I almost don't even have to write this post. It wasn't too many years ago when I was feeling sadness and loneliness about our lack of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day traditions. But at this point I feel like I'm repeating myself every year because the traditions are so strong. This is something I'm so grateful for and in which I take great delight. I love love love our traditions.
Christmas Eve - of course, breakfast at the Bucherts, while listening to the King's College Choir on BBC radio. Becca made egg and potato casserole, I made an overnight french toast with berries. Fruit, friends, frivolity. Becca and I exchanged gifts, which was delightful. I gave her this cool natural slab of wood meant to be a cheese board. I got these little vintage Santas that are just slightly on the bizarre side and I absolutely love them. They are those plastic little figures that are coated with a velvety substance, plus they have sequins pinned onto them. Love at first sight! What a joy to have friends like the Bucherts.
And naturally we next headed up to Honeyville to soak our cold tired bodies in the warm waters of Crystal Hot Springs. Time just seems to totally evaporate while we are there. Troy's mom asked us if we were going to "go swimming" again this year and that made me giggle a little, since there is absolutely no swimming whatsoever. We just sit in the hot water and let our minds wander away. It's fantastic. We went a little earlier than usual this year, and we beat the crowds. We left around 3:00, which gave us ample time to get home, get cleaned up and settled before making our traditional Christmas Eve dinner - waffles and wassail. Troy went and picked up his mom while I cooked, and we tried to keep our eyes open for the annual viewing of The Muppets Christmas Carol movie. I was not entirely successful.
After dinner we included Carol in something we tried for the first time this year. I purchased this cool wooden wreath which holds 25 candles. At the base of each candle is engraved one of the names of the savior, and there is a scripture that goes with each name. Each night in December we would light a candle, read the scripture and talk about that name of Jesus. It was fun to include Carol on our day 24. It was quite the blaze by the time all 24 candles were lit. It brings a special spirit to take the time to do this, along with listening to my sweet Troy reading Luke 2.
Christmas this year was on a Sunday. We had a church meeting at 11:00 which I don't mind at all. I think it's wonderful to attend a one-hour service and listen to sweet music and one or two speakers. We didn't attend our own ward this year - Romney was invited to sing in a quartet with three of her madrigals friends. (The same ones seen to be strangling each other in the photos in the previous post.) I was kind of sad to miss my own church family but happy to hear Romney and friends sing. They sounded beautiful.
But I skipped the part with the presents! I had asked the girls if they wanted to sleep in and do presents after church, but they both emphatically stated that they wanted to get up early for presents. Cute. So far my kids have all proved to hang on to their inner-little-kids in the best way possible. So we got up early for presents.
Highlights:
Troy - cool shaving stuff and also cool beard-growing stuff, a book by Bono, a cruiser t-shirt, a Utes lawn ornament
Rachel - a yarn-winder, a pepper-grinder, Harry Potter 5, and an apron
Romney - art books, flower legos for when her room is done, snow boots, a bathrobe, play tickets, yellow shoelaces, a sweater vest, and a hoodie
Emma - myth and legend books, jewelry to honor Matthew, an ear cuff, slippers, doc martins, a wooden model hand, and also a hoodie
After church everyone chilled out for a bit while I made food. I was putting together a buffet of salad and appetizers - stuffed mushrooms, little smokies, artichoke dip, chicken potstickers, and other healthy stuff like that. While that was happening Romney had one last gift to deliver - a sweatshirt for her friend Daffodil. She really wanted to wrap it in some funny way but couldn't decide how to do it. Finally I suggested that she put it on and then we wrap her. She thought that would be hilarious, so Troy made it happen - she looked so funny, especially while walking down the street towards their house.
Once the food was ready and Romney was back, it was time. We snuggled up and started up the Fellowship of the Ring, which we got 3/4ths of the way through before our eyes were drooping so much we had to call it quits. I wasn't sure we'd watch the trilogy again this Christmas since we had just watched it in September before Chase left. But it was unanimous - it just wouldn't be Christmas without LOTR!!
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