Christmas Magic

Christmas morning this year was magical.  Maybe it was because of the kid's fun ages & excitement over their presents.  Maybe it was because of the focus we really tried to put on the REASON we even celebrate Christmas in the first place.  Maybe it was because we'd been singing Christmas songs as a family around the Christmas tree every night before we went to bed for the last few weeks.  Or maybe it was because we kept things more simple this year (mainly because of our 1-month-old baby!) & just tried to enjoy every moment a little bit more...

This year I tried doing a few ideas I'd read from a new book I'd found called "A Christ-Centered Christmas", that really helped us talk about CHRIST more throughout the Christmas season.  Basically, we talked about each character from our Nativity Set one day at a time, to help us think about the TRUE meaning of Christmas more throughout the month.  We kept it pretty simple this year, but I think we’ll definitely try to use some of these ideas again NEXT year!

On Christmas morning, the first present we opened was our present to Christ... All month long, any time we had done any service for someone, we wrote it down on a piece of paper & put it into our "Sparkle Box" as we called it.  The kids felt proud as we read all the items out loud that morning, reminding them of all the ways they had served others throughout the past month.  Because of course, serving others is just about the BEST gift we can actually give to Christ.

And then it was present time!!!

This year the kid's main gift was a little bigger than normal, mainly because we decided to just buy something used off of KSL, which was much cheaper!  Skyler got a big Basketball hoop & the girls got a Dollhouse with lots of accessories… What a fun morning full of squeals of excitement & delight!  I only wished I had FILMED them opening up the presents!  Priceless!

For Laron's gift, I bought him a new set of Scriptures (since he gave away the new ones I had bought him a year ago!) & he bought me a really fancy brand-new CAMERA!  I was pretty excited, because I’ve always HOPED that someday I’d be able to get one, but I didn’t think it would be quite YET!  I’ve been having fun being able to finally take some up-close shots of Tydon & the kids.  What a great husband I have!  

But actually, one of the BEST gifts I was given this Christmas was from Skyler…  A few weeks ago, Laron had taken him to the store to spend some money he’d gotten from the Tooth Fairy.  He had a toy all picked out for himself & was walking up to the front of the store with Laron to buy it, when suddenly he saw a little pack of Bobby Pins & asked Laron how much they cost.  When he realized that he had enough money to buy them, he decided to put back his toy & spend his money on the Bobby Pins for ME for Christmas instead!  Laron said he tried to talk him out of it at first, but Skyler was determined!  When I heard the story on Christmas morning, my heart melted at the sweetness of his offering… It was definitely the most THOUGHTFUL present I received!  What a great kid!  Thanks again Skyler!

The rest of the morning we just tried to enjoy ourselves & make a good breakfast & play with toys.  It was SO nice not rushing off to anyplace in particular until LATER in the afternoon...

 And then it was time to go celebrate at Grandma & Papa's house, where we got spoiled, as normal. :)  My brother Robert & his new wife Molly couldn't be there because they were sick with the flu, so they skyped us & joined us that way for a little while at least...

My sister Emily made each of my kids their very own "Foot Warmer," which they were THRILLED about!

Then we decorated Gingerbread Houses & ate dinner together, which ended the night off perfectly.  Even though we didn't do much traveling that day, it was still a very FULL day of fun.  And everyone, including Tydon, was quite ready for bed by the time we got home!  What a fun Christmas!  

But one of the most special moments of the day, happened after we'd put the kids to bed for the night & I found Laron in our room sitting on our bed reading his Patriartical Blessing.  I asked him why he was reading it right now & he said, “Well, after opening all these presents from each other all day, I thought I’d read my Patriartical Blessing & see what gifts Heavenly Father has given me as well.”  Wow!  His comment hit me hard & I suddenly realized how powerful that statement really was.  I sat next to him & read his Blessing.  A few days later I read MINE as well.  It was amazing to read it during this Christmas season & to realize that the blessings we’ve received from our Heavenly Father FAR outweigh anything we can un-wrap under a tree.  And THOSE gifts will last throughout eternity!  Gifts like faith & prayer, our testimonies, the Book of Mormon, health & strength, the gospel, & most importantly, our Families.  It was such a great way to end our Christmas Evening, that I’m hoping we’ll remember to do this EVERY year!

Merry Christmas everyone!  :)