CHRISTMAS

Christmas was amazing this year.  I really wanted to try and create a more spiritual, meaningful, and giving Christmas this year.  I found a great way to do the 12 days of Christmas online through inspirational stories and decided to create it for our neighbors and friends and then I made on for my family.  Each night we would gather in the living room, read the story and get the token or treat that came with the story.  My boys loved this and could hardly wait each do to do it.  We did this as the last thing, before family prayer, each night. It created such a feeling of the true spirit of Christmas in our home.  Our home was more reverent and peaceful.  Christmas wasn't all about the gifts or what we were going to get or give. We were focused on service and the spirit of Christ.  I really can't wait until next year so that I can find something else to incorporate. 
This is the first year, in a very long time that I can remember not having snow for Christmas.  It was eery and weird.  I think it was like 55 degrees on Christmas Day.  Christmas Eve, we took our boys out to dinner and then to Shopko for them to shop for each other.  This has been a fun tradition and the boys really like it.  After that, we drove up to the Bountiful Temple and read the story of Christ that they have around the temple and then we drove around and looked at Christmas lights.  Jayson was beside him self with anticipation.  When we got home, we set up the NORAD Santa Tracker and he sat there for almost 3 hours watching where Santa was an clicking on the spots he had been.  We also had a special visitor that stopped by.... Santa himself stopped to make sure that the boys were being good and getting ready for bed. 

Christmas morning was funny. Allen and I were awake at 6:00 waiting for the boys to come and get us, we heard Justyn and then he went back in the bedroom, finally at 7:30 we decided to get them up. We had to wake up Jayson, but he was a live wire and so excited to go in a see if Santa came. Allen's dad and mom came over for a bit, it was a Sunday and they were in the special choir program so they couldn't stay long. After we opened gifts, we had breakfast and then got ready to go to Orangeville for a few days. It was such a nice morning and a beautiful celebration. I am so grateful for all that we have been given and for the joy we felt this season.