Stuffed

We've crammed almost as many enjoyable activities into our busy schedule as we have food into our mouths this December!  And I don't regret any of it--even though I am resolved to eliminate the sugar next month, and I am anticipating much less run-around in January.

Let me just mention a few highlights:

Food: Did you know that Dove chocolates come with a layer of peppermint bark at Christmas time?  I did not know this, until a neighbor gave us some.  Unfortunately, I was not able to find that flavor at the stores after Christmas.  Apparently I was the last to know about those little treasures.  Those same neighbors also gave us some of those homemade pretzel-Rolo-pecan gems--and therefore, with that winning combo, they earned my pick for "Best Neighbor Gifts" this year.

Other food traditions that we couldn't skip this season included Cheerio Trees, cinnamon rolls, Tortellini Soup, and orange & raspberry sticks. 

(I have not weighed myself recently.  Bah Humbug!)

Gingerbread: This does not belong in the food category, because it's not for eating.  We tried to make gingerbread houses from scratch this year--but after hours of prep work, we could never get the dang structure to stand.  So we bagged that activity before we even broke out the candy decorations.  Thank goodness Grandma D. had the girls come to her house and put together a mini gingerbread village--from a kit!  Remember those key words: mini and kit.  That is the only way to go. I am convinced.

Music: We took Emily and Lauren to the BYU Christmas Concert (Men's Chorus, Women's Chorus, Symphony, etc.); We took Katelyn, Emily, Lauren and Grandma L. to the Concert at Temple Square with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and David Archuleta (I got the golden tickets!  Fair & Square); I sang with the stake choir, and we sang with the Presbyterian church for their Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (the whole family attended); Emily played beautiful piano music at her recital, and it was exciting to hear Katelyn play her guitar and sing Christmas songs; and our Christmas CD collection must number well over 100 by now.

Sights: We have been known to leave our Christmas tree and outside house lights on around the clock.  We love the lights!  We also enjoyed a visit to Temple Square to see the lights (as they flashed on!); and on a separate occasion we sipped hot chocolate and nibbled on McDonalds' apple pies (2 for $1 tastes Christmasy to me!) while we parked in front of a local "Clark Griswold" house and treated our senses to the choreographed lights and music show.  We also enjoyed watching several movies: oldies like "One Magic Christmas" and "Elf", as well as new ones like the new "Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader" movie.

Parties:  We love getting the whole family together (at least those who live near enough, or visit at the right time) for food and games.  And gifts!  The seven of us participated in a combined total of 5 white elephant gift exchanges this year, and I'm happy to report that we gave away more junk than we came away with!

R&R:  The girls had a full week off school before Christmas Day, and we spent most of it being lazy.  We all enjoy laziness now and then.  Too bad it was laced with some sickness this year--but thankfully it didn't prevent us from enjoying anything too important.  Doug's last day of work in 2010 was December 22nd, and we love that he gets some time off for the holidays.  Time off from work means more dates--yipee!  Yesterday, for example, Doug and I went to a one-hour massage therapy session (Doug is skeptical of any true medicinal value, but I don't really care--it does my body good!) and then we had lunch and watched True Grit. (Guess whose choice that movie was.  I would even have picked Tron over that one--but in the end, it wasn't so bad.  Thank goodness for the humor in it.  No western movie should take itself too seriously, I say.)   While Doug and the girls have watched movies at home, I've put together a couple of puzzles.  That can never happen any other time but the holidays!


Most years, I am burnt out by the time December 25th rolls around, and we usually pack away Christmas as soon as the day is over (my idea).  This year, we gave ourselves three extra days!  And now that my house is put back to normal, I'm relieved, but still relishing in the last little bit of holiday cheer.

Once Christmas is over and the New Year has just begun, I always feel a bit of a slump.  But I keep reminding myself of this happy thought: If time keeps up this pace, before we know it, it will be Spring!      

Then one foggy Christmas Eve...

I hope Rudolph's in fine form tonight!

Merry Christmas!

Matching

One of the conveniences of having all girls (or all boys) is that everything they outgrow can be handed down.  Of course, by the time the fifth daughter comes along, there are very few items that come from the first daughter, and have lasted through all the others. 

Christmas dresses are one exception.  It's something they wear only for a brief holiday season, and then, only to dress-up events (like church) where they're unlikely to get much wear and tear.

When our family started off with two girls, two years apart, it was fun to dress them alike.

 But as they grew older, and as more girls came along, it was difficult to keep that up.

So it was fun for me to pull out these matching dresses, once worn by the oldest two --

and put them on the youngest two this year. 

What I learned about Whos

Music is quite possibly the most important part of Christmas.  And the Whos knew it.

The Grinch can steal every part of Christmas except the Whos' voices.  It's not just that they had "hands to clasp."  It's that they still had music.  And their music is what touched the Grinch's heart and made it grow.

All my life, I must admit, I've been a bit skeptical about the Whos' undaunted spirits when they woke up to that Christmas crisis.  Maybe it's that fluffy "Dahoo Dores, Fahoo Fores" song in the film that made me overlook this important musical message in the Dr. Seuss classic.  I think they got that song all wrong.  Next time I read that story to my girls, I'm going to sing something a bit more "Christmasy". 

But last night, after I had finished singing with our inter-faith choir in the annual Christmas Celebration--songs like Breath of Heaven and Ding Dong Merrily on High and Carol of the Magi-- while my heart was swelling with the joy of that celebration, and with deep gratitude for the musical gifts I've been blessed with.... it hit me.

The Whos must have felt exactly how I was feeling at that moment, because of the music.

Silly, I know, but that's honestly what I thought just before the benediction of last night's program.

I love planning and shopping and partying and baking and eating and wrapping and everything else that goes along with Christmas time.  But I really love the music!

Oh-Livia

It was a morning full of fickle costume changes before she settled on this ensemble for her stroll in the melting snow (while nibbling on a chocolate cookie).  What is there to say?  The girl's got good taste.

Dear Fellow Parents of Girls, as well as our "Homelier Counterparts":

Check out this article.  If you have daughters, it will make your day!  And if you have sons...well, you might not want to go there.  Especially if you're ultra-sensitive.  But my hot sister-in-law, who herself is the mother of three handsome and talented boys, is obviously not ultra-sensitive, because she's the one who shared this link with me.  Maybe she was making fun of this preposterous idea?  After all, she knows that the only reason I ended up with all these daughters is because I prayed so hard for a daughter the first time around.  I think she's right about that.  But also, "I believe in science."  *wink*

Hannah's Birthday

Hannah was born on a Sunday, and I thought that was a nice day for a baby to be born.  When she turned six years old on a Sunday, I thought it was ideal as well: We had time for a nice family breakfast and birthday gifts in the morning.  All the primary kids sang to her and she got to wear a crown, on her birthday.  And since her only dinner request was simply "meat," I thought her Sunday birthday was the perfect occasion for a nice roast, with potatoes and gravy and hot rolls and all those Sunday fixings.

But when Hannah turned six on a Sunday, she didn't think it was the best day for celebrating her birth.  She loved her presents, and I think she got everything she asked for: a ZhuZhu Pet, Pixos, a Dolly&Me Dress set, and Bendaroos. 

But she said that morning, "I don't feel like I'm six. I still feel like I'm five."  And later that day, "I just don't feel like it's my birthday if I don't get to be with my friends."  (This was not a party year.)

So on Monday, after morning kindergarten, Hannah's three little friends and their mothers met us for lunch at Zupas.

And finally, Hannah was satisfied to be six.