Shady Acres Farm*7484 Shawnee Rd* Milford*DE*19963
Dear Family and Friends,
The best blessings of this happy season to all of you! It’s that time of year again, and I’m sitting down to write yet another edition of the Yutzy Family Christmas Letter. I wrote another one, but it wasn’t right somehow, so here goes again!
As you may have guessed from the accompanying picture, we’ve been married for 50 years! Half a century! That’s a pretty big chunk of time. The adult offspringin’s wanted to throw a big party but we asked them instead for time together as a family. So, the 17 of us gathered in a big house in Canaan Valley, WV, and had a noisy, happy couple of days together. We played games, interacted with our adult offspringin’s, their spouses and the grandchildren. We visited a remote park where almost everyone tried to give themselves hypothermia by swimming in a creek that surely came straight off a glacier. We walked on scary places, saw impressive scenery, laughed, ate, talked (had normal family conflicts!), shopped in local shops, and had a most satisfying time together.
In November, (Only 3½ months late) Daniel and I took a trip to celebrate these 50 years. We visited The Ark and The Creation Museum in Kentucky, then meandered our way through Missouri, Nebraska, back to Missouri and Iowa, visiting a sister’s family and numerous cousins on Daniel’s side of the family. A high point of the trip was that several of Daniel’s Amish cousins have a weaving business and they took clothes of Daniel’s late sister, Lena, and made them into a handbag and a couple of rugs for Deborah and Christina. We came home by way of Ohio, sharing Thanksgiving with our son Raphael and his wife Regina’s family. Another high point of the trip was that Daniel was able to visit with the two remaining siblings of his birth mother; his Aunt Lucy Mast in Bloomfield, Iowa, and his Uncle Chris Kauffman in Eaton, Ohio. We were gone 14 hours near two weeks, and as most of you can probably guess, this old Grammy was good and ready to be home! (I might not have been the only one, but the other party probably wouldn’t admit it)!
I’m aware that our world is full of a lot of turmoil and strife and unanswered questions, and I am not ignoring that, but when I went back through family pictures of this last year, I realized that our family, while having some hard and disappointing times, have had some sweet times together, and there have been triumphs and joy mixed with the failures and sadness.
Christina and Jesse built an attractive chicken house and are the proud proprietors of a small flock of laying hens. Jesse holds a pretty detailed record of numbers and production. Christina loves her “Babies” and they respond to her call. However, the rooster, handsome though he may be, is not her favorite. Charis, 14, and as tall as her Grammy, started attending church with a friend and was recently baptized upon confession of Faith. #myheartgivesgratefulpraise
Deborah has had another eventful year. She finished her BSN last year, walked in June of this year and we celebrated! She has two new cats (Bella and Baby) that brighten her days and keep her entertained. The birds at her feeders, and her yard and garden have been a good diversion in a year that has had some unexpected twists and turns. The best news is that she is healthy!
Raph and Regina are still in Canton, and Raph has gotten a promotion at NuCamp while Regina has begun a full-time job as an insurance authorizer that allows her to work from home. The children are growing up, and the youngest is in school this year. The boys are active in sports and Ellie is always busy with something. Her scans are still at every 3 months, but the outlook is promising.
Lem and Jessica, still in Washington, DC, are both at their same jobs. Jessica’s health has improved somewhat over this last year with occasional setbacks. It’s been a joy to see her delight in being able to be more engaged with life. The year ahead holds promise for them and it’s exciting to watch. Stella keeps them busy, and she’s growing up at an alarming rate.
Rachel and Rob, also still in DC, are continually surprising us with something else that they are going to do. Rob has a new job at a fancy restaurant, and hopes to finish his Master’s in the spring. Rachel continues as a therapist while looking at advancing her education. They are presently planning a trip to Guatemala in January for the 15th birthday of our family’s “other daughter,” Lupe’s oldest daughter, Nicole. We considered accompanying them, but this Grammy is ready to stay home for a while!
So, our children continue their pursuits. Job challenges can be daunting, but they have persisted and none of them have asked to move home because they can’t make it out there. We never see enough of those who aren’t here, but we do enjoy spending time with our local family. They have been faithful in looking out for us (and bossing us betimes). The family plans to be home for early Christmas this year (the weekend of the 15th-17th — which may account for this letter getting out earlier than the usual last minute) and we are certainly looking forward to seeing the beloved faces and hearing the cacophony of familiar voices.
But most of all, let’s not forget the message of the angel to the world that long ago night:
“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 Savior, which is Christ, the LORD.”
THIS, We BELIEVE!
Merry Christmas!
Daniel and Mary Ann Yutzy
(Edit) The family coming home for Christmas did not happen, as COVID hit the Ohio Yutzys, nixing plans for travel. So now we have plans to have our family Christmas the weekend of January 12th, Lord Willing, and this household is somewhat on hold until then. The Christmas we did have was sweet with the locals coming for Shrimp Chowder and “Little Christmas,” and that will certainly hold us over for now.
Blessings, Dear Friends. May the season hold abundant sparkles of joy, even in the ruins of family plans, marred relationships and even funerals. Jesus came to bring us Salvation. He also came as a Redeemer, and in these closing days of 2023, I choose to remember that when things are too broken to fix, our only hope is in Redemption – that He can redeem the broken for something beautiful, strong and good.
“Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men . . . “
Delaware Grammy 
Wishing you and your family a happy and healthy New Year🙏