Why Christmas Eve?

(It may seem odd to write about Christmas at Halloween time.  Maybe it has something to do with me spending Friday night on Hollywood Blvd waiting for Disney Soda Fountain pins of the Nightmare Before Christmas.)

When I was growing up Christmas was always a magical time.  But, the older I got the magic changed to reverence.  Or maybe I should say that reverence was added to the magic.  The magic never leaves if you believe (per The Polar Express.)  I remember our Christmas family traditions with great affection.  The week before Christmas Grandma (Lois Fae Linnebach) would make dozens of gingerbread Santas.  I remember her spreading them out on the kitchen table so she could decorate each one with icing, red hots and little silver balls.  Then she would write in icing each person's name across the belly who was to get the gingerbread Santa.......every kid in the neighborhood and their parents, all of us in the family, women she visiting taught, all the young women in the ward when she was Young Women's President,  Grandpa's (Charles Cash Rampton, Jr.) councilors in the Bishopric and their families, all the Cub Scouts when she was Den Mother, all the Scouts when Grandpa was Scoutmaster, and finally she and Grandpa if there were any leftover.  Our house was decorated to kill with Christmas decorations, most of which she made:  a jeweled Christmas tree wall hanging; a broken glass and lights Christmas tree wall hanging;  beaded Christmas trees, bells, angles and reindeer; hand-made Christmas tree skirt; and too many others to mention.  Which ones come to your mind?

Today when Christmas comes around my thoughts are not only turned to the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, but also to the lives of my grandparents.  Grandma Blanche (8 Dec 1986), Grandpa Joe Bush(24 Dec 1969), Grandma Ethel (14 Dec 1988) and Grandpa Cash (14 Dec 1991) all died within a few weeks of Christmas.  Based on some things that I will write later in this blog, Grandpa Joe Bush's death on Christmas Eve seems fitting.........a strange term to describe death.

On Christmas Eve our family did something that none of the families of my friends or other people we knew did.  We had a big family Christmas Eve party with a Christmas feast, usually prime rib and Yorkshire pudding, a family program and the opening of presents from the family. It was always tough to go to sleep that night, whether from the sugar from all the candies, cakes and pies or the anticipation that Santa Claus was coming that night.  On Christmas morning we would get up to see the presents Santa had brought us in the night.

I have two very fond memories of those Christmas Eve parties, one old and one new.  The old memory is Grandpa's reading of the Cremation of Sam MaGee.  Grandma hated it, or at least she pretended to.  Grandpa loved to read it.  Unless you listened to the words very carefully, you wondered what it had to do with Christmas.  The new memory is the Rampton Christmas Rap written by David and performed for the first time in 2008 by the Rampton Christmas Rappers,  David, Travis and Kevin.  Honorable mention memory:  Kevin and the peanut butter.  Those were good times and hopefully there will be many more good times to come.

So now the answer to the big question, where did the tradition of a Family Christmas Eve Party came from?  And as I promised last week, the answer:  those parties were a family tradition tha George Adam Linnebach and his wife Anna brought to America from Germany.  Here is an excerpt from Aunt Caroline's (sister of Grandpa Joe Bush who was also born in Germany)  history, The Linnebachs, where she describes Christmas Eve in Germany before immigrating:

"I remember Christmas was always a special time and we looked forward to it eagerly. I am sure mother and father made preparations for this event weeks in advance as they made most of the gifts.  One Christmas father made me a small

cupboard, doll buggy, table and chairs. Mother made clothes for the doll they purchased and covers for the bed.

Christmas was always celebrated on Christmas Eve and we had to wait for the " Christkindl--Christ Child" to arrive before we could open our presents. The person playing the part of Christkindl , usually a pretty young girl dressed in

white, asked our parents if we had been good children and when they answered, "Yes," she led us into the parlor. There, the candle-lit tree was so exciting to see, and there were always many gifts. Our Uncle Heinrich always brought large

boxes of special Christmas cookies."

This German tradition came with them to the United States and I'm glad it did.  I remember Grandma telling us about the parties and how she never wanted to be on the program.  Each Christmas Eve all the children and grandchildren of George and Anna would gather at their house for an evening of celebration.  Here is another excerpt from Aunt Caroline about the "Americanized" version of the tradition:

"We continued the German tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve together, starting with a buffet of juicy German sausages, roles, salads, cookies, Stollen, Lebkuchen (honey cookies), Streusel, and Zwetschgekuchen (prune cake),

doughnuts, candies, hot postum or cocoa or milk. Each family contributed an item. My contribution was always ten dozen homemade glazed yeast doughnuts. After eating, we had a program with all participating; then sang Christmas

carols.  Santa (der Weihnachtsmann ), often played by Mrs. Scott, who lived on Driggs Avenue, was a strange looking Santa. Wearing her "leopard skin" fur coat complete with spots, she went from child to child, asking if they had been good. She gave us an orange, chocolates, all-day suckers and other candies some of which she--a former candy factory employee--had made herself. Gifts were exchanged and the children always looked forward to gifts from the

grand-parents which were always special and something they particularly wanted.  One year one of the grandchildren used Christmas crayons to write all over the new living room wall paper. We never knew who did it."

(fyi: Stollen is Fruitcake and Lebkuchen is gingerbread.)

(As for the crayon writing on the wall, it was probably Grandma and Travis inherited that tendency from her.)

When Anna Linnebach died in 1942 the Christmas Eve parties were then held in the homes of each of the children with their individual families.  During her teenage years Grandma still hated to be on the program.  Grandpa Joe Bush and Grandma Ethel held one in their home every year until Grandma Ethel died in 1988 with the exception of Christmas Eve 1969.  That was the day Grandpa Joe Bush died of lung cancer in the hospital.  And even though that was a time of sadness for us,  it was a time of celebration for others.  I have no doubt that George and Anna Linnebach, as well as other ancestors rejoiced in being re-united with their oldest son.  And so for them, the Christmas Eve celebration continued one more time.

Below is a picture of the children and grandchildren of George and Anna Linnebach taken in the summer of 1940.  This is who would have attended those Christmas Eve parties.

Ellis Island Scare

The lesson in Priesthood meeting today was on the Gathering of Israel.  As I listened to the message, my mind was drawn to Henry Rampton, John Worthen, Mary Cowap Worthen, George and Anna Linnebach, as well as other ancestors who left behind their homes, possessions and families to come to Zion.  Many had been disowned by their families who had even inflicted persecutions upon them.  When I visited Ellis Island a few years ago and walked where hundreds of thousands of immigrants walked, I thought about George Adam Linnebach, his wife Anna and their four children, Arthur, Karoline (which was later Anglicized to Caroline), Frieda and Lena being part of this experience that the audio tour described.  How would I have felt ....  afraid, nervous, apprehensive.  I wonder if at that time the song "Come, Come Ye Saints had been translated into German?  If so, perhaps the words, "We'll find the place which God for us prepared, far away in the West, where none shall come to hurt or make afraid, where the Saints will be blessed" gave them comfort.  They certainly had the faith that all would be well.  As they went through the processing at Ellis Island they would need that faith.  In her book, The Linnebachs, Caroline Litke Linnebach (oldest daughter of George and Anna Linnebach) described a difficult experience.

"At Ellis Island, the family had a traumatic experience.  The examining officer detained them.....would not let Frieda pass, the two and a half year old child as she had a rash on her chin.  The rest of the family could enter but she would have to be returned to Germany.  What could they do?  Father and Mother asked God for guidance.  After their prayer, they were inspired to ask for an American doctor's opinion.  He pronounced it childhood eczema and she could enter because it wasn't contagious.  Joy and gratitude filled their hearts.....now all could continue their journey."

Do you think that was a fervent prayer they offered?  I can only imagine what must have been going through their hearts and minds.  "Panic" is the first word that comes to my mind.  But for George, perhaps it was "Faith" or "Trust."  In the end, they trusted in the Lord and all was well.

Here is the rest of George Adam Linnebach's autobiography.  It ends very abruptly and I have not been able to locate any more.

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In the year 1902, I was ordained a Teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood which I appreciated very much, and one year later on the l0th of May I was ordained, a Priest by Priest by Heber Q. Hale. Now I had the authority to administer the Sacrament and to preach the Gospel, and was a great help to the elders. Our branch in Karlsruhe was growing despite the opposition from the Government and the banishment of the elders* at times. (*missionaries)

During this time I got along very well on the job and was sent to a special school from which I graduated with a very good report after which I became a government locomotive fireman. Our third child, Frieda Johanna was born

September 22, 1904, making quite a little family to keep my wife busy. As I now had several "free" days each month from work, I made several articles of furniture for my wife, also a little two-seater wagon which we used for the children in our walks in the nearby forest. We enjoyed these walks in the forests very much and often gathered wild raspberries and sometimes the whole branch went on these excursions.

It was now almost six years since we had joined the church and the desire to go to Zion was in our hearts. We did not want our children to be persecuted and opposed as we were and we wanted to be obedient to the commandment and get out of Babylon. The birth of our 4th child, Lena Anna on November 30, 1906, made our desire even stronger. I had to notify the government four months ahead of my intention of quitting my job and it was also necessary to notify our landlord four months in advance so that he could sell our apartment.  It was a good thing that our baby was born on the 30th so that I could take care of these things on the first of December.

The next four months were very exciting but also very hard. We had to sell our furniture which we had bought with my wife's savings at the time of our marriage, give up a good job, a lovely home, leave our loved ones. We shed many tears but the Lord strengthened us and gave us the courage to face the task of taking four little children across the ocean into strange land, a strange tongue, strange customs.

We left Karlsuhe, Baden, Germany on the 5th of April, 1907 and sailed from Bremen, Germany on the 7th. Yes, it was a hard test for my wife and me but we had an abiding trust in our God that it was His will that we do this. We arrived in New York City on the 23rd of April in good health after a good trip. Three days later we arrived in Salt Lake City. Utah -Zion-- and our new home. Sis. Katherine Keller, mother of our conference president John Schoenhals, took us into her home for two days after which we rented a little house, bought a little furniture and started to make a new home. I found a job with Silver Bros. Machinery Company on the second day. Six weeks after our arrival in this land, I was ordained an Elder which gave me great joy.

About six months later we bought a little home at 913 Washington St. using the money which my dear mother had given to us shortly before we left Germany.  She gave us 2000 marks and would have given us more as she knew that my brother would never send me my share of my inheritance at her death but she feared the wrath of her children who thought I was insane at joining the  Mormons.

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This is all for now.  Next week I will write about Christmas Eve and the Linnebach parties, which, as I mentioned before, is the reason we open presents on Christmas Eve.



George Adam Linnebach Family about 1905 (2 years befor emmigration)
Karoline, Anna, Frieda (who had the rash at Ellis Island), George and Arthur



Germany to Salt Lake City via Ellis Island

Today was Fast and Testimony Meeting in my ward and near the end of the meeting it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud.  A little 8 year old girl walked up to the pulpit and said with an air of sincerity in her voice, "I want to bury my testimony...."

I thought I would share some information about George Adam Linnebach, father of my Grandpa Joe Bush (Arthur Phillip Linnebach) and Grandma's (Lois Fae Linnebach) grandpa.  What a great man!!!  He was born in 1873 in Heidelberg, Germany.  His father was a farmer and part-time employee for the railroad.  In his teens he went to school to become a machinist.  Several years later he went into the army for two years, something that was required of all young men.  While serving he became friends with Heinrich Kirschenlohr.  When they both got out of the service, George went to visit Heinrich who was not home.  Instead, he met Heinrich's sister, Anna.  It was love at first sight.  They were married in 1899.  They began a family which totaled four children by 1907.  A year after their wedding, George and Anna met missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were soon baptised.  They became active members of the Karlsruh Branch.  At that time in church history, new converts were encouraged to join the Saints in Salt Lake City.  George and his family heeded to call, sold all they had and left for America in 1907, arriving at Ellis Island on 23 April 1907.  Grandpa Joe Bush was 7 years old at the time.  Three days later they arrived in Salt Lake City.  None of them spoke English.  No job.  No place to live.  But the one thing that George did have was faith.  He knew he was heeding the admonition of the Lord's prophet and that the Lord would take care of him.  To make a long story short, the Lord provided. 

Below is part of George Adam Linnebach's autobiography:

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MY LIFE'S RECORD

(written, typed and edited by George Adam

Linnebach) ..... (Copied from his typed record)

l, George Adam Linnebach, was born on the 30th day of August 1873 in Muckenloch, (Heidelberg), Baden Germany. My parents were George Heinrich Linnebach and Johann Marie Vorholser Linnebach, of the same place. I was reared, in this small village and went to the Public school for seven years.

As my parents made their living through farming, I helped them after school and during the summer. My father also worked for the railroad.

When I was 13 years old, my parents moved to Neckargemund and it was here that t graduated from the Public School. For the next three years from April 1888 to April 1891 , I went to Heidelberg to learn a trade as machinist. During this time I also went to business school. After that I worked and traveled all over Germany until 1895 when I had to go into the German army for two years. I would like to mention that during this period from .1891 to 1895, l was kind of wild- - loved to drink, smoke, have a good time, etc. The two years in the army did. me a lot of good and I became a fine young man.

After my release from the army, I worked again at the same job where I worked, before army duty in Meckerheim. One Sunday afternoon I decided to visit a friend of mine, Heinrich Kirschenlohr, who was with me in the army. He lived in Hoffenheim, about a forty minute walk from where I worked. After I arrived in this little town I noticed three good looking girls standing in front of the second house so I asked them if they knew where my friend lived. lt happened that two of these girls a were the sisters of my friend. They told me that their brother was in another town, so we talked for a while and we talked for a while and then I left to my home.

 I liked the Sisters of my friend very much so I decided to visit him again. This time he was home and so were his sisters who invited me to stay for dinner and we had a good time. They accompanied me a little ways on my homeward walk which we all enjoyed. I held Anna's hand and pressed it hard at parting and looked into her eyes. Yes, this was the girl who later became my beloved wife.

During my second year in the army, I made an application for a job with the railroad. ln the spring of 1898 I received word from them that employment was available for me at Karlaruhe and I was glad for this opportunity, but I didn't want to be so far away (fifty miles) from my girl who was now my sweetheart. Hovever, her father was glad as he hoped that this separation would keep Anna from marrying me. Her mother died at childbirth September 9, 1897, leaving an infant brother Adolph, and Anna being the oldest girl, took care of her father's household and the baby. Of course we wrote letters and I visited her occasionally, and we were married in the Lutheran Church May 30, 1899. We loved each other, and worked together to establish a home. I had a steady job with the railroad as a locomotive fireman, which I liked. lt was our desire to fulfill the Lord's commandment to be fruitful and to multiply the earth so we were very happy when on the 3rd of April 1900, our first child, a son, Arthur, was born.

The year 1900 was a blessed one for us as a missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ came to our door my wife was at home and when these two missionaries told her that they were from Salt Luke City, her mind immediately went back to her school days and a geography lesson about Utah and the Great Salt Lake. Her school teacher told her that a God-- fearing people lived, near this great lake, that they had built a beautiful city in the desert. She invited them in and they talked about the restoration of the Gospel, and when I returned home from work she told me about them and the wonderful news of our Heavenly Father speaking to the Prophet Joseph Smith.

We invited the missionaries often to our home for dinner, followed by Gospel discussions and we had a blessed time together. As the Lord says that His sheep will hear His voice, we hearkened and were baptized on the 1sth day of October 1900 by Elder Fred Pfost. lt was a hard test for me to live the Word of wisdom as I liked, tobacco and beer and, wine. With the help of the Lord I was able to quit tobacco entirely but I did drink a glass of beer or wine once in awhile. I lost 15 pounds after I quit drinking but was blessed with greater strength and health and could do my work better.  Of course persecution came after we joined the church and our friends turned into enemies but, the Lord blessed us with wisdom so that we could defend ourselves and bear our testimony and we never regretted that we had joined the true church. On the 12th of June 1901 , our second child was born and we gave her the name of Karoline Elise.

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Will include the second half of his autobiograph next week.  Also, it is because of George and Anna Linnebach that we open presents on Christmas Eve.

George Adam Linnebach



George Adam Linnebach Military Unit




Ellis Island Record (a similar certificate exists for the whole family)




The Chemitz, the ship that brought them to America



The Dog Named Jack

I like the poem about crows that Elder Packer quoted in his General Conference talk yesterday.  It is called "About Crows" by John Ciardi:

The old crow is getting slow;
the young crow is not.
Of what the young crow does not know,
the old crow knows a lot.

At knowing things, the old crow is still
the young crow’s master.
What does the old crow not know?
How to go faster.

The young crow flies above, below, and rings
around the slow old crow.
What does the fast young crow not know?
WHERE TO GO.

To me, this poem is about the value of experience, the value of history, and the value of things that have gone on before us.  In part, that is why I am writing this blog.....so that you will be able to learn about the past.  And in doing so, hopefully your future will be brighter.  When you get the chance, read Elder Bednar's talk from yesterday's conference session and then ask yourself "How does his message affect me?"

I thought I would write some more about Grandpa Joe Bush (Arthur Phillip Linnebach.)  Did you know that in the older neighborhoods of Salt Lake City, probably 75% of all the curbs and gutters were constructed by his company, A.P. Linnebach Construction.  I'll have to ask Uncle Glen since I do not know if he started that company on his own or if he took over his father's (George Adam Linnebach) company when he retired.  Nevertheless, it was a good business and he was finally able to provide a comfortable living for his family....Grandma (Lois Fae Linnebach) no longer had to pluck the feathers off the chickens that Glen had decapitated.

I mentioned last week that Grandpa Joe Bush was not active in the church, but he supported his family going to church.  Also,  Grandma told me a story of how one winter when there was no cement work because of the cold that he and his men built a new church building for their ward.  All the ward had to provide was the materials.  He paid his men for their time.  That was back in a time when ward members had to pay for their own buildings.  I still have fond and vivid memories of Grandma Ethel's and Grandpa Joe Bush's house on 27th South in Salt Lake City.  In the back yard was a huge (or at least it seemed huge then) shed/garage where he kept all his construction equipment.  It was great fun to go in there and climb all over the tractors and back-hoes.   Next to the shed was his aviary where he kept his parakeets, dozens of them.  I'll never forget the time he was walking inside the cage (it was as big as my living room) and one of the birds pooped on his head and he didn't even know it.  It was great fun telling him and seeing his reaction.....which was in German.

Another of my most cherished memories of Grandpa Joe Bush was his cabin east of Salt Lake City up in the mountains.  It always seemed like such a long drive to get there, but when you are ten, anything over a half hour seems like a long time.  It was a great place, big enough for all the aunts, uncles and cousins to visit at the same time.  No radio, no TV, no computer.  The nightly entertainment was always provided by Grandpa Joe Bush on his accordion.  This is where all the Linnebach grandchildren learned the song about the dog named Jack.  Nearby the cabin was a lake with a beaver pond.  It was great fun to hike up the trail and catch frogs, big ones.  This was also the place I learned to fish which was a favorite activity of the family.  Grandpa Joe Bush had his special rod and reel, but he always brought extras for the grandkids.  One day he rigged me up a special line, special in that the end the line forked into two separate lines, each with its own hook.  Grandpa Joe Bush put worms on both hooks and cast the line out near the logs the beavers had cut down.  The rainbow trout liked to hang out in the shade under the logs.  Then he gave the rod and reel to me.  I don't know how long it was but when I felt the little tug on the line I jerked the pole back....I had one on the hook.  It felt like a big one.  I reeled and reeled til finally the fish was near the shore.  But to my and everyone else's surprise, I didn't have one big fish; I had two fish, one on each line.  No fish story!!!   The only bad thing about catching a fish was having to clean it.  Yuck.

When I was in the 4th or 5th grade Grandma Ethel and Grandpa Joe Bush built a new house way out in the country (at least in the 1960's it was in the country) on 80th South in Sandy, Utah.  They had a huge lot,  big front yard, bigger back yard, 2000 square foot aviary, and even a horse pasture all the way in the back.  The aviary was world famous.  People from all over the world would come to see his pheasants and peacocks and study his breeding techniques.

Let me close with part of the eulogy that my Uncle Cece delivered at Grandpa Joe Bush's funeral in 1969.

"We should all be aware of what the Lord taught and expressed about the Eternal Plan for man and his family. The importance of the family and the unity, therein, is expressed by President McKay when he stated “No success in Life compensates for failure in the home”… Of all the beautiful and wonderful tributes given about Art today, the most outstanding would be his ability and desire to unify his family and keep them close to him. He loved to go fishing and hunting and wherever Art went, Ethel, the Girls and Boys, and many of their friends would go with them. I remember many of those special trips with the family and I know that many of you have gone with them also.

"For almost half of my live I have known Art, and during that time I had never met a man who gained Respect and Love without demanding it, as Art did. He loved life and only took out of it what he was able to put back, and that was a great deal of joy and satisfaction that he shared with others. He had a sense of accomplishment and succeeded in doing many satisfying things. He loved a challenge and met each one with a determination to succeed.

"Art loved to build, and he built and constructed many things...Homes to sell, Apartments to rent, and Boats. He built a lovely, large cabin in the mountains so he and his family and friends could go too and enjoy the beauties of nature & of God.  Art wasn’t a steady church going person but be made sure his children attended their meetings. A more Christian person, I will probably never have the privilege of knowing.

"His love for boats enabled him to construct and race boats. He entered many races and won several with ones he had constructed himself, and at these races would be his family cheering him on.

"Art was a good provider and made sure there was always food on the table. He was a stern father and each one of the family knew he was the master of his house. He didn’t say too much to me when I was courting his daughter, but I knew there were certain rules of the house also, and since I came from a small family I had to learn some of the rules of a large one and one of these rules was that at the dinner table you had better take what you wanted the first time because there wasn’t a second chance.

"Art loved family get-togethers and if they weren’t moving fast enough or weren’t joyful enough, out would come the good old squeezebox and toe taping, music, and songs would soon follow. This usually led Art into teaching the grandchildren new songs to sing. One of the good old favorites was the old Sow Song which the grandchildren loved to hear Art sing and act out. There was another one which we won’t mention, but it was a family joke song, that usually brought a reprimand from one of the daughters.

Art loved music and had a keen ear for pitch and tone, he enjoyed harmonizing with his girls and boys and with his son-in-laws and anyone else who wanted to sing. He loved to listen to barber shop music and Quartets. One of his favorite songs was Nearer My God to Thee.” (end of eulogy)

One last thought.  On December 24, 1969 Grandpa Joe Bush lay in a hospital bed, the only time in his life he was ever sick.  Lung cancer had ravaged his body and the end was near.  The pain medication caused him to come in and out of consciousness.  Late in the afternoon he awoke for one last time, raised his head and focused on an upper corner in the room.  His last words were, "Daddy."  He then closed his eyes and his immortal soul left his cancer-ravaged body to be with loved ones who had come to bring him home.  And probably a short time later the family all sang:

There was an old dog and his name was Jack

And he pooped all over the railroad track.

Then the train came by and the poop flew high

And it hit the conductor square in the eye.



The Hunter




Grandma Ethel, Grandpa Joe Bush, Lori Gritton, Jimmy Rampton