The Jolly Holidays

 We did stuff. All month long. I think I'll cram it all into one long post.

Christmas in Color!

This is probably the third year in a row that we have met up with Troy's brother Sam and family to eat Mexican Food and then drive through the "Christmas in Color" super obnoxious yet fabulously beloved light display out at the Equestrian Park in South Jordan. That was like an instant tradition - we did it once and loved it so much that we decided it had to be the same every single year, Mexican Restaurant and all. Part of the tradition is also me asking Kathleen to remind me AGAIN the name of the restaurant and where it is. 

We didn't have Chase or Noah with us this year, but what we did have was Sam's big truck. Troy and Sam sat in the cab while the rest of us piled into the truck bed, thankfully under all of the quilts that Kathleen brought. I brought one. I was dumb. Luckily I also had an Emma on my lap to keep me warm. Why is this so fun? I just have no idea. It's so silly and loud and seizure-inducing. Kathleen and I hope that we will still be doing it even when it's just the two of us little old ladies in the back of the truck. 

 

 

Happy 92nd Birthday Aunt Alta!

My mom's older brother was 12 when she was born. I think. Something close to that. And he and my mom passed away within about one month of each other. He was close to 90 and she was 75. His wife is someone I love beyond words. Her name is Alta, and ever since I was small I was drawn towards her warmth and love. I loved visiting her home in Kaysville whenever we visited Utah from Colorado. They had a lot of land and grew millions of peaches there. I remember riding around with my Uncle Charles on his tractor. And they had four kids, the youngest being a few years older than my big sister. We ADORED them. And we still do. Aunt Alta was one of the most loving and supportive people when my dad was passing away, and she and I reach out to each other occasionally just to say I love you. In the fall I attended the temple with my friend Misty and who was seating a few rows behind me in the chapel, but Aunt Alta. I rather inappropriately got out of my seat, kneeled on the bench, and gave her a bear hug. She just glows with love. Is that enough gushing?

Alta turned 92 in December, and my cousin Shelly hosted a lunch for her. You know, when I was a kid, I thought that grownups were seriously so boring. All they did was sit around and talk and talk and talk. FOR-EV-ER. Well that's what we did, for hours! My Aunt Alta and her three daughters were there. My Aunt Norma, who passed away 30+ years ago, had three daughters and one daughter-in-law there. They are all closer to my mom's age but now I feel closer to them than I ever have. It's funny how getting older just makes you cling to dear family members and friends like you haven't before. 

Anyway, we talked for three hours before I finally tore myself away to go pick up car pool. It was absolutely heaven and I missed my mom like crazy. I was so happy to celebrate my dear Aunt.

Carolyn, Me, Camilla, Michael, Alta, Shelly, Pam, Marilyn, Andrea

Music and More Music!

Is the best thing about Christmas the lights or the music? I can't decide. So luckily they often go together. We had the opportunity to go to many performances this year. So many. And I wish I could go to more. For starters, Romney had about 1000 choir performances, but I'll post about that next. We got to see Peter Breinholt and company with our good friends the Behunins and Blackhams. That was a delightful evening - not only did we get to listen to a great concert with great people, but I bumped into about 12 other beloved people including Aunt Alta's son who wasn't at the lunch. 

Another great concert was the Carol Service at the Cathedral of the Madeleine. These are not easy tickets to secure - I was online at 9:55 on December 1st, waiting for the tickets to be available. I nabbed them on the stroke of 10:00, and by 10:10 they were cleaned out. Happily, we were able to get tickets on the same night as the Bucherts and the Pehrsons. It was an absolutely heavenly evening, listening to the glorious voices climbing into the eaves of the nave. 

Concert #3 I attended all by myself - the tickets to the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square are harder to come by and Becky could only get me one, and I was so grateful to even have that! I snuck away one evening to dash downtown and attend the concert. It was wonderful as always. 

Gingerbread Houses Of Course!

We almost didn't get to make our gingerbread houses this year with the Mayfields. It was just so hard to find a time! We thought we had a time, but then it didn't work after all. Even then her only child there would be the youngest, who is delightful and a total pleasure to be with, but we would miss the other kids. Luckily Misty had a stroke of inspiration and we decided to get together for lunch on a Saturday closer to Christmas. It was so awesome! Her girls were home from college so we got to enjoy the company of all three girls. (Well, the middle gal had had surgery and was a little miserable but still so cute. And her boyfriend was there to take care of her.) We had a nice long afternoon together - usually we are pressed for time, meeting on a Sunday night, needing to get the kids home and into bed. But it was leisurely and delightful. 

What a fun month! As always, I never get quite enough Christmas, but it's not for a lack of trying.