Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
This year we truly had a wonderful Christmas time. I took the week off of work and Eric and I have enjoyed spending time together and remembering the birth of our Savior. Sunday was the ward's annual Christmas concert. I'm the ward choir pianist and this year's repertoire was truly daunting. The songs were quite difficult and I practiced for hours, but with hard work and faith, everything worked out and the program went as planned. We ate dinner at my parent's house with Jake and Meg and enjoyed spending the evening with them.
Monday, I spent the morning with my sister running errands and finishing up some last-minute shopping, and spending time with my parents. We all had so much fun playing with Skylee. She's growing up so much!
Eric picked me up from Kristin's and we ran a few last-minute errands and then headed to A Christmas Carol with my parents. Eric and I have talked about seeing the play for a few years, and this year we decided to do it. It was awesome and definitely helped bring the Christmas spirit. Eric and I decided to make this a regular Christmas tradition.
For Christmas Eve, Eric and I packed all our gifts and took them over to my parent's house before heading to Ephraim. Every Christmas Eve we've gone to Ephraim where my grandparents had a huge party. I always loved going to Ephraim because the drive down was so peaceful and I loved spending time with my extended family. The drive home was always so pleasant as well because it was dark and we always listened to "The Night Before Christmas" by Amy Grant.
For the last two years, we haven't gone to Ephraim because my grandma's health was fragile. I still enjoyed Christmas Eve with my parents, but it just wasn't the same. It was so great to go back to Ephraim this year. We stopped along the way and dropped off cookies at my Uncle Kim's house in Provo. My Dad's Grandma Jensen was famous for her sugar cookies and my Dad has started using her recipe and says he's got it pretty close, so he made cookies for his brothers and sister for Christmas Eve.
We got off the Center Street Exit in Provo and took a wrong turn, and as we were driving back we saw a guy get out of his car and start pushing it. My Dad stopped and he and Eric helped push the car into a motel parking lot. The car had run out of gas, so they got back in the truck and we went and got them a few gallons. We took it back and as he was filling the car up, said that his battery was also dead. He was going to buy a new battery once he got paid. My Dad and Eric jumped the car and while they were doing that, my Mom and I made a plate of sugar cookies and put some gas money on the plate. We got the car started and Eric handed them the plate of cookies and said Merry Christmas. The guy about hugged my Dad and his wife in the car was sobbing. It was such a great reminder of the true meaning of Christmas and doing things the Savior would have us do on his birthday.
We stopped by Kim's and delivered the cookies and talked for a while before heading on our way to Ephraim. We went to my Uncle Richard's house and dropped off cookies there and talked with Richard and Marcea for a while. They are always so much fun. Just as we were leaving, my cousin Brian came with his kids and it was great to see them on Christmas Eve.
After Richards, we went to my Aunt Linda's house where we did Christmas Eve dinner. A lot of her kids were there and it was fun to just visit for a while and help get ready for dinner. I made rolls, and they turned out awesome. Dinner was delicious - Linda made Prime Rib just like my grandparents used to make it on Christmas Eve. I loved it. We decided that we might not eat Christmas Eve dinner in Ephraim every year, but we will definitely make sugar cookies and deliver them to the family on Christmas Eve. We got back to my parent's house and Eric and I opened our Christmas pajamas. This was a tradition that Eric and I started the year we were married and it's one I'm sure we will continue for years to come.
Christmas Morning I woke up with the flu. It was pretty rough, but since we stayed the night at my parent's house, it was nice to be able to snuggle with my Mom just like I used to when I was little and I got sick. We read Luke 2 about the Savior's birth and Jake delivered a short Christmas message about Simeon who was promised that he would meet the Savior before he died. He met Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus at the temple when Jesus was circumcised and was so overjoyed he said he could die since he had finally met the Savior.
After reading about the true meaning of Christmas, we opened presents. Eric and I were truly blessed this year. I got Eric Don Mattingly and Stan Musial signed baseballs and a home plate baseball case. Eric got me a pair of BEAUTIFUL diamond solitaire earrings.
Dan, Kristin, and Skylee came over mid-morning and we opened more presents. It was so much fun to have Skylee around on Christmas. I was going crazy not being able to play with her since I was sick.
We got Skylee a polar bear hat and baby mittens. They were adorable. I call Kristin my polar bear, so it only seemed appropriate that Skylee should be a baby bear. I don't think she really liked the mittens, but she sure looked cute wearing them!
Before Dan and Kristin left, we sang Christmas hymns while Kristin played them on the piano. This is one of my favorite things to do around Christmas, and I was actually awake long enough to sing a few songs. After singing, I took another nap, and then Eric brought me home to my bed.
Despite my sickness, we've had a wonderful Christmas season filled with family, lights, Eric's birthday, holiday music, and of course remembering the birth of our Savior. Eric and I have been so blessed this year and we are looking forward to a great 2014!
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