1 day left - Read love notes & Polar Express

Christmas Eve is HERE!!!   This is be far my favorite day.  I love Christmas day but I LOVE Christmas Eve.  It is so warm and cozy the tree is glowing, everyone is so excited.  I think Christmas Eve creates that feeling that we talk about. And I love everything about it.  Christmas Eve day is always busy, we have dinner in our home and it is always something fun, usually prime rib, rolls, salad, our favorite holiday punch, and then always a really fun dessert.  We have done lava cake, creme brulee, and this year my version of tirimisu.  We always have Troys family with us and then occasionally we have invited others over.  This year it was just Troys family so it was a fairly small event.  After dinner we had a program planned by the kids showcasing their talents.  And of course Christmas carols.  It was a truly magical evening.  We made reindeer donuts instead of cookies for Santa and played a game of Ticket to Ride as a family.  Of course we read the Polar Express and our love notes that we wrote each other.  This year we tracked Santa on the Internet until he reached Salt Lake City and that pretty much solidified that Cambelle needed to get to sleep.  It has been a beautiful month.  I have loved sharing our countdown journey.  It's been busy but always worth it.  It seems a little crazy that tomorrow it will be over for another year.  As the kids unwrapped the presents that they bought each other as cousins, I was so incredibly content.  It truly has been a beautiful Christmas season.

J.T. and Grady, I love how much they love each other.

Adding to his beloved Utes collection.

Cambelle put our these cute little stockings for her two favorite pets.

This is a tradition that I hope lasts FOREVER!!

Santa symbolizes the happy, loving and giving Christ.  His suit is red symbolizing the blood he shed for the atonement.  He is trimmed in white symbolizing his purity.  By his very nature Santa is unselfish, laboring all the time to give his gifts.  His gifts are given personally to every home and to every person.

2 days left - bowling

We had our annual Christmas bowling event with the Thurgoods.  We had a good time.  Then we spent a good portion of the afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  Looking forward to 2 more days.

I am totally aware that this is holly and not
mistletoe, however it was a little
difficult to find tiny mistletoe,
 I have plans of painting the red
berries white.

Mistletoe is green with white berries.  Because of Christ's atonement man can become pure thus giving him the gift of eternal life.  This produces within man a pure love of Christ and all people.  Thus, underneath the mistletoe people kiss symbolizing that pure love.

3 days left - City of Refuge

We spent the evening in Idaho Falls at the City of Refuge.  Our wonderful friends arranged the opportunity to help them make dinner and then serve it.  The City of Refuge helps those that are struggling and need a little help.  Initially when the kids read the note there was a lot of concern.  It was so far out of their comfort zone, they didn't know what to expect, they thought it might be scary to be around people they didn't know and lived so differently from us.  We talked about what to expect and read from the New Testament.  Christ taught us that when we treat our fellow men with love and kindness we are truly serving Him.  The evening turned out to be a phenomenal success.  The kids were fantastic as we cooked always asking what else could be done and working so hard.  They each had a job to do in the serving line and I think everyone left with such a good feeling.  I hope that it allowed the kids to think about others, and know that we are all so similar even when it appears we are so different.  I also hope that they will be a little more grateful for the blessings in our life and a desire to share what we have.

The Wise men sought after the Christ child.  They followed the star and carried gifts to share with the King.  We can follow their example by always seeking the Savior and giving gifts of service to those in our lives.

4 days left - Christmas Museum

We spent the afternoon at the museum in Idaho Falls.  In December they change their exhibits to an Old Fashioned Christmas.  They have all different little figurines of Santa Claus and they have Nativities from all over the world.  Then we spent a good portion in the discovery center.  It was a great afternoon.

The wreath is a never ending  circle that symbolizes eternal life.  Through Christs Atonement we have the opportunity to receive the greatest of all the gifts of God.

5 days left - Watch Charlie Brown and make cookies

Tonight we made cookies and turned off the lights and watched Charlie Brown.  I love sharing something that meant something so much to me when I was a kid with my kids today.  I hope they love it as much as I do.  Then we delivered neighbor and teacher gifts with the notes that my kids wrote earlier in the month.

The colors of the candy cane again reminds us of Christ as well as the shape of a Shepperd's crook to remind us that Christ is our Shepard.

6 days left - Write love notes

This is a favorite tradition of mine.  Have you noticed how many I love.  We each take a minute to write down why we love each member of the family.  We share compliments or acknowledge talents, then we place each note a long with some kisses in a bucket that is placed on our tree.  It becomes one of my favorite gifts to open on Christmas Eve.

The donkey symbolizes the service that Christ gives to man.  Christ descended below all men and serves all, the donkey is a beast of burden willing to carry us just as Christ takes upon Him our sins.