present piles with different wrapping paper for each person
  
  
• The little kids/babies the past few years

Jennifer . "I think our Robison family Christmas Eves are the best in the world. I especially miss being with you on Christmas Eve. My favorite memories were when we would go and deliver goodies and visit with different people in the ward. Dad would dress up as Santa and sometimes the Gilmours would come over to sing 12 days of Christmas. That was always my favorite song to sing because we each got a part.

I loved having Christmas dinner and opening the Christmas Crackers. I also loved visiting the Mussons. I really miss those Christmas Eves. I hope we can find some fun traditions like you did for us.I also love mom bringing up cream cheese coffee cake while we waited at the top of the stairs."

When we lived in Millcroft, and when it was a white Christmas, it was fun to go to the golf course and sled or cross country ski as a family.


Jeremy: Our Traditions - On Christmas Eve, we are opening 1 present each of the givers choice, and tonight we open our family PJ's to wear.... Some time today we want to read the christmas story in LUKE.... and maybe watch the LDS Christmas dvd that was made a few years ago (i love that one)....
We would also like to sing Christmas hymns/carols.... and lie down under the tree with Sylie and read some fun Christmas stories...
Maybe tonight we can also discuss what we would each like to give to the Lord in a spiritual sense....
In the morning we will have a Christmas breakfast (blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, fresh squeezed OJ)...
We will then go to our stockings that are already filled and hanging.... We will also open presents taking turns.

My Christmas Memories. I thought it was awesome how Santa's foot prints were made of magical snow that wouldn't melt... and how he would eat and drink the milk and cookies we left out for him... I remember Justin and I trying to scientifically convince Jamie that santa was real... we even pointed out the window of our room in Millcroft at some lights in the sky that were blinking, and said it was the rain deer.
I loved waiting at the top of the stairs in our birth order, being frustrated when Jamie would only walk slowly down the stairs as a little child...
Even though sometimes we would be stuck waiting at the top of the stairs for "unknown reasons" ...it was fun to be entertained by orange juice while waiting.... (which kid started that request/tradition?)
I loved the anticipation to open the gifts by having to wait my turn... most of the time I would have the gift already unwrapped secretly while waiting so all I would have to do is pull off the paper... (sometimes Jamie would catch me and try and tell on me)...
The Santa Clause concept is amazing... I can't wait to see Sylie's reactions.

Jameee's Memoires. The things that I remember go right along with the rest of the siblings. Every year we expected it to get smaller and smaller due to mom's "we are making this one small" but they were HUGE. so many presents around a beautiful, huge tree. I have no idea how much time mom and dad put into that room, but it always looked so good. I remember one year we had the great idea to ask mom and dad to put up a paper wall in the entry to the big room, so that we could rip through it like a high school football team. I remember it was there, but that it wasn't as cool as we all imagined. but props to mom and dad for doing it, it looked like a lot of work.

I really don't remember when I stopped believing in Santa. I think it was when I was really young, because I don't have any Christmas memories of believing in Santa. I bet Jer would tell everyone that I always believed, but as we all know from the power-wheels incident, I am a sucker for the crowd psychology, whatever they would tell me I would at least pretend that I was game.

A few of my favorites -

• Ppening presents one at a time; taught me patience and I loved seeing what everyone else got. (Plus it made Christmas last like 80 times longer)
• someone told me that in their family they all just rush to the tree and open and it sounded so gay. So thanks ma and pa for not homosexualizing us to those traditions
• Musson's house, - I would always feel kind of out of place but it was fun
• Our Christmas lights in Roseland on South Drive
  
• Dads breakfasts... mmm.
• Christmas naps
• We saw the "preachers wife" on Christmas once at a Movie Theatre, that was cool
• Christmas crackers! and then trying to trade each other for the small deck of cards
• Stockings being sooooo packed
• Me at the front of the Christmas line every single year!
• I dont know, it was all soo good.

Remember last Christmas (2006)

Joelle and John Traditions :

Joelle and John have John's mother nearby. They have a great tradition of having a Christmas gathering with her and then plan to have their own gathering on Christmas morning. The big crisis that loomed in the family last year was the fact that Santa's bags were packed and Grace had changed her mind that she wanted something different from Santa than she asked for up until (December 23 ^rd). " So Christmas eve, they had the traditional fancy dinner at Jeane's house. The kids always have brand new pajamas to open, and they read and acted out the Christmas story from the bible. Christmas morning Santa left magic snow footprints (Grace asked about 5 times if the magic footprints would be there again this year). They had a big breakfast of blueberry pancakes, sausages and eggs." (Joelle)

Justin and Lisa Traditions

Justin and Lisa are far away from both sets of grand-parents. They had Christmas on their own and then headed out to Lisa's home in Minden, Nevada the day after Christmas. " We went to church on Christmas Eve Day (long sacrament program, nothing else). They had crepes for breakfast. Then they made a snowman and played board games. They had prime rib dinner Christmas eve at 5:30 then chocolate pie dessert. then they opened 2 presents each (1 PJ's, one random). Then went on a drive to see the lights. Then they read our last Christmas book and drank Vita-mix hot chocolate, then it was off to bed. Santa came and the kids got up early and lined up and saw what Santa brought. They then had a big blueberry pancake breakfast with eggs, sausages and then play with toys, eat leftovers." (Justin)

Jenny and Jason Traditions

Jenny and Jason have the luxury of having Jason's parents close by. (Christmas eve), they had a cozy day watching a nice DVD, having hot chocolate, reading stories, and they even built a Mo and Bumpas pair of snowmen. Christmas morning they will celebrated Christmas in a big way with Jason's family. " On Christmas Eve they went for a drive to see the lights, just like I (Jenny) used to do when I was younger. We also let Taylor open one present. I wish we could do the magic footprints, but Santa is coming to Jason's parents house, so I will decided to try and do that next year. (Jenny)

Jeremy & Karenin Traditions

"Today (December 24, 2006) we opened one present each of the givers choice, and at night we opened our family PJ's to wear.... During the day, they read the Christmas story in LUKE.... and watched the LDS Christmas DVD that was made a few years ago (I love that one)....
We also like to sang Christmas hymns/carols.... and laid down under the tree with Sylie and read some fun Christmas stories...

Christmas Eve we also discussed what we would each like to give to the Lord in a spiritual sense....

On Christmas morning, we had a Christmas breakfast (blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, fresh squeezed OJ)...
We will then went to get our stockings that were already filled and hanging.... We also opened presents taking turns." (Jeremy)

Mom and Dad Christmas Memories

Mom. We always had A big Christmas at my Grandparents house (Mamaw and Papaw - Barbara's parents). Mom and I lived nearby, her sister Nancy and her family did too. The Worls would drive in from Indiana on Christmas Eve. We would have a big turkey dinner on Christmas Eve - turkey with all the trimmings. Each year there would be a debate on what stuffing went in the turkey - regular or oyster. Regular always won (thank goodness). There would be 15 of us (at least) for dinner. We always sang the 12 days of Christmas while washing the dishes.

Mom and I would go to our apartment to sleep, sometimes with an extra cousin to sleep over, and we would go to Mamaw and Papaw's house first thing in the morning. Papaw always had some of his special sausage cooked for us. He owned a meat packing company in downtown Chicago and would make a special recipe to give out for Christmas. Grandchildren had to stay out of the large living room where Santa had left mounds of presents. This involved blindfolds and other creative solutions since the living room lay between the bedrooms and the kitchen. The presents surrounded a gorgeous white Christmas tree. My grandparents liked HUGE Christmases. Mamaw would shop all year in what she called her 'sucker' magazines for unique gifts. About a fourth of the large living room would be full of packages with elaborate unwrapped toys for the 6 grandchildren. We opened presents all at once so there was lots of noise and calling out of 'Thank you's". For the rest of the day we would play with our toys, eat leftovers, nap, and visit. My Grandparents loved to play games - so we always did that. Christmas was such a big deal. I remember papaw's invention for wrapping presents - he outfitted a card table with stands for ribbon, tape and paper so he could do all the wrapping efficiently.

Christmas was a wonderful time for our family. We loved the spirit of generosity and the special feeling of being all together. But it was all about Santa Claus. We never talked about religion or the birth of the Savior. I loved the feelings of those Christmases but I have learned there is so much more when we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

After my Grandparents' death, my mom continued the big Christmas tradition. She loved to find fun presents in catalogs or on the internet. I will always treasure the beautiful necklace she bought for me before she died. She joined our family every Christmas and saw that we did it right. I loved the feeling of preparing the perfect Christmas experience for the 5 Js. My favorite moments were setting up the wooden German nativity once piece at a time, sitting under the Christmas tree reading stories, acting out the nativity, and, of course, the procession down the stairs on Christmas morning.

Dad's Childhood Memories. When I was a little boy growing up on Christmas Eve, we would always recite from memory the Christmas story from Matthew and from Luke. After our family hour Christmas program, we would drive around and look at the lights. We would also leave out a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for Santa. I loved to lay under the Christmas tree and listen to my Mother read stories. It was such a secure feeling being in that room with just family, and enjoying the lights on the tree. Christmas eve was the longest night of the year. I could normally fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, but not on Christmas eve.

It was so fun to get up around 6 a.m. when it was still dark and gather around the Christmas tree for opening presents. When we were younger, the presents from Santa were not wrapped. We would always open the Christmas stocking first. It was a tradition to have an orange in the bottom of the stocking because during the war they were such precious commodities. My father would make sure that we opened the presents one at a time and enjoyed the experience of giving. After opening the presents, we would go to the kitchen and have a traditional breakfast of blueberry pancakes and sausages. On Christmas afternoon, the boys and Dad would go to the Church gym for a game of basketball with another family of sons in the Ward.

Dad's Memories of Christmases with the 5 Js. One of the beauties of marriage is the blending of two cultures into one. I believe we took memorable traditions from the Robisons and combined them with memorable traditions from the Schultz family. A great tradition within the Schultz family was celebrating Christmas with the grandparents and all of the cousins. In your mom's family, the cousins would likely have Christmas a day or so early and then drive to Oak Brook to celebrate the real day with the grandparents. Their big dinner was on Christmas Eve, so they could enjoy every minute of Christmas Day without the fuss of a big dinner.

I still think of a stocking with an orange, a blue berry pancake breakfast after presents, a recitation of the Christmas stories from Matthew and Luke, and opening presents one at a time. When the children were younger, every Christmas eve Diane and I would stay up late assembling toys and making certain the room looked perfect. Over the years, we expanded our traditions such as putting up 3,000 little white lights in front of South Drive, or caroling to various member homes on Christmas eve, always ending up at the Christmas house of all houses...the one that looked like Chevy Chase's Christmas Vacation...the Musson's home. I loved the tradition of collecting nativity scenes once most of the children were married and using that as our primary home decoration style. I loved "saving Christmas" for when we could all be together when it was the inlaw turn for Christmas. And I loved leaving a wonderful Christmas surprise on the steps of families who might really need something extra special on Christmas and then ringing and running or driving a way. It was wonderful, the year we postponed Christmas for Joelle, to host the single adults for Christmas dinner in our home. We also discovered what fun it was to have two Christmases rolled into one...the first would be late at night on Christmas eve when all the adults exchanged presents and the other on Christmas morning where we enjoyed watching the children open their presents.

While working for O. C. Tanner Company, a Christmas tradition for their officers was expanded to include Diane and me for several years. We would fly down to Salt Lake, stay at the Inn on Temple Square and at a wonderful dinner at the Salt Lake Golf and Country Club would get a bonus in cash under our plates as well as a beautiful piece of Jewelry for Diane. Every Christmas Eve, Obert Tanner would arrange for an elegant gift to be delivered to the home such as a suit or a cashmere coat. Obert C. Tanner loved Christmas and the experience was magical.

Over the years, I have come to appreciate Christmas based upon the following observations: 1) the incredible feeling of family and unity that occurs; 2) the way the world seems to pause and really want peace on earth even if but for a fleeting moment; 3) the special spiritual feeling that comes through music; 4) the extra attention given to the life of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and 5) the happiness that comes from being able to give in order to make someone else a little more happy.

Come Follow Me

Come Follow Me

As an opening hymn, for Family Home Evening, you could sing Hymn Number 116.

"Come Follow Me," the Savior said. Then let us in His footsteps tread. For thus alone can we be one, with God's own loved, begotten Son.

"Come follow me," a simple phrase, yet truth's sublime, effulgent rays, are in these simple words combine, to urge , inspire, the human mind.

Is it enough, alone to know, that we must follow Him below, while traveling through this vale of tears? No, this extends to holier spheres.

Not only shall we emulate, his course while in this earthly state, but when we're freed from present cares, if with our Lord we would be heirs." (Hymn 116)

Scriptural Application

The Savior teaches us very clearly in terms of every day experience that all can understand. You all have read the admonition of the Savior in Matthew 4:18 "And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers."

Verse 19. "And he saith unto the, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

Verse 20. "And they straightway left their nets, and followed him."

Practical Application - St. Lucia - same beach where Dallin was baptized

The photos taken here in St. Lucia by our area Doctor, Elder Otto, are fascinating. Note the muscles on the backs and shoulders of the fishermen. These men were used to working hard every day and using every muscle to pull in their nets.

Note the picture of the fishermen, who cast their net beside the boat as the Savior encouraged Peter to do in Luke 5:4. And verse 6 shows they "inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake." (see the picture of the full net)

Grandpa's Personal Experience (December 14, 2007)

How can we apply the scriptures to our every day lives? How can we make the Savior's teachings come alive? A week ago, I had the experience of teaching a discussion with two of our missionaries in Guadeloupe along with the District President. When the mother, who has 7 children (6 of whom are baptism age) responded that it would be fine for her sons to be baptized, but that she and her common law husband would wait three years to get legally married, the missionaries gulped. This is what the woman had told them a few days prior.

President Gamiette opened up his scriptures and referred to the story of Peter and Andrew in Matthew 4, who were invited by the Savior to "come follow Him". He asked the good woman, "what was their response?" Before she could answer, I told her I knew the answer - "They waited three years until they could get the boat paid for until they could take care of other things." Immediately, it dawned on this sister that she needed to do as Peter and Andrew did..."and they straightway left their nets, and followed him." (Matthew 4:20)

When I visited with the missionaries a few days later, they were excited to report that the Sister and her husband are getting married next month (it takes 30 days in Guadeloupe) and preparing for baptism after that. Two of her sons will be baptized next Saturday.

What a great example of "straightway" leaving their nets.

Discussion:

Do we straightway leave our nets and follow the Savior? Are there things in our lives that are holding us back from following Him?

Closing Hymn:

"We must the onward path pursue, as wider fields expand to view, and follow him unceasingly, whate'er our lot or shere may be."

"For thrones, dominions, kingdoms, pow'rs, and glory great and bliss our ours, if we, throughout eternity, obey his words, "come follow me."