I don’t know that I have EVER managed to blog Christmas before January and since I have been notoriously late in posting lately, I am hoping to redeem myself by blogging Christmas early! Well, early-ish. Most of this post was finished before January 1st. No Really! But I wanted to add a few more things and so you are getting it on January 2nd. Enjoy!
This year, to retain my tween and teen’s flagging interest in our “Christmas picture book a day” tradition we had them read some of them. It worked great!
This picture is a small miracle, let me tell you.
The reading of the Grinch.
You can see the legendary reading skills exhibited on the reader’s face.
We jazzed up the family Christmas party this year with Christmas carols at the piano, a rousing white elephant gift exchange and candy cane pie (which took me hours to make and which I will never be making again. I learned something about myself. I am not a culinary artist and have no desire to be one. Food should not take that long to make, I don’t care how good it is.)
The favorite gift; a NOEL sign that was missing the L!!!!
Reagan also performed a few of his songs for us on the cello but I forgot to video tape it, so here is a repeat performance.
Cade was supposed to perform his awesome Joy to the World piano number but he missed the family party because he was sick. This was not Cade’s year. On Christmas Eve he got a horrible crick in his neck and walked around cockeyed until the day after Christmas when we could finally get him into a chiropractor. But here is his piece from his piano recital.
Two days before Christmas we got the gift of snow!
Heart Pain
Liberty sewed me a gift all by herself for Christmas this year. She was very proud and so excited to give it to me she could hardly contain herself. I was not allowed to help with it and so was not there to make sure the needle got put away. The next day when I remembered, I asked her if she had put the needle away and she sheepishly looked at me and said, “I couldn’t find it, Mommy.” Sigh. Well I found it that night…with my toe. I don’t know how many of you have stepped on a sewing needle and had it go an inch into your toe, but I would not recommend it.
This was her cute, but painful gift:
The Best Peppermint Bark
Every year I make peppermint bark to give to all our friends and this year as Liberty sat watching me she said, “Mom, you make the BEST peppermint bark!” In a rare channeling of Rock, I said, “Yes I do!” She was so shocked to hear that kind of thing come out of my mouth that she looked at me stunned and then said, “Well, how do you KNOW it’s the best? They could make better peppermint bark somewhere in the world like…. China!”
I laughed so hard to think of the mostly non Christian Chinese making peppermint bark for Christmas.
Christmas Eve
Cast members Mary and Joseph
After taking a leave of absence last year to play the angel,
Miss Hymas returned this year in the starring role.
Well, runner up starring role.
The rest of the cast was so out of control by this point that I did not get their picture.
Christmas Eve gifts
If only I’d been able to get Reagan’s face on camera as he opened this oh so appropriate gift.
It was priceless!
Christmas Morning
Santa left the most exciting gifts for the boys this year in their stockings.
Ipods to play games on for the younger two and a Nintendo DS for Reagan.
This opens a whole new realm of opportunities for conflict between parents and children around rules and regulations that I am dreading, but I’m hoping we can survive this new level of electronics.
Wish us luck.
We did something a little different with the passing out of presents under the tree this year. Usually Rock picks them out and hands them to each person in turn. But this year we let the kids give out their own gifts to others. It totally changed their focus from getting to giving. It was awesome!
Cade, demonstrating how his gift to Levi worked.
This rubik’s snake was a hit. Levi loved it and hardly put it down the rest of the morning.
Other fun gifts this year:
Grandparent gifts are always a hit. (thanks to mom/grandma teamwork)
Yes, she is still wearing her new earmuffs hours after finding them in her stocking.
Cool brain game that was the only thing interesting enough to draw
Levi’s attention away from the rubic’s snake.
Rock’s gift from the kids, a weight bench. Let’s face it, it is a gift to me too. 😉
Levi-still playing with the snake….
Later that evening my family came over to exchange gifts.
This was my favorite gift to give this year.
Libby was thrilled with her twin Alli gift from Grandma.
After Christmas activities:
Aunt Alli was THRILLED to be able to help Levi and Liberty build their gingerbread
house and can’t wait to do it with her own kids someday.
I personally love the way Levi looks on with pride at his accomplishment.
On New Year’s eve Liberty asked me how much longer till the party started. I told her two hours and went about my business. A little while later I saw her sitting by the door waiting for the company to arrive and heard her say under her breath, “Two hours…I can last that long..”
And now it’s 2017! Happy New Year!
Today as I took Christmas down I fulfilled one last tradition I didn’t realize I had. We never seem to have time to listen to one of my favorite Christmas albums; The Forgotten Carols by Michael McClean. I would love to share the stories and songs with my kids, but we have many traditions already and that one just hasn’t fit in yet during our busy season. So for the last few years as I take Christmas down, I play the Forgotten Carols while I work…and cry. “I cry the day that I take the tree down…” I cry as I listen because I’m sad Christmas is over, but more because of the message the songs bring. The Savior lives. He was born in a stable and died for me on a cross. I am overwhelmed by that sweet knowledge as I take off the ornaments and put away the garland. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ. I love him and I love the holiday season when we honor him. And I want to live my life like him this new year. Today as I sniffled through my work Cade asked me what was wrong. I just smiled through my tears and said, “Nothing’s wrong. Nothing at all.”
Short n Sweet 