Merry Christmas

 

 

Day #24: Fancy Dinner/Pj's/Christmas Story

It's been snowing here and it is definitely white here at home. Christmas Eve is the night that we traditionally have our big "Fancy" dinner.  We pull out our holiday plates and goblets that we only use once a year and light candles and have a very nice dinner together.  The children have to fix their hair, sit up straight elbows off the table and use their best manners at this dinner. They all love it!

Day #23: Polar Express

The Polar Express is probably one of my favorite holiday movies and we did buy the book a while back as well.  For one, I love Tom Hanks and it is just a very cute story, and I love the songs! My favorite is actually "When Christmas Comes to Town".  "Believe" is also pretty.  And then there is the image of the hot chocolate!  The perfect hot cocoa that we all strive for! I can't even think of watching this movie without dreaming of watching it with hot cocoa.

On Pintrest I saw a really cute idea that they called the Minivan Express. After the kids have had baths and are ready for bed they are surprised with tickets.  They even get their tickets punched by the ticket master as they load up.  You can have all sorts of treats like popcorn and I thought to-go containers of cocoa would be fun, if you dare. You can go around town looking at the Christmas lights together.

Day #22: Food Drive

I'm counting this activity because even though we didn't really do it all it was a group effort I think it had a big impression on our family. We have been the collecting place for the ward food drive.  I have been so impressed with the generosity of our ward.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised really, we live among so many great people.  But just seeing the space in our garage fill has been very moving to me.  So many have given very generously.  I have been reminded of the story of the widows mite from the New Testament.  It has blessed our home with the Christmas spirit.

Day #21: Sledding

We actually didn't have time to take the kids to the sledding hill, that and it is still so cold!! So instead the kids went "sledding" down our stairs on the big body pillow.  This is actually one of their favorite activities.  I remember doing it in sleeping bags.  Good times!

Day #20: Wrap Christmas Presents

The kids wrapped the gifts that they are giving to each other today. They've been asking for several days to do it but I kept putting it off.  I don't really enjoy wrapping presents.  I'm planning on gathering as much material after Christmas this year to make Christmas bags.  They are recyclable and cute. Win, win!!

Day #19: Christmas Socks

Thought it would be fun to get some fancy holiday socks for the kiddos.  There weren't a lot of choices, but they found some fuzzy red and green ones.  Maybe if we do this again, I'll have to look early for them. They've been wearing them all around the house, which has been a really good thing since it has been so cold this week.  I've been layering.

Day #18: Deliver Neighborhood Gifts

This year we delivered calendars around our neighborhood. The kids love being my runners and that's great since I would much rather stay in the warm car. We loved all the snow today too! Glad I have 4-Wheel drive though.

Day #17: Christmas Sing Along

This has been a new tradition for us but one that we have looked forward to this year.  We invited a few families in the area to our house for a Christmas sing along.  We enjoy music, especially the songs of Christmas and it is a wonderful chance to share this with those around us.

It was a fun night for all of us.  We sang, drank hot cocoa and ate yummy desserts, and just visited with each other.  We decided this year that we would also put together a couple blankets to donate some of the older children were good to help us out. Such a wonderful evening!!!

Day #16: Best Christmas Lights Awards

Tonight we went around our neighborhood and looked at the Christmas lights and displays.  We decided to give three awards for our favorites this year. We drove around for a little bit and when we thought we found one that was amazing we took a vote and if it passed then we would send a runner to deliver the certificate and small present. It was so much fun I think this would be a wonderful tradition to keep in the years to come.

Day #15 Make a snowman

This activity was a risky one and was highly dependent on the weather.  We haven't had much snow to speak of yet. But we did get a little the other day and Bonnie loved playing out in it. There are lots of crafts to make snowmen, which is an option.  I'll have to plan ahead for this next year.

Day #14: Dollar Days

Today we thought it would be fun to just go to the dollar store and let them pick anything they wanted.  Kind of fun. I'm usually not a huge fan of dollar store toys, they don't last long, but they got so excited when they could get anything in the whole store. So that is the gift a store full of possibilities.

Day #13: Decorate Trees

I always thought that Gingerbread houses were more work than they were worth.  I saw this pin the other day and thought it would be perfect for our family.  So we decorated Christmas trees - ice cream cones.  So much fun and easy peasy!!

Day #12: Christmas Craft

These are a couple of really cute crafts that I totally intended to make this year.  If there is still time we might do them.

Day #10: Picture a Christmas

Afton and I had some fun with this one. This is actually part of a photography scavenger hunt that she and I are doing.  We found one of our nativity sets and took pictures of it.  This is one of my favorites because the kids are free to play with it and rearrange it anyway they want to.  It sits upstairs in our living room under the Christmas tree.

Day #9: Stars or Snowflakes

Dennis actually found these very pretty 3D paper stars.  The instructions for them can be found Here.  We thought that we would hang them in the kitchen from the ceiling.

Day #11 Make Cookies

We made Christmas cookies today.  I was going to take pictures but they are all gone. . . they are that good.  So instead I'll post the recipe.  This is a recipe that I have had since I was in high school.  I remember making this dough up and taking it baby sitting.  It was great!  And quite honestly it doesn't even need frosting.  It's the light fluffy kind of sugar cookies and decorations are optional . . . obviously ours didn't last long enough to get them frosted and decorated.

Delux Sugar Cookie
(Betty Crocker)

1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup powder sugar
cream together
add 1 egg mix well
then add
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cream of tarter
2 1/2 cups flour

Mix together and chill in fridge for a couple hours.  Roll out 1/4 inch and cut.  Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Watch them closely!!!

Day #8: Christmas Party

We went to our ward Christmas party. The children sang a very pretty song that they have been learning in primary.  It's called Our Christmas Story Tree. The primary children made a cute little tree ornament.  It was a good evening.

Day 7: Christmas Movie Marathon

Today we watched a lot of Christmas movies.  Actually the kids got burned out and it turned out to only be about half a day.  I did get a lot of clean done downstairs though.  For being essentially a PJ day it turned out to be pretty productive.

Day 1: Temple Square

We have an advent calendar hanging on our wall.  This year it is stuffed with one activity a day that we can do together. So we started our count down to Christmas on the first of December which was a trip to Temple Square. We stopped at in Salt Lake on our drive home from Davis county.  We got there just as they turned the lights on. The life sized nativity is always nice to see. It's just so real. We walked around the visitor center and up to the Christus. The grounds were very crowded so we didn't stay very long but it was very nice.

 

 

 

 

There is a statue at temple square that depicts a family pulling a handcart across the plains. The sculptor who created this statue based the image on a pioneer man named John Rowe Moyle.  John Moyle is the great-great-grandfather of Dennis' mother. He is the man who lost his leg and made a very innovative moving ankle.  He walked on this artificial foot over 20 miles to the Salt Lake temple sight to work the stone on the temple.  He is the one who carved the words "Holiness to the Lord" above the doors. His dedications is very motivational.

Day #6: Make a Craft

This was  a super easy recipe for dough ornaments that I found.

1/2 cup corn starch
1 cup soda
3/4 cup water

That's it.  You cook it on the stove for about 5 minutes on med low heat until it turns to a mashed potato consistency.  After we let it cool with a wet rag over the top of it we rolled out the dough to 1/4 inch thick (this is very important!) The girls had fun cutting out the shapes and helping me put them on a cookie sheet to put in the oven @175 degrees. We had to bake them in the oven for 1 hour turning once halfway through.  They are pretty fragile right now. I broke one just threading the ribbon through and Afton broke a couple doing the same. I think they will harden up a little more as they dry up. I also think I'm going to have to treat them with some kind of glosst finish, but they sure look pretty on the tree. They are supposed to last a long time.

Day #5: Pistachio

Well, we did it.  We adopted an elf this year.  His name is Pistachio and he is watching our family to see if we are naughty or nice so he can report to Santa.  He must have liked the name we picked out for him because we put him up on the shelf in our living room so he could have a good view and when we woke up in the morning he had moved to another shelf. (You have to name him for the magic to begin, so says the book.) Perhaps that view was more preferable.  We'll have to see how this little guy adapts to living with us during the Holidays.  We're excited to have him and we're all going to be extra nice.

Day #4: Stringing Popcorn

We thought it would be fun this year to string popcorn to decorate the tree. We sat and watched Toy Story 2 while Afton and I started it going and Isaac helped finish it.  Of course the others helped finished off the leftover popcorn - don't want anything to go to waste.  The effect on the tree is very homey.  It feels Christmasy!

Day #3 - Hot Cocoa

What could be better than hot cocoa at home with my family.  The children like to add candy canes to theirs, as well as marshmallows and the canned whipped cream.  It was the perfect reward after taking our turn cleaning the church.  We also played line tag in the gym after we were done.  Wonderful night!

Day #2: Presidency Devoational

Today we listened to the First Presidency Devotional.  It brought such a good feeling into our home. It feels  like Christmas now.  I loved what President Uchdorf said about being a good receiver   It gave me the desire to truly see the whole gift.  Not just what is wrapped or given, but the time, effort and love that it took to give. It also made me want to put more effort into the gifts that I give this season.  I want them to mean something and to come from my heart. To be a true reflection of the love that I feel.