The Holidays

I love this time of year between Christmas and New Years. This is truly the time I think of as "the holidays." Kids out of school, no normal routine....

Thinking back over the past week there are so many things that I need to document.

On Christmas Eve we had to creatively juggle the puppy and the kids -- keeping them hidden from each other. We ended up spending a lot of the day, and the night, at Grandma and Grandpa's (Doug & Trudy's). Doug and Tami and their kids came for dinner and then the kids did a little Nativity for us with Sydnee and Jordan and Mary and Joseph, Jemma was an angel, and McKay and Cy were the shepherds, wisemen, and I think one was also a donkey for a minute.

Jemma had wrapped up a Christmas present for me all by herself. It was one of Jordan's 2nd grade school pictures.

Christmas morning was the big Yorkie surprise. All else was sort of eclipsed by that. Jordan got a raincheck (isn't that terrible?) for a Wii, but I think that ended up being ok since there was so much excitement and we really didn't need another distraction. He's still looking forward to it! It took about two days before Jemma remembered her other gifts and then went looking for them to play. She made me this beautiful bracelet from the beads she got (and you can see the very pretty watch Chris gave me).


We went to Provo for Christmas afternoon and dinner. Grandma Pearl joined us there and I wish I had taken a photo! (I will make a point of being a better photographer in 2008.) It was a nice night of fun and family.

The day after Christmas was nice and relaxing. We stayed in most of the day. Enjoyed the lack of obligations and got to know our little pet. Days like that are rare.

Most of Chris' family had gone to California on Wednesday for the basketball tournament where Doug was coaching and Greg was playing. We finally found a flight on Thursday and flew down (leaving the puppy in good hands of course) to San Diego. It was so beautiful to arrive in mild weather and see San Diego with all it's holiday decor. We drove from the airport to Seaport Village for burgers. It was dark, but still nice enough to eat outside. We stopped for the night in Escondido and finished the drive to Palm Desert on Friday morning.

It was worth the trip to see our basketball team win a tough game!

Here's some of our cheering section. I doubt if any other team had as many fans there for them!

Final Score!

It was also worth the trip to hang out with the family...

Jemma and Matthew

Jordan and Payton

Jemma and Brielle

...and to get some good deals at the outlet stores, and a good sleep at a hotel with NO BEDSPREADS (they just had two sheets with a nice comforter in between)...

...and a couple trips to In-N-Out burger!


And Chris got a haircut!

A Merry and Memorable Christmas

I don't think I ever dreamed of getting a puppy for Christmas, but that's been the wish and dream of Jordan and Jemma and today their wish came true! They were so surprised and are so happy.

He's the cutest little thing, but we haven't quite settled on a name yet. Some of the suggestions have been Scrappy, Duke, Buddy, Hooper...I've been affectionately calling him puppy. I'm not really a dog person, but he's very sweet and loveable and I think he'll be a good addition to our family.

A Very Special Day

A hospital room on Christmas Eve in the 1940's. It's quiet. A nurse has taken off her shoes to rest her feet and is sitting in a chair knitting. Close by is a mother of 3 children, soon to have another. Silent Night is playing on the radio. They suddenly realize it's time and the nurse drops her knitting and runs down the hall in her stocking feet to find the doctor. Just before midnight a baby girl is born. My mom.

She is a beautiful person, truly inside and out. She is strong, in every way. She is efficient, insightful, patient, such a good mother, an exemplary wife, spiritual, sensitive, organized, a friend to everyone, a great cook, fun, young at heart (not that she's old!)....and Mom, I love you and I wish you a very happy birthday!

Festive

It's been a Very Busy week.

Thursday night we had a family party in Provo. It started with everyone just trying to get there. A crazy storm blew in and made it treacherous, but most of us made it.

We had good food (meatballs, salads, chips & dip, rolls, cookies...) and a surprise visit from Santa! He didn't ask the kids what they wanted for Christmas, he just asked them if they had been good. They - most of them - were thrilled.

Jordan faking scared

The kids had a gift exchange which turned out really great because at Thanksgiving we had written each of their names on little cards and listed 3 suggestions for things they would love. That made them all very excited to give their gifts as well as receive. Everyone got something they were totally happy about and the cutest thing was seeing the reactions on both sides. Like when Alyssa gave Jordan his gift he went crazy over it and she was equally as crazy giggling and saying, "I just KNEW he'd love it!" It was very cute.

The adults had a gift exchange too. We all brought one gift per person and exchanged them randomly. After all the gifts were open we played a trading game. The most sought after gift was the DVD of The Office, season one. Just check out the clever wrapping on this:



My dad wrapped it so creatively that no one could possibly have guessed what was inside.


Jordan went after the famous leg lamp from The Christmas Story movie (he played in the game for Chris since Chris didn't make it there). I'm not sure how thankful Chris was that Jordan fought for this on his behalf, but it was funny.



I had brought a CD of the old Osmond's Christmas album. Kristin was so excited to end up with it. It was our favorite Christmas album as kids. We all loved it, so the night ended with some home videos from 1985 where we were listening, singing and dancing to that album. I honestly hope that footage of us was not too disconcerting to our in-laws. Embarrassing.

The kids and I ended up having an unplanned sleepover at my parent's house since it was still snowing that night. Here's what it looked like Friday morning when we got home. I always think the snow makes it feel more like Christmas. It has it's drawbacks, but it's beautiful.

Mischievous

Someone around here has been getting into Trouble. Here’s the evidence:

Sliced right through.

When I noticed this I was pretty sure these little figures originally came with plain faces!

Proof. (I remembered practicing close-up photos with this camera a few months ago.)

The writing on the wall. (door in this case)

It’s obvious who the culprit is. You would think that with all the talk of Santa and being good and threatening lumps of coal these kinds of things would not be going on!

Answers to Christmas Questions

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper!

Real tree or artificial?

The last time we had a real tree we didn't end up getting it until December 23rd. After that year we got an artificial one. It's much easier to deal with. I like to keep an evergreen-scented candle burning because my favorite thing about a real tree is the scent.

When do you put up the tree?

Sometime soon after Thanksgiving - but not before.

When do you take the tree down?

After New Year's Day. Around the time the kids go back to school.

Hot chocolate or apple cider?

Hot chocolate!


Favorite gift received as a child?

It's hard to narrow it down to just one favorite, but I got this jewelry box the Christmas I was 8 and I loved it. I still love it and still use it.

Do you have a Nativity scene?

Two. One that's porcelain that Chris got from a family in England and this one that his mom made for Jordan when he was 2. The kids love this one and look forward to seeing it and setting it up every year.


Hardest person to buy for?
It depends on the year. This year no one is hard.

Easiest person to buy for?
Kids. Kids are great because they get excited about the simplest things and there's no shortage of things they want.

Worst Christmas gift ever received?
Nothing comes to mind.

Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail! I might email one or two greetings, but I love writing and sending cards through the mail.

Favorite Christmas movie?

This is rather shameful, but the first one that comes to mind is Christmas Vacation. I also like The Muppets Christmas Carol.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

Possibly, but I can't think of any.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmastime?

I love it when my mom makes heaps of Chex Mix and has it in bowls around the house. I also look forward to Trudy's toffee with chocolate and nuts. My grandma always used to have boxes of chocolates around at this time of year, which we loved, and she used to send us these delectable chocolate turtles.

Clear lights or colored?

Either, but our tree has clear lights.

Favorite Christmas song?
Again, it's hard to pick just one favorite. I love to hear Handel's Messiah - the Alleluia Chorus. I also love all the traditional ones.

Travel or stay home?
I love to stay home, but I also don't mind traveling - as long as it's not through a snow storm.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Yes! Although, is it Donner or Donder? (In one of our Christmas books it says Donder, which raises the question.)

Angel or star on top of the tree?

Star.

Looking forward to seeing all of your answers now!

Now that's the spirit!

I was just at the post office and saw an amazing thing happen. I was there to drop some things off, so didn't need to wait in line and I was happy about that because the line was soooo long. A lady coming in after me turned right around and left, muttering about how difficult it is to mail things in December. It did look daunting!

Everyone standing in the line was quiet and no one looked very happy to be there. Then this lady - a customer - spontaneously broke open a bag of treats and started passing them out to everyone in line. It was an instant transformation! People started talking and laughing and saying how that gesture was making the wait go faster. It was great - an unexpected, out of the ordinary thing that made all the difference. Next time I anticipate waiting in line, I just might bring along something sweet to share.

True Christmas

All week I've been trying to compose a post about Christmas and how we can truly enjoy and celebrate this season without letting ourselves feel overwhelmed or burdened by expectations. Somehow I got on a list to get emails every week from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They're always inspirational messages, but this one in particular was exactly what had been on my mind and what I wanted to communicate:

"The Love of God"

December 7, 2007, Broadcast #4082

The greatest story ever told needs no embellishment. It occupies little more than a page of holy writ. It begins with the mundane duty of paying taxes. It continues with a journey that was not unusual for the time. The plot thickens when no room can be found in the inn. And it ends with some of the most glorious pronouncements ever heard: “good tidings of great joy,” “ peace on earth,” and “good will toward men.”

How could something so wonderful happen with such little adornment? No decorations were necessary. No one needed to wear fancy clothing or prepare special foods. No glittering tinsel lit up the manger; one bright star in the heavens was more than enough.

Perhaps the reason the simple story of the first Christmas inspires us is because everyone acted out of love: Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the wise men, and especially the newborn babe. No imitations, no substitutions, nothing less than real love came to earth that night.

Ever since, we’ve remembered and retold the Christmas story countless times. Each in our own way, we try to re-create the wonder of it all. Sometimes our efforts seem to fall short of the feeling we had hoped for. At such moments, perhaps we need to ask ourselves why we do the things we do.

Are we motivated by love? If love—real, authentic love—is the force that moves us to deck the halls, bake the cookies, or give the gifts, then Christmas will feel like a blessing, not a burden. The Christmas story will enliven our efforts—or maybe inspire us to simplify them. We will feel the majesty of that holy night because we know that “he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God” (1 John 4:16).

Gift Giving

I love getting ideas and tips from the Internet, and especially from blogs. I'm always looking for inspiration, especially at this time of year when gift giving is on my mind. Although I have issues with how commercialized Christmas has become, I still recognize this as a good time to do something special for people we know.

Yesterday I went into one of my favorite shops to pick up a bar of my favorite soap. This soap is made out of all natural ingredients and is French-milled. It's very moisturizing and luxurious in a simple way. I love it especially in the winter time, and even though it's $6.50 a bar it lasts for months and months so it's worth it. I decided it would make a good gift for the kid's teachers. So with more inspiration from another favorite shop -- where the owner showed me how to make these bows -- here is an idea:

The one on the right looks a little crazy, but you can get the idea better from the one on the left.

Go Jazz!

A friend at work gave me some Jazz tickets for the game Monday night, so Jordan and I had a night out. It was a great game against the Miami Heat, fun to watch! Jordan cheered for the Heat up until the last quarter. I guess he was feeling a little undecided in his loyalty, even though he was wearing his Jr. Jazz jersey.

I was glad I got this picture of Jordan talking to Thurl Bailey before the game. He had him autograph his jersey.

The Sentimental Christmas Tree

The elves didn't need to come after all. Jemma and I combined efforts Friday night to balance out our Christmas tree. As we rearranged, we chatted about the ornaments and where they all came from. I love decorating the tree for this very reason - it's like a brief history of us. Each ornament has a story behind it and a significance (well, most of them do anyway). Here are a few favorites:

My 1st grade teacher brought this camel back from a trip to Jersalem. She gave one to each of her students.

I've always loved this delicate little choir girl that my Grandma Jessie gave me in 1977. (She wrote the year on the ornament -- makes it even more special.)

My parents gave this fishing Santa to Chris the year he sort of took up fishing (in the river that ran through our backyard).

Great Grandma & Grandpa Johnson gave these tiny porcelain shoes to Jordan for his first Christmas.

This is from the year we had our dalmation, Sammy.

Jemma's first Christmas ornament.

There was a year when Jordan was totally intrigued with el Caminos. My dad gave him this one.

What's on your Christmas Tree?

(To Sarah: I want to know what Hallmark series you have 24 years of!!)