• Home
  • About
    • Our Family
    • Our Purpose
    • Our Beliefs
    • Our Christmas Letters
    • Other FAQ’s
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Flanders Family Homelife

Living, Loving, & Learning Together

  • Home
  • Love
    • Respect your Husband
    • Love your Wife
    • Get Along with In-laws
    • Find Time for Intimacy
    • More on Marriage
  • Learn
    • Why Homeschool? Our Family’s Reasons
    • Occupying Toddlers
    • Kindergarten Plan
    • Choosing Curriculum: Cultivate Your Child’s Love for Learning
    • Report Cards
    • High School Transcripts
    • CLEP/ Dual Credit
    • High School Diplomas
  • Parent
    • Tips on Potty Training
    • Stop Sibling Squabbles
    • Chore Assignments
    • Computer TIme
    • Adult Children at Home
  • Eat
    • Breakfasts
    • Breads
    • Salads
    • Soups
    • Sides
    • Main DIshes
    • Desserts
  • Celebrate
    • New Year’s
    • Valentine’s Day
    • Easter
    • Summer Vacation
    • Independence Day
    • Back to School
    • Halloween
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
  • Save
    • Kids Eat Free
    • Budgeting Tips
    • Earn Cash Back w/Ebates
  • Read
    • Recent Reads
    • Books We’ve Authored
    • Reading Rewards
    • Free Books!!
  • Travel
    • Vacation Planning
    • We Flew FREE to Europe
    • Sample Itineraries
  • Organize
    • General Tips
    • Goal Setting
    • Mom’s Notebook
    • Kitchen
    • Bedrooms
  • Print
    • Calendars
    • Chore Charts
    • Coloring Pages
    • Math Drills
    • Prayer Guides
    • View All >
  • Subscribe
You are here: Home / About Us / The Flanders Family Christmas Letters / The 1996 Flanders Family Christmas Letter

The 1996 Flanders Family Christmas Letter

What follows is another yearly installment in our family’s complete history told via the 1996 Flanders Family Christmas Update. To see a full listing, see Our Christmas Letters. For tips on writing your own family history in this fashion, follow this link. In the meantime, enjoy!

The Flanders Family Update: 1996

January 1996 Happenings

Mom and Dad

New Year’s Day found Doug in bed with the flu (his only day off all month!); nonetheless, he chose that day to begin reading C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia aloud to the family. It took us four months to finish all seven books, then three more to read the lesser-known but masterfully written Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.

January marked the beginning of a couple of other “just for fun” projects, as well. Doug and Jennifer collaborated to create a little comic strip, “Dr. Zork“, which now appears monthly in Anesthesia Airways (the departmental newsletter which Doug edits at Parkland). We also began collecting marriage advice from couples who’ve been married 50 years or longer, for a book we hope to publish in the near future. If you know anyone who qualifies, please help us out by passing along a copy of the enclosed survey to them. They’ll be in good company should they choose to participate — our most recent responses came from George Bush, Billy Graham, and Charlton Heston.

February 1996 Happenings

February brought snow, which thrilled even the biggest “kids” in our family. We built two squatty snowmen in the front yard and did some cardboard sledding on the bank of a nearby creek. We must have played outside too long, though, because three of the children came down with ear infections the following week. Bethany’s tubes had fallen out, and she became so congested she could barely breathe.

Squatty Snowman

The series of visits to Dr. Kirkham which ensued ended two months later in the operating room: Bethany had her tonsils and adenoids out, new tubes put in, and a frenulectomy for good measure (although, she’s always talked so much, few people would believe she was ever “tongue-tied” in the first place). David’s tubes and tonsillectomy followed in May.

Kids with Kirkham

As if we hadn’t enough ENT trouble already, our two-year old Samuel lodged a Lego up his nose this month, then got a raisin stuck in the same nostril a week later. Fortunately, Mom was able to retrieve both items herself, thanks to a steady hand and Sam’s patient cooperation, but we were told that Doug’s dad crammed a tinker-toy up his own nose at that age and had to go to the hospital to get it out!

March 1996 Happenings

1996 Happenings - EpcotMarch took Doug to Florida for an anesthesia conference. We arranged for our oldest four to stay with family and friends, so that Jennifer and the still-nursing baby could fly to Orlando and join him for the weekend.

Benjamin’s night-time colic summarily erased any illusions we might have had of this being a “second honeymoon” (it’s a good thing the first one’s never ended!), but we had a delightful time touring EPCOT and MGM together.

1996 Happenings - Toy StoryDoug’s anesthesia class elected a new chief resident while we were out of town. Doug was one of five doctors nominated for the position by the faculty and staff, but he didn’t get the spot. His initial disappointment over the news soon gave way to relief over not having to shoulder the extra responsibility during what already promised to be a hectic final year.

April 1996 Happenings

Doug cut a sweet deal on some fresh horse manure in April-ten dollars for a heaping truck load! The stench was a little stronger than we’d anticipated, and we had to remove a few corn cobs when we spread it on the front yard; but our neighbors forgave us once the air had cleared, and it did make for a plush, green lawn this summer!

Our impatiens were magnificent this year — Jennifer finally clued-in to their need for regular watering, and it really paid off.

Benjamin began “combat crawling” (elbow over elbow) this month. Dragging his belly on the ground didn’t seem to slow him down a bit, but it eventually forced into retirement most of the hand-me-downs which had served his three older brothers so well. We realized we could spare his clothes all this wear and tear by letting Jonathan teach him to use that skateboard. It might have worked, too, had the baby’s fingers not gotten tangled up in the wheels. It took four months for his nail to grow back!

Baby Ben

Our almost eight-year old Jonathan began giving his own insulin injections this month, after meeting a diabetic girl his age at the playground who does the same. This, and the near-constant attention he gives to keeping his hair neatly combed, reminds us that his childhood is steadily slipping away. He was baptized April 21 (his mother’s 31st birthday). His favorite pastimes include leading “Bible Clubs” for his siblings and neighborhood friends, working out with his dad (in their matching muscle shirts), and hand-feeding the nearly-tame squirrel who visits our pecan tree several times a week.

May 1996 Happenings

May got off to a trying start: Doug worked horrendous hours doing cardiac anesthesia. Jennifer developed laryngitis and lost her voice for two weeks. Our dog Jenny bit a carpet cleaner and had to be quarantined at the city pound for ten days. Our toilet overflowed with the regularity of Old Faithful. And the kids juggled ear infections, runny noses, conjunctivitis, and a stomach virus all month long.

Despite these and other setbacks, we managed to make a few fond memories this month and enjoyed a little culture at the same time: Jennifer’s parents joined us for a free, open-air concert presented by the Dallas Symphony Orchestra at the Arboretum. Doug and Bethany attended the Fort Worth Ballet’s performance of Cinderella after a father/daughter dinner date. And our entire family took a historical tour of downtown Dallas in a horse-drawn carriage.

Longhorn Steer

We returned later for a closer look at the impressive herd of bronze cattle which now stampedes through the heart of our city. It was here that Jennifer, in a spectacular show of grace and coordination, fell headlong into their watering hole. She avoided drowning, but could not escape the embarrassment of having onlookers cheer and applaud as she clambered out of the pool soaked to the skin!

June 1996 Happenings

Camping Out

We spent the first weekend in June camping out. Doug was on call at the VA and couldn’t leave town, so we stayed in our own backyard. All seven of us piled into a new “four-man” tent, snuggled beneath our quilts, and drifted off to sleep after listening to Doug read several chapters of Watership Down by lantern light.

The older kids finished baseball practice and spring swimming this month. David (now four) was old enough to participate in both sports this year, much to his delight, but his biggest accomplishment of the season was beginning to read. He got a crew cut this summer (as did Doug and Jonathan) which, coupled with an inch and a half sudden growth spurt and his post-surgery weight loss, caused more than one neighbor to stop and wonder who the new kid on the block was.

David’s energy and curiosity are as boundless and insatiable as ever. He reminds us of Rudyard Kipling’s Rikki Tikki Tavi, the bright-eyed little mongoose whose motto is “run and find out”. His career plans currently vacillate between firefighting, zookeeping, doctoring, and exploring space, but of one thing he is certain: when he gets big, he wants to grow a mustache.

July 1996 Happenings

Bike ParadeJennifer was invited to sing the national anthem at an Independence Day parade in North Dallas in July. The children decorated their bicycles with red, white and blue streamers and joined in the procession, wearing patriotic T-shirts they’d made the week before. Doug marched, too, pulling Ben in a wagon, despite the fact he and Jonathan had stayed out until 2 a.m. the night before, watching a midnight showing of the newly released ID4.

Beth on BikeWe missed seeing much of the Olympics this year, but we staged a few summer games of our own, including a competitive round of cherry pit spitting which Doug won easily with a distance of 39 feet. While our summer activities may not have garnished us with any gold medals, they were not without their rewards:

  • The kids earned a stash of books, swim passes, rodeo tickets, golf games, and free yogurt and hamburger coupons through the library’s summer reading program.
  • Doug was given a handsome bonus for scoring 97th percentile in the nation on the seven-hour anesthesia boards (his second year in a row to do so).
  • Jonathan and Bethany won $20 cash in the State Fair’s folk art competition and $75 merchandise from Crossings for their original book illustrations.
  • David got a free copy of Disney’s Aristocats video in a Dallas Child drawing.
  • Samuel won four tickets to Six Flags and a 10-piece chicken dinner in a Grandy’s coloring contest.
  • Jonathan received free passes to Ringling Brothers Circus through a Subway promotion.
  • And Jennifer won tickets to a Dallas Stars game at the grand opening of Baylor Mesquite.

August 1996 Happenings

Doug had a week off in August, so we drove the family to Arkansas, bringing our child-care reinforcements (a.k.a. Nana and Papa) with us. We spent three lovely days in Hot Springs golfing, boating, shopping, hiking, and seeing the sights.

Boating

Dad with Deer

Our antiquated 386 suffered a major malfunction this month, giving Doug the excuse he needed to upgrade our computer system. Jennifer’s Uncle Herbert was later able to resurrect the desktop, but Doug had already bought a portable Pentium by then. The timing on this purchase was really providential, as just a couple of weeks after we got the new system online, we were given the opportunity to begin evaluating educational software for a Dallas radio station. Jennifer may now be heard live every Thursday night at 7:30 on KSKY (660 AM) or via the Internet at cyber-line.com. In exchange for her (extremely brief)weekly program, “Schooling with Software”, we get to keep all the programs she reviews.

Thus it happened that David was sitting in his mother’s lap one evening, trying out a new CD-ROM, while Samuel stood patiently at his elbow, watching and waiting for his turn. After so passing a tranquil half-hour, the silence was suddenly shattered by hysterical wailing from both boys. David insisted his brother had bitten him, unprovoked, and pointed to the teeth marks on his arm as proof. When Jennifer questioned Samuel, all he would say (between sobs) was, “…but, Mommy… I wanted… something… to eat!” Evidently, he had fallen asleep on his feet and dreamed it was dinnertime (thought you can tell by looking he hasn’t slept through many meals).

1996 Happenings - SnowconesNext to creating large messes and telling knock-knock jokes, feeding himself is Samuel’s favorite hobby. He offers the same earnest prayer before every meal (“God… thank you that we’re eating!”) and devours everything left within reach. We already consume seven gallons of milk, ten loaves of bread, and 20+ pounds of produce every week. How will we ever keep the pantry stocked once these boys reach their teen years?

Sam’s not the only one with a hollow leg in this family, either. One afternoon, not half an hour after lunch, David came in from outside munching on a suspicious looking bread roll. When Mom asked where he’d gotten it, his little eyebrows shot up in excitement and he answered proudly, “Molly [our dog] brought it home. It’s good!” Happy as we are that these little ones aren’t picky eaters, perhaps it wouldn’t hurt if they were a little more discriminating in their tastes.

September 1996 Happenings

1996 Happenings - Outdoor ConcertDoug’s long hours had begun to catch up with him by September. One week after a family dinner at Chili’s, post-call, he excused himself to go to the restroom. He washed his hands and waited five minutes for a stall to empty before realizing he’d entered the ladies room by mistake! You can imagine his complete embarrassment when the person he’d been waiting on turned out to be a woman!

Actually, Doug’s school schedule did not demand as much of his time this month as his job search did. Although graduation is not until next June, many medical groups are hiring early. Doug had nine interviews, each of them lasting six to eight hours. (Some of these practices were so large, it took that long just to make the rounds and meet the partners).

Bethany turned seven September 20th. She still has a passion for reading and writing, and continues to spend most of her spare time in one of those pursuits. She also loves to sing and to be sung to, and believes that no day is complete without a back rub and a lullaby before bed.

October 1996 Happenings

Our little Sam-I-Am turned three in October. He has definitely reached that age where it’s important he do things all by himself. To this end, Doug took him shopping for some Velcro shoes he could fasten without help. Who but a man would buy size 12 shoes for a size 8 foot, thinking they’d be easier to get on and off? Jennifer wasted no time in exchanging them for a better fit, and Samuel can still manage to put them on without our assistance.

1996 Happenings - DAFFODILS

Benjamin celebrated his first birthday and received his first haircut this month. Mom had to trim it a little shorter than she’d intended, after Samuel planted a juicy wad of chewing gum in the middle of baby’s crown. Walking early gave Benjamin a new sense of independence, but he keeps a firm grasp on Mother’s apron strings, rarely letting Jennifer out of his sight without a fiercely indignant protest. Despite his being such a Mama’s boy, the first word to cross his lips was “Daddy”. That hardly seems fair, considering all the stinky diaper changes and late night feedings Jennifer’s endured, but she’s tried to be mature about it and forgive him this show of ingratitude.

November 1996 Happenings

November found us struggling again with raspy sore throats, insane work schedules, and backed-up plumbing. Fed up with the frequent floods, Doug finally installed a brand new toilet in our hall bathroom. This one works like a charm. (Would that America had reacted similarly at the polls this month to the mess that Clinton has made of things!). Doug turned down four job offers in Dallas this month to sign with a group of anesthesiologists in Tyler, Texas.

Handprints

We’re excited about living in Tyler, but sad to be leaving behind our wonderful family and friends. We want all of you to come visit us once we have settled into our new home. If you’ll drive out in April when the azaleas are in bloom, you’ll understand why we fell in love with this town the first time we laid eyes on it.

December 1996 Happenings

At the ArboretumDecember is here, and it looks as if we may actually finish this residency and live to tell about it We’re keeping our moving plans and preparations on the back burner until after the holidays, but come January we’ll be putting our house on the market and beginning to hunt for a new one. If you know anybody who’d like to live on a cozy little cul de sac in Mesquite (the tenth safest city in the United States, by the way), have them give us a call.

Doug’s family will be spending Christmas in Mesquite with us this year, as we spent Thanksgiving in Oklahoma with the Cowans. This will be Jennifer’s first attempt at preparing a big holiday dinner, so keep us in your prayers! She’ll probably play it safe and serve pot roast, be it that she’s working with a culinary handicap. If that doesn’t satisfy everyone, we could always turn Molly loose and see what kind of grub she can rustle up! But for now, we send our most sincere wishes to you for a merry and meaningful Christmas and pray God’s richest blessings upon you and all of yours throughout the New Year.

With love from the Flanders —
Doug, Jennifer, Jonathan, Bethany, David, Samuel, and Benjamin

<< last year                                                                         next year >>


Do you prefer to do your reading offline? You’ll find more of our family’s embarrassing moments, hard learned lessons, and hilarious antics all in Glad Tidings, a compilation of the first 25 years of Flanders Family Christmas letters. It also includes a few favorite recipes, seasonal quotes, time-saving tips, and fun family traditions. Volume 1 is on sale now. We’re hoping to release Volume 2 in the year 2037.

Glad Tidings - The First 25 Years of Flanders Family Christmas Letters

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




meet the parents

Doug & Jennifer Flanders - www.flandersfamily.info

We love Jesus, love each other, love our 12 children, and love the life God's given us. We started this blog as a way to share resources with others who want strong marriages, happy families, & healthy homes.

Read more

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

our favorite Christmas traditions

Glad Tidings Book

our family Christmas letters

Our Christmas Letters

Christmas 1987:
Our honeymoon Christmas

Christmas 1988:
Proud new parents of Baby #1

Christmas 1989:
Baby #2 has colic & curls

Christmas 1990:
Diapers & diabetes

Christmas 1991:
Doug's clinical year at Southwestern

Christmas 1992:
Baby #3 is born hand-first - ouch!

Christmas 1993:
Baby #4 - don't we know what causes that?

Christmas 1994:
David gets lost at a garage sale

Christmas 1995:
Baby #5 arrives!

Christmas 1996:
A not-quite second honeymoon

Christmas 1997:
New job, new home & new son - Baby #6

Christmas 1998:
Extreme sports & broken bones

Christmas 1999:
Baby #7 - Beth finally got a sister

Christmas 2000:
Coast-to-coast tour of US

Christmas 2001:
Baby #8 arrives two weeks early

Christmas 2002:
Our first cruise & our first marathon

Christmas 2003:
House building, army duty & Baby #9

Christmas 2004:
Backpacking Europe with all nine kids

Christmas 2005:
Home church & Baby #10

Christmas 2006:
Our firstborn leaves the nest

Christmas 2007:
Another coast-to-coast tour & Baby #11

Christmas 2008:
Our second-born leaves for A&M

Christmas 2009:
Doug & Jennifer write their first books

Christmas 2010:
Baby #12, Grandson #3 & four in college

Christmas 2011:
Mission trips, moving, broken bones, & diabetes

Christmas 2012:
Dental school, MCATs, & State Championships

Christmas 2013:
Beaches, Babies, Surprise Parties & Medical School

Christmas 2014:
Baby squirrels and book awards

Christmas 2015:
Daughter-in-Law #2, Grandson #6, Books, Braces & BlueGreen

Christmas 2016:
A marriage, a move & 2 new dentists

Christmas 2017:
2 new grandbabies & a BBC special

Christmas 2018:
World travel, summer conferences & Grandbaby #9

Christmas 2019:
Roadtrips, a wedding, and 2 more grandbabies

Christmas 2020:
Overseas vacations and Covid lockdowns

Christmas 2021:
Weddings, grandbabies, and a trip to Hawaii

Christmas 2022:
Four new grandbabies plus a big move

Etsy

Free Printable Party Games

"Getting to Know You" Ice Breaker

* * *

Ice Breaker Bingo

* * *

Christmas Word Scramble

* * *

Party Preparedness Pop Quiz

* * *

Who Gets What? Matching Game

* * *

Christmas Charades

* * *

Christmas by the Numbers Quiz

* * *

Put the Baby in the Manger

* * *

12 Days of Christmas Sing-a-Long

* * *

Who Wore It Best? Matching Game

* * *

Who Said What? Trivia Quiz

* * *

What Child Is This? Christmas Quiz

* * *

Name That Line Chirstmas Movie Quiz

* * *

Christmas Travel Bingo

* * *

How Well Do You Know Your Christmas Carols?

For Unto Us a Child is Born Quiz

* * *

Elf Trivia Quiz

* * *

While You Were Sleeping Trivia Quiz


Follow this link to see more!
  • Home
  • Faith
  • Family
  • Food
  • Fun
  • Freebies

visit jennifer’s blog

Jennifer Flanders' Blog: Loving Life At Home Loving Life at Home

visit doug’s blog

Doug Flanders' Blog: All Truth Is God's Truth All Truth is God's Truth

privacy policy | disclosure statement

shop our books

25 Ways to Communicate Respect to Your Husband 25 Ways to Show Love to Your Wife
Sit Down & Eat Get Up & Go

thanks for dropping by

Thank you for visiting our website Let's Get Social
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

looking for something?

recommended resources

as seen on:

America Tonight ABC Australia BBC Tyler Morning Telegraph

The Gathering Place in Tulsa is the most amazing p The Gathering Place in Tulsa is the most amazing playground ever! Climbing castles, enormous slides, two-person swings, and even kayaks and paddle boats — all FREE. You don’t even have to pay for parking!  #flandersfamilytravels #thegatheringplace #roadtrip
We are so very grateful for those who paid the ult We are so very grateful for those who paid the ultimate price to secure and protect our liberty, and we are also thankful for places like this — the National World War I Museum in Kansas City, MO — for preserving this integral part of our nation’s history.  “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”  #flandersfamilytravels #memorialday #landoftgefreebecauseofthebrave
Every inch of the Kansas State Capitol was spectac Every inch of the Kansas State Capitol was spectacular — from its maze-like ground level to the tip top of its dome, which those of us who were willing to climb the 296 steps required were able to see in person.  Kansas is the only state capitol in the US that offers free public tours to the top of its cupola.  #flandersfamilytravels #statecapitols #homeschool #fieldtrip
For the most part, our days of traveling with ten For the most part, our days of traveling with ten or twelve kids in tow are behind us.  For the majority of our trips during the past year, we’ve had only these three tagging along. Sometimes just the youngest two.  By this time next year, we’ll be down to only Abby.  The speed with which all our chicks have grown up and left the nest have made me so grateful for the years we’ve spent homeschooling them and for the freedom that decision has allowed us to travel together whenever and wherever my husband’s schedule would allow.  Traveling cross country with cranky toddlers isn’t always fun.  Backpacking Europe with a breastfeeding baby takes effort.  Cramming 12 people into a 500 sq ft army barrack during Daddy’s 4-month (stateside) deployment so we can all be together requires commitment.  But all the memories and comradery and love that such small sacrifices foster are so worth it!  So don’t put off traveling with your kids until they are older. Even if you are just driving across town to explore a park or museum you’ve never seen before, do it without delay.  If you wait too long, you may not have any kids left at home to share the experience with. 🥲  #flandersfamilytravels #homeshooling #siezetheday
I think the Iowa State Capitol is my favorite so f I think the Iowa State Capitol is my favorite so far. Such exquisite craftsmanship at every turn!  The walls and ceilings are entirely hand painted (no wallpaper). The mosaics are breathtaking. And the library is a dream! ❤️❤️❤️  #flandersfamilytravels #roadtrip #statecapitol #homeschool #fieldtrip
We toured the world’s largest rail yard in North We toured the world’s largest rail yard in North Platte, NE. “More trains than you can keep track of” — and los of history, too! 🚂  #flandersfamilytravels #roadtrip #unionpacific
We loved looking at all the wonderful piecework at We loved looking at all the wonderful piecework at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska. Such gorgeous handiwork! 
We also enjoyed the museum’s craft corner upstairs where we could unleash a little creativity of our own.  #flandersfamilytravels #museumlife
Rollin’ through the black hills in a covered wag Rollin’ through the black hills in a covered wagon…  #flandersfamilytravels #roadtrip
We were treated to a 90-minute tour of the Nebrask We were treated to a 90-minute tour of the Nebraska State Capitol by a friendly geologist with encyclopedic knowledge of Nebraska’s state history and Capitol building. It wasn’t until the end of the tour that we found out the guy was neither a Capitol employee nor a volunteer, but just happened to be visiting that day, like us.  #flandersfamilytravels #statecapitol #roadtrip
These bison and their babies are so cute, even if These bison and their babies are so cute, even if they do stall traffic when by stopping in the middle of the road to nurse!  #flandersfamilytravels #roadtrip #custerstatepark  #bisonherd

Copyright © 2023 · Market theme by Restored 316