Hi everyone,

I hope you all had a very happy Christmas. Many of you seemed to be travelling quite a way to be with your family or friends. That's what makes Christmas so special I think. Just that we can do that.

We had a lovely Christmas Day, although celebrations really started on Christmas Eve for us with Church at 7 p.m. The restaurant we went to at lunch always goes out of their way to be festive at Christmas, with a harp player and Santa making a stop there and visiting each table. They do a great job. Christmas tea was eaten very late (around 9 p.m.) and we all had a great time catching up with family.

Some of you have written to say that they have a white Christmas...well for the first time ever I think, one of our mountain areas had snow on Christmas Day. Yes, Falls Creek had snow. What a lovely thought. But it's a quite a way from us, and we just had very cold weather. Boxing Day was even colder! It seems very odd this year because we watched on TV some devastating bush fires which sprang up on Christmas Day in and around Sydney, and also some in South Australia. The fires are dreadful with many homes having been burnt. They're expecting a top temperature of 40C today, while we here in Melbourne, not all that far away, will be lucky if it reaches 20C! Queensland is also having some very, very hot weather they say, and that's causing some problems too.

Anyway, James and I are going to be escaping from the cold for about 10 days as we are flying off to Fiji tonight for a break. I'm really looking forward to it. I've never been there before. Rod couldn't get holidays this time unfortunately, and Tim will also be working so it's just us two. This will be the last digest then for 2001 and I'll talk to you all again just as soon as I'm back. Here's hoping that you all have a very happy New Year.

Goodnight everyone,

Karen.

Merry Christmas to you and yours from Sacramento, CA.

I just wanted to report a Walton sighting. Our PBS station is airing "The Glass Bottom Boat" this week. I have not seen it, but Ellen Corby is listed among the cast. I hope to see the second showing.

Cathy

KAREN'S COMMENT: That's an interesting one Cathy. I've never heard of it but I had a check on the Internet Movie Database and there it was. It's another Doris Day movie from 1966 and Ellen Corby plays Anna Miller. It is also known as The Spy in Lace Panties!!!

Hi all,

A belated Merry Christmas to you all as by the time you read this it will be almost New Year's. I have been very ill and spent almost the whole night of the 17th in the hospital with severe Bronchitis that almost became Pneumonia. I was given 3 mask treatments with a steroid and then a slew of medications. I am slowly getting better. It is a very slow process because I am crazy!!!!!!!!! I went to work all this week. I wanted to finish the week and pick up my pay cheque. My boss spoiled me for Christmas as usual. This year she gave me a 100.00 bonus, photos of the kids I look after, a day at the spa for a facial, massage and pedicure as well as some chocolates, and 10 days holidays with pay.

I gave the kids each a game and a small toy and for the parents I took my copy of a photo portrait (that I got taken of the kids last year for Christmas) and I went to a local artist and got him to do a nice charcoal sketch from the photo. It turned out beautifully and they loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! I went shopping for a few groceries tonight and made a pot of Meatballs and baked some Shortbread for a Christmas Party I was invited to tomorrow (Christmas Eve). Gary has to work as it is his busiest day as he owns a computer business. Then Christmas Day we are off to Gary's business partners place (Gary has no family that he keeps in touch with) for a Gypsy Christmas Celebration. My family had their Christmas on the 16th as my Stepmom is going away for the holidays as she misses my Dad terribly since his death in May. My Aunt is very ill so my Stepmom and her are going away for a Christmas celebration at a Victorian Bed And Breakfast. My Stepmom wants to spoil her a bit.

Cally!

KAREN'S COMMENT: Cally I hope by now you're feeling better. I imagine all those Christmas goodies might have helped. :-)) What exactly is a Gypsy Christmas Celebration? Hope you had a good day anyway.

Hi Karen,

It's Christmas Eve here, now :-) and I just wanted to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday and healthy, happy New Year, and to thank you SO very much for all of the hard work you put in to keep the Walton's Digest going. It's been a tough year for many of us, and the Digest made each week a little brighter in my house.

Peace,

Lorraine

We have snow! :-)

KAREN'S COMMENT: You're right Lorraine, it has been a very tough year I think. Certainly from September anyway. It really rocked everyone I think. I appreciate your kind words.

It is a clear,crisp, and cold Christmas Eve here in North Carolina. I am with my parents and one of my brothers for Christmas. While a white Christmas is unlikely, at least it's cold.

My siblings and their children are scattered from Virginia(my sister lives in Charlottesville) to Florida (my other brother is with his in-laws) to Texas (where my other sister lives).

Right now, I am watching "The Best Christmas". I love this episode more each time I watch it. Olivia plans her "best Christmas ever" only to have everything go wrong. In the end, though, the family is safe,warm, and together on Christmas morning.

I have formed many friendships, including yours, Karen, during 2001 and I look forward to building on them in 2002. Happy New Year to all Walton fans. God bless and I'll see you next year.

Patrick

KAREN'S COMMENT: Perhaps I should be more grateful for the cold Christmas! At least we got to eat a yummy traditional dinner without feeling so hot that we couldn't eat it. With the Best Christmas, isn't it always the way though. You plan something so well and look forward to it so much that things just seem to start going wrong, and then you're disappointed. At least it all worked out very well for Olivia. :-)

Season's Greetings to Karen and the honorable Members!

How is everybody doing this week??

Karen... my congratulations to James for such wonderful grades, I'm sure they were well deserved!!!! Technology is amazing isn't it?? I can relate to your joy.... my brother is home from college (Boston University) now and we received his finals grades as well. He is a sophomore, and we just found out that his GPI for the first quarter is 3.03.

I've been recently catching :the actress who plays Corabeth:'s appearances on "designing women" air recently.. you can catch her as charlene's mom from the south at 5 EST on Lifetime.

Saw "the Christmas secret" again on Friday as well.... a very fun family film, i love the scene where he's playing that game with his daughter..... it's gotten well reviews, not surprisingly, on the TV guide website.....well, as I listen to my "together again" cd, I'll wrap up this e mail.... I wish you and yours a magical holiday season. Let's hope this new year brings the little things that make this world worthwhile: the love of friends and family, health, peace, laughter, and joy. May your biggest dreams be just small parts of your accomplishes.... Let's have a blast in 2002....imagine all the people living life in peace

best wishes only,

Viv

KAREN'S COMMENT: I must confess Viv, that I don't know how GPI's work. From TV I gather that it's out of 4 but other than that I'm at a loss. But congratulations to your brother all the same. I've enjoyed listening to the Waltons CD again this Christmas too. They really have had such fun doing it, and it shows.

The Best Christmas has been shown three times in the past 2-1/2 weeks The Waltons will be going back to two episodes a day on TNN starting January 2.

The commentary at the end of the Best Christmas episode ---that future Christmases might find some of us in the hedgerows of Normandy or working in the emergency rooms of a big hospital caused me to recall what they were talking about when this episode first aired---they were at that time (December 9,1976) talking about splitting the Waltons into two series--one entitled Johnboy and the other entitled the Walton Family---if that had happened would Mary Ellen and Curt been assigned to a hospital in New York----if that had happened rather than having him sent to Pearl Harbor they would have never had to bring him back alive in 1981(October- November 1945)!

Donald

KAREN'S COMMENT: I hadn't heard of that splitting possibility before. Can you, or anyone else, tell me more please?

Hi Everyone,

With regard to the question posed about Will Geer being listed as "The Grandfather" in the opening credits of the show. I don't know the answer for sure, but my guess would be that because in the south, our grandfathers are so revered that it was listed that way to show the reverence the family felt for the grandfather in this show. Especially, during those times, and also even today, as a true southerner, I can tell you that this wonderful tradition continues. My own grandfather was the spiritual leader of our family and was much loved and respected as my own children now feel about my daddy, their beloved Pa-Pa. A blessed new year to everyone!

Tammy

KAREN'S COMMENT: I had wondered if that might not be so too Tammy. Especially given that it was set in the 1930's, a time when Grandfathers would indeed have been well respected.

Hello Karen and All, I hope Everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Mine was great. Santa was good to me, and left me a 2001 ornament from the Walton Museum and a nightgown that says Good Night John-boy from the museum as well. Santa obviously visited the museum this year and he definitely is a Waltons fan.

I hope that you all will have a safe and wonderful New Year! Let's all hope that it will be one of peace.

Now for the Homecoming. I have a satellite dish, so I get 150 channels. Not one had the homecoming this year. I was disappointed, but I have the video, so I can watch it anytime. I also have the book, which I think is even better than the movie, but most books are better.

I think my favorite part of the movie is when the kids are opening their gifts and John-boy gets all the tablets he can write on, and after his father talks about the writing trade, John-boy says "He must be a right smart man", about Santa. It just shows that John-boy never forgets he has younger brothers and sisters to think about and they still believe. It is a wonderful moment.

That is all from a very cold Vermont.

Good Night All, -----Jennifer

KAREN'S COMMENT: Wow, 150 channels. My husband would drive me nuts flipping through them all! The scene that you mention is very special. It shows John Boy to be the very sensitive young man that we know, and also that his father, John, is very accepting of his son's hopes and dreams, which would have been quite foreign to him really. No doubt John had thought that John Boy would have joined him and Zeb in the family business at some stage.