Christmastime

This year Jake and I tried something new with our Christmas tree: we clumped ornaments together instead of spacing them throughout the tree. It turned out better than we expected!

Every year, Jake and I each write something we are going to give the Savior for Christmas, we place it in our special red box, and then it is the first present we open on Christmas morning. This year I decided to stop thinking, "Somebody should help that person." I'm the queen of doing that, since I'm too busy, but the times I actually stop and help out I never look back and regret it! But, boy, did the Lord prove me on that. I was more busy this season than ever! I wasn't perfect, but having that goal really did help me to remember what Christmas is all about.

We love soft peppermint sticks, and it wouldn't be Christmas without them! They have a chalky texture and are perfect in hot cocoa or on their own.

My most cherished Christmas possessions are the olive wood hand-carved decorations I got in Bethlehem. One is an ornament, another (that I forgot to snap a picture of) is a statue of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. I got the latter pretty much for free because the man was holding it by Joseph's arm holding a lantern, and the rest of it broke off and fell to the ground (though we discovered later that it had previously been broken). We also convinced him to give us our nativity set for dirt cheap, since he was trying to backpedal to get a sale. Sweet! Unfortunately, the red satin pillowcase wasn't ironed before I put it out this year...

 Now that everything is out, bring on the celebrations!!!