2009 Pre-Christmas Favorites...

Each year, I say that Christmas gets more and more fun as the kiddos get older. This year was no exception. Each year the excitement escalates and the memories build. I love the traditions and details they recognize, appreciate, and anticipate. It is just so fun.

So just so we don't forget, I want to be sure to record some of the moments and traditions that made this Christmastime special for us. So here is a list along with a few pictures to document the days of December leading up to Christmas...


Things I loved about Christmas this year (2009):

• Opening Christmas books that we had wrapped each night before bedtime. Children's books are my favorite... and Christmas childrens books are my extra favorite. The kiddos loved opening a new story each night.

• Taking the kids to see The Nutcracker for the first time. They loved it, and I'm happy we were able to sit through it all... even though there was a bit of restlessness toward the end.

• Driving around looking at Christmas lights on houses. The kids loooooved driving through the neighborhoods seeing new lights, and we had our favorite houses that we would visit time after time.
  

• Sharing the tradition of Santa with Abby and Bekah. Michael is a veteran, but all seemed new as we shared the legends of the North Pole, Rudolph, and a flying sleigh.
  

• The live nativity in Provo. On a "girl's night out" with Abby and Bekah, we happened to stop by downtown Provo and saw a fun little reenactment of the nativity in the Provo Tabernacle. It was the perfect way to start off our December.

• Kids playing with nativity sets. We have a few nativity sets that are "on" limits for the kiddos to play with, and play with them they did! Every day Mary and Joseph were up to something with their baby, the shepherds and wise men were playing some new game, or the animals were requiring some kind of special care. I love that they love the nativity story.

• Playing Christmas music. It wouldn't be Christmas without those old familiar songs playing in their endless varieties. From Kidz Bop to Harry Connick, some version of some carol was playing all month long.

• The snow!!! Sure, sometimes it is a bother. Sometimes it gets old. But when it comes right down to it, the ambiance of Christmastime is so much sweeter with white powder covering the ground. We did miss it a bit when we lived in California, most especially around Christmastime. So we were happy to reintroduce the kiddos to this part of Christmastime.
  

• Kids' Christmas shopping. I love letting the kids (kind of) direct what they want to get their dad/brother/sister. It is so fun to hear their ideas, see their decision making process, and share their excitement and anticipation for giving the gift they picked out. They realize that Christmas presents are not just for getting themselves.

We did another Christmas activity I want to make a tradition... going to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights and nativity. This year I was lucky to have my dad in town for the days while Michael and Paul were gone to cheer BYU on at the Las Vegas Bowl (more to document on that later...). We decided to brave the cold and go up to meet Melinda (sister-in-law) and Aaron (nephew) there for the night. I'll just say it was a learning experience... a comedy of errors if you will. And because it was a crazy/great memory with my dad, I just have to document it here:


First of all, it was the Monday night before Christmas. I'd say half of Utah was there for their family night, and it was amazingly crowded. Hard-to-push-a-stroller-around crowded.

Second of all, with all my careful planning for the below-freezing temperatures with hats and gloves and layers and blankets... I forgot the girls' actual coats. !!! Luckily my dad gave up one of his layers and Melinda had an extra hoodie, and we bundled the girls as well as we could.

Thirdly, with the craziness of downtown during the holidays and finding a parking place, I failed to stop somewhere for dinner. Melinda grabbed us some cheeseburgers on her way to Temple Squares, and sheepishly devoured them in the corner of the visitor's center.


ps... Ella and my dad were major troopers.

Then, with everyone bundled, fed, and happy, we spent some time in the visitor's center.


There were happy times and playing with cousin Aaron when... wham! Bekah ran into Aaron's head, which resulted in a bloody nose...


It was quite the spectacle, but Bekah took it really well. I had her lay down on a bench until the bleeding stop, then found Abby who had wondered off, then gathered everyone to go outside one more time to see the nativity. I then dropped my lens cap which Melinda helped me find with the use of the light from her cell phone, almost lost Bekah again, and then we were pretty much ready to go.

It was quite the night, but is a sweet memory for me that I share with my dad... who was so positive and helpful through the whole thing. We didn't regret going, and had a lot of good laughs on the way home. Melinda and her sister who was there were also so fun, patient, and helpful through all the mishaps. Next year, I'll bring coats, feed everyone beforehand, and NOT wait until the FHE night before Christmas to haul our traveling circus through the crowds!

Anyway... all in all I thoroughly enjoyed all the traditions, celebrations, and craziness of the pre-Christmas festivities. No wonder we look forward to it so much, and I can't wait until next year...

"See you then!"