Christmas in July

A collection of handmade Stevens family Christmas cards from 1939-41.
(Click to view larger versions)

Artwork by Gracie Age 10!

Inside above card: A Peruvian Poem

"Flutnotes For Our Flends' Fuller Fluency In Flamiliar Funfersation"

Our Shelter Prayer

Steam of Consciouness


(Colors altered from originals as paper had faded)

Chris meets Baby Martha

"Dear Christopher: I saw your Mommy last night and she was feeling very good.

I also saw your little sister..." Click on the photo above
to read the rest of this letter written by Dad to Chris
who was staying in Ann Arbor while I was born.
It's mostly about Chris' dog Fritz. Hey, I'm a little offended!
I thought getting a baby sister would be a big deal!
Instead it seems that I am a mere prelude to the Fritz update.
I'm told that Fritz had had an unfortunate entanglement
with a motorcycle he was chasing. Hence the vet visit.

AK brought Chris back home to Tiffin and snapped these shots
of Chris meeting his baby sister. Chris approaches with caution:

What the heck?

Family portrait

Close up (sorta) of the baby

Ooh! Auntie Eve gets a cuddle! A little more appreciative than Chris, I think.

Four Generations

I scanned this photo to share with Dad as he remembers it fondly. The young man is his Uncle Chris (Christian), his son John on his lap, with his grandfather, Jan Hendrik on the right and great grandfather, Christiaan on the left.

We couldn't quite replicate the four generations in the photo below (unless you count T Rex) but its a nice photo of TerMaat men and its interesting how Dad now looks like his great grandfather.

More about Bluppy

As reported previously, Mom and Bradley had a pet dog named Bluppy. Sorting through some papers I found this account of The Life of Bluppy Stevens:

February 11, 1941

A Pet

My mother and father bought a dog when I was in my mothers tummy. In other words I was not born yet. I think they got it for my brother, Bradley. Maybe they got the dog for brother and me. But I don't know.

The dogs name was Bluppy. He looked like a collie but I do not rmember what my mother called her. I think she called a half collie and half Police dog. She had dark blue eyes and was bery good looking for a dog like this one.

Some times when I was little I could ride on her back. It was fun when I did. Then my father took a picture of me and Bluppy. Daddy took the film to the place where you get the picture in white and black when it come out. He was all - was waiting to see if the pictur of me and Bluppy would come out alright. It did come out alright and Daddy has it in his Album. It is one of y favorite pictures.

Every day Bradley would buy some Red Heart dog food to feed to Bluppy. Bluppy liked it and jumped for joy when he saw it. I di not remember what else we fed him.

When it was warm Bluppy had a place by the side of the house, when it was cold he was in the house.

But that was so many years ago that I can not rmeber half of the story. A long time ago we had to give Bluppy away to some else Because my sister is sensitized to dogs hair. I am very sorry Bluppy had to leave me.

the end

by Gracie Stevens.