As always, as always. I just try to shovel as much Christmas into December as I can possibly stand and it is still just never enough!!
I definitely started in with the Christmas music long before December 1st. I think I have fully TEN different playlists of Christmas music on Spotify. (Got to cover the many moods of the season, right?) When my sister found that out she was bewildered and said, "I have only ONE. It's called, 'Christmas music I can STAND.'" Troy and I have laughed about that a lot. I'm thinking my true spirit animal might be Buddy the Elf. More movies! More music! More lights! More snowflakes! More entire rolls of tollhouse cookie dough!
Let's see... how did we fill up our month?
It always starts with a Christmas Date with my friend Becca. We love to go to the German Christmas Market up at This is the Place Park, followed by hot cocoa (the GOOD kind from Hatch Family Chocolates), a village-viewing trip to Modern Display (where I bought Troy a surprise gift of a Clark Griswold figurine to add to our village), and then a movie and Christmas Crafts. It's the best way to kick off the season.
We also spent the whole month enjoying the new Disney+ show, The Mandelorian. Our family loved watching it together. Here's our favorite meme about the show:
Here's my work buddy Ellie and me freezing our bahooties off at recess one day....
And here is my Emma sacked out after a day of...something. I can't remember what.
Here is me being very brave. I was asked to accompany the elementary school choir of 5th and 6th graders to two different bank locations down town. The kids sang to the employees and customers and decorated trees at the same time with ornaments made by all of the kids at our school. It was actually pretty fun despite having to be subjected to the special situation we call the school bus. Haven't had to do that for quite some time. They smell the same way I remember.
Other fabulous events from the month:
Decorating Gingerbread Houses with the Mayfields - as fun as ever, especially now that the teenagers are loving being together and are much less awkward than they used to be. I think they are all still texting quite a bit with each other. This makes Troy and me very happy. We love those kids.
The Ward Christmas Party -
Choir concerts galore - Poor Romney's concert was still at her old junior high even though she has moved on to high school. She'll never escape! I guess while her choir teacher teaches at both schools that will continue to be true. They did a very cute job though.
All in one day we had Emma's winter music concert at school, a Relief Society craft night at the home of our dear Eugene who hosts wonderful crafts like ugly dolls, paper wreaths and ribbon flowers. Then after all that Emma and I were able to get downtown just in time to see this year's Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. We had great seats on the main level and enjoyed the lovely setting and music very much. The guest was a woman who sings opera...I can't remember her name. It was a beautiful concert and a great evening out with Emma.
A favorite holiday tradition is our staff luncheon at our school. Well, normally we hold the party at someone's house. We were supposed to go to this 6th grade teacher's house, but her husband fell ill and ended up in surgery I believe so we suddenly moved the lunch to our faculty room. Not the most festive of atmospheres but everyone did a great job bringing in lamps to change the lighting away from ceiling florescent bulbs and the tables were all set. It was great. The best part was that we always do a white-elephant party and I felt like I had the best present this year!! I wrapped up all five of my Twilight DVDs (It's okay, I have them memorized already so I don't need them anymore) and some chocolate and some cooking wine from Smith's. I thought it was a super funny present. But sadly we were moving through the gifts really really quickly and most people didn't even really get to see what the gifts were so only a couple people got to appreciate my brilliant gift. They laughed.
Of course one of the greatest evenings of the Christmas Season is getting lucky enough to get tickets to the Carol Service at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. I was able to get four tickets - perfect, since Troy and the girls love going and Chase had no interest at all. Words can't really describe what it's like to sit in that vaulting space and hear the almost haunting and holy voices of children singing ancient music. Well, some ancient and some that sounds ancient. It's absolutely incredible. We love it.
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| Not a great photo, but since it's the only one we have...I'm using it |
More choir performances, this time from Chase - and we got to bring home some giant poinsettias that his choir was selling for a fundraiser. We gave one to our new neighbors and I tried to give one to my dad but he said no thanks. So we ended up with two. They made me so happy! I will definitely get poinsettias in future years - they're so cheerful and bright!
We also got to see the new Star Wars, Episode 9, on opening night. With the Moores. I loved it! I totally loved it and found it to be a fantastic conclusion to the series. Sadly, almost no one in our group agreed with me. They did not love it. That was a bummer for me. I did eventually find other friends who really enjoyed it so I felt a little vindicated. I hate being the only one who likes a movie - it makes me feel simple and too easy to please. Probably I am. So I was glad when I found other fans of the show.
Ok the funnest was going to Christmas in Color with our Sam cousins. So, we did this last year with Peter. You pay like $25 per car to go out to the equestrian park and drive through a mile long switch-back path that is just absolutely doused in Christmas lights. You turn on your radio to their station and they play songs and all the lights are animated to match the songs. It's loud. It's obnoxious. It's a little hideous. I love it. After the drive through light display we headed to Sam's house for a fabulous hot cocoa bar and more Mandelorian. What a fun night!
As we neared the big day, the activities slowed down a little, but were topped off with the traditional night of soup and singing at the Buchert's house. It was a small group but very satisfying to sing with. We've been singing these songs for so many years that some of them are beginning to be more familiar to me. I still get frustrated with the songs that are very soprano-oriented, but many of them are more comfortable than they used to be.
Also, I love their tree.
Apparently, this was a month of selfies for me.
It was an absolutely wonderful December. I'm so grateful that my husband loves Christmas as much as I do. He may not want to watch four versions of A Christmas Carol like I do, but then again, he's sane. I think we drove our children a little bit nuts with our insistence that all music be Christmas Music...even Emma was begging for a break. Too bad, kiddos! Daddy and I are in charge, so deal with it!
Here's Romney, hiding in the best spot in the house. Under the tree, next to the heating vent. She's like a little kitty cat that way. It's a good place for some respite, away from her Christmas-crazed parents.
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