Yuletide Excitement

 It really bugged me that Christmas music started playing on 103.3~ 24 hours a day~ two weeks before we even celebrated Thanksgiving. I wouldn't listen. I was a scrooge. I swore I wouldn't give in until the day after Thanksgiving!

Speaking of Thanksgiving, I haven't documented the events of our celebration. Briefly, this is what went down:

We hung out with the Gold Family. We switch every other year. That means that last year we hung out with the Tripp family. Just to clarify.

We enjoyed our day at Jim and Clarka's house. Got there around 11:00 to start feasting on appetizers. I tried to be good. I told the kids to snack sparingly. Dinner was to begin at 1:00 after all. The chips and dips, however, won.

The feast was grand. Smoked and good ol' roasted turkey. Mashed potatoes. Stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Homemade rolls. Sweet potatoes. Green  Bean Casserole. Jello. And for dessert. Pies of every possible kind. Heaven.

All the local Gold clan was able to make it this year, so the company was great and the kids had tons of fun playing with their cousins. Of course!

After all the fun was over we took the kids to see Tangled at the theatre. It was fantastic. The perfect end to a perfect day.

Now back to Christmas.

I did give in to the Christmas music. But only a day before Thanksgiving. It's just too fun and festive to ignore. And it's been playing in the swagger wagon faithfully ever since. I love Christmas music. I love to hear the kids sing along when we're driving along.

Christmas is such a happy time of year! In fact, all of our decorations were officially up on December 1st. Thanks to the begging of four intensely cute and wonderful children that I personally birthed. Nothing like an experience like that to bond you to your kin. Obviously I'm off on a tangent. Sorry! Back to Christmas.

Yesterday we got our tree at Ponzi's in Hillsboro. Great place with tons of trees that you cut down yourself. 25.00 any tree, any size. Guys driving around in heated little jeep things with a truck like back end drive around to assist bringing your tree and the fam back to the parking lot. For that we were grateful. It was FREEZING out there!

Afterwards we went and enjoyed hot cocoa at the Gibbons house. Hot Cocoa on a cold day just makes me smile!


                                    

My sexy husband in cutting mode.

While we waited to be picked up Rylie and Ivy practiced their high kicks.

The mantle. I found the 'Merry & Bright' sign on clearance, after the holidays, last year at TJ Maxx. I wasn't sure how I would use it. I have always wanted a festive mantle and have never had one. So this year I shopped for more bargains and this is what I came up with.

I have also never had a festive centerpiece on the table. So I used my trifle bowl, bought cheap plastic ornaments to fill it, and found these gold twirly sticks on clearance. I love how it turned out! Then the other day I was at Dollar tree and they had the Santa hat chair covers. I couldn't resist. 

 Back to the tree. These pictures are all out of order, but I'm just going with it.

Eli was chosen as the tree topper this year. Matt gave him a big boost so he could reach. Normally we do that very last, but Eli insisted that it needed to be done first this year because that's how Uncle Joe and Aunt Jen do it.

Unfortunately I didn't get any great shots of the kids decorating the tree. Hate it when I do that! It was so much fun to watch their excitement as they found ornaments that brought back memories for them. They were especially excited about the ones that were purchased the year they were born and have their names on them. And surprisingly there was very little bickering. Just a lot of love. And of course when we were all done decorating we sat around the table and drank more hot cocoa. I'm sure our kids will have lots of hot cocoa memories to hold on to. So simple, but such a fun thing.

Tonight we had the missionaries and Dave and Michelle Christianson and their three adorable kids over for dinner. Dave and Michelle stopped by to return a ladder to Matt about a half hour before the missionaries were to come so we invited them to join us. The more the merrier! Michelle ran home and threw together an amazing eggnog/gingerbread trifle for dessert. We ate herbed turkey breast, roasted potatoes and green salad. It was all really good. Especially the potatoes~ a new recipe I was trying out tonight. It's for sure a keeper. Anyways, it was good to have a house full tonight. I think having people in our home is one of my very favorite things. Sometimes I feel like we can't have people over because it hasn't been perfectly planned out, but really, those small details are not what matters. What matters is reaching out to others in love and friendship.

After everybody had left our family cuddled on the couch and watched The First Presidency Christmas Devotional together. It was an awesome reminder to enjoy the holidays, but to remember why we celebrate this happy time of year.

I'm so grateful for my savior Jesus Christ. It is because of the knowledge and testimony that I have of Him and the great Plan of Salvation that I have so much joy and hope in my life. It is what causes me to try my hardest each day to be a better mother, wife, daughter and friend. My wish for this holiday season is that I will continue to be filled with the love of Christ as I strive to be the best that I can. That I will try to love and lift those that surround me. That I can be a positive influence on my children and my forever love, Matt. And that all my wonderful friends and family will have a very happy and meaningful Merry, Merry Christmas.