With Christmas coming just 1 month after having a baby it was imperative that everything was ready before the baby came. That goal was accomplished & the month of December turned out to be very enjoyable with all the holiday bustle out of the way. We were able to enjoy family traditions, time together, fun holiday activities & focus more on our Savior.
The girls wrote their letters to Santa & this year they actually stuck to their guns on the things they were asking for instead of making changes with each Santa they told their wishes to! Ava: A Journey Girl Doll (like American Girl only more affordable!) & a sewing machine; Emma: A Barbie car w/ seatbelts (a very important feature!) & Anna/Elsa dolls.
One of our favorite traditions at Christmas is put on by a local RV dealership. "Christmas in the Nighttime Sky" is held the 1st Saturday in December & is complete w/ live entertainment, Santa, free dinner, scones & hot chocolate & the main reason we go... fireworks in the winter!! Admission is a donation of toys for "Toys for Tots" & provides a great opportunity for the girls to spend time thinking of others during the holidays as they pick out a toy for someone else.
The girls were able to see 2 Santas this year, the 2nd @ the ward party. Taking pictures of what you got for Christmas was always something my parents did & it's kind of fun to look back. We have continued that tradition. Fancy scarves from a friend were a big hit as they got their very own picture separate from everything else!
Santa brought Lyndie something too, but we didn't take that picture; only this one of a cute Christmas baby on the Sunday before Christmas!
This year I really wanted to send out fabulous Christmas cards (w/ a cute new baby and all), but delayed shipping of Christmas dresses & not wanting to fall back into the holiday craziness gave us other plans. Instead we emailed an update to family & friends w/ this photo we had the ward clerk take after tithing settlement! Sometimes you do what you gotta do!
Jacob & I decided that it was ok for us to know & pick out something we were getting for Christmas so we could ensure that we got what we wanted. He picked out a hunting blind & my choice was an electric pressure cooker. We had secret gifts too & Jacob really knocked it out of the park this year on the things he got for me. A ceramic pan, a bluetooth speaker (to use w/ my phone that got dropped in milk & ruined the speaker) & a Real Deals gift card ~ all of which are getting their fair share of use! The gift I was most excited to give Jacob was a membership to "Dollar Shave Club" where he is sent a nice set of replacement razors each month. With as much as he goes through razors & the outrageous cost of buying them in the store I'm thinking this is a winner!
And finally... we participated in the "He is the Gift" initiative that the church asked us to share. What a great way for us to take time to remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas & to share it with others. This was one of our Family Home Evenings ~ our #ShareTheGift signs. (We were secretly hoping it would get picked to be on the picture feed of the initiative page!)
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