Jingle All the Way

Ah December. So fun. So crazy. So exhausting. It's too much and not enough all at once.

Troy captured this gem of a photo of me - I think it says a lot about how I was doing by the end of December. But in the meantime, we had a joyous month.

Some of the delightful things were the following, in no particular order....

1) Going to This is the Place Heritage Park to see our girl Emma in action. She worked there last summer as part of the performing arts team, and was able to return for a couple of days right before Christmas. She spent the time in the school house, teaching folks how to dance. Troy and I wanted to peek in on her, so met up with the Moores for a nice evening of walking around. When we tried to spy on her, we were ushered into the dance hall where Emma proceeded to whip us into shape in true school-marm fashion. I took a bit of a tongue-lashing if I'm being honest. Apparently I was too chatty and kept stepping out of line. But it was fun to dance with her, then get some donuts (a must), and take in the seasonal sights. 

I'll mention here that not only was my longing for a white Christmas not in the cards at all, it turned out to be the warmest December in history. I think it was in the 60s on Christmas Day. That had downsides for sure, but we didn't have a problem spending the evening outside. And no one was interested in hot chocolate either. 

2) The beautiful block of Michigan Avenue, where I lived in 6th grade, has become a serious tourist destination. I don't want to think about how much it costs to light up the huge sycamore trees that line the block. They are truly amazing. And everyone knows it. We Preslars went and picked up Nick and his mom, and tried to make our way to the festive scene. We had to park many blocks away. The glorious sight was truly worth it though. Another year we need to go earlier in the season and earlier in the day. Still fun to get to see it though. Our coats were just for show, by the way. 

3) The Christmas knitting continues - I don't know if I said before but I like to call it my "Kneighborly Knitting." I've always wanted to do a snowflake. They're pretty simple to do, so I was able to make a lot of them. Not as cute or intricate as some years. I do love snowflakes though. And yes, I'm already thinking about what to do for Christmas 2026. 

4) Troy's annual company party is always a fun affair - usually it's at a pretty high-falutin' restaurant. Troy's boss Mitch switched it up for 2025 and hosted the event at his own house. I have been to a Halloween party there before and Troy and I both dropped our jaws back then at the sight of the extremely thorough decoration. As it turns out, Christmas was just the same. I have never seen so much decoration in my life. It was really quite fun. Delicious food, tons of games and silly prizes, and festive hats for everyone.

5) Relief Society Dinner - just a nice evening with my ward sisters. Cozy, lots of soup, lots of chatting. Just what you'd expect. What lovely neighbors I'm blessed with.

6) A Christmas Pedicure. Do I need to say more?

7) Work shenanigans - trying to find the reindeer stuffies amid the piles of teddy bears, a visit from Santa's reindeer, December is pretty nutty at the hospital.

8) As has been the case ever since Chase was a freshman in highschool, our December is always brimming with choir concerts. This one was at the tabernacle downtown. It was one of many! Will I miss these in a couple of years? Probably.

9) Not pictured - we took the girls to see A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater. Emma scored some free tickets through her driver's ed program. Always a treat except for the part where I selected two of the tickets for the wrong time. Troy and I had to wait in the lobby to find out if there were extra seats, which, happily, there ended up being. In the front row, hilariously. Sometimes I make myself nuts, and drag poor Troy along with me.

Is that enough festivity for now? It's always a lot and too much and still not enough!