The week of....

• Movies - the latest releases in the theater; the latest releases on DVD; favorite Christmas movies
• Popcorn - theater popcorn with butter part way through the bag and then again on top; my own bag because others add extra salt and that's WAY too much for me
• Munching - leftovers from Christmas dinner; snacks from neighbors; favorites like caramel chocolate dipped pretzels, corn pop candy, and fudge; crackers and cheese ball; chips and dip
• Eating out - it is the last week before the NEW year, which means undoing the damage done in the last month and more; plus there are restaurant gift cards that must be used
• Hanging out in jammies - mornings are slow; jammies acceptable attire
• Real breakfasts - hash browns; scrambled eggs with bacon and cheese; fried eggs and pancakes; scones (the deep fried kind)
• No schedules - I am the master of my own time!

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Christmas Eve

Some how Christmas Eve snuck up on me this year. It isn't that I'm not ready - the gifts are bought and wrapped, the decorations are up, the grocery shopping is done. It just seems too early for Christmas Eve.

Somehow the weeks slipped away this year. Between meetings, parties, puppy classes, wedding receptions, and regular life, the days passed way to quickly.

And yet, tonight was just as planned. Dinner with J's family - homemade pizza, deviled eggs, crackers and cheese ball, orange frappe, and candies from J's niece. The white elephant gift exchange was memorable with people vying for the few gifts worth taking home and hoping you didn't end up with something that would resurface next year or the year after as a gift. And J's sister-in-law shared a cute activity with the kids that talked about the meaning behind the symbols of Christmas - the perfect reminder of the reason for the season.

So here I sit, with the holiday lights on, hoping I get one last gift put together for K and J tonight. But mostly grateful for the gift my Savior has given me - the chance to live with him again. I love this season. Love the feelings it brings out. Love the decorations. Love the reminder of my purpose here on earth.

I am grateful for Christmas and the love it surrounds me with. Merry Christmas!

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The tree that keeps on "living"

For years we had a real tree - we'd spend hours out in the cold going from tree lot to tree lot until we found the perfect tree. And then we made the move to a "fake" tree. We got it on sale after the holidays. This was back in the days when trees didn't come with lights, so I spent the first year putting on about 800 lights. It was beautiful!

For years I've pulled that tree out of storage, fluffed it, and plugged in the lights. The first few years I had no doubts the lights would come on. The last five or so years I have held my breath each year, saying a silent prayer that the lights would come on. And each year the lights have come on. It is beautiful!

For years this was my "prissy" tree; the one that was color coordinated. It started out as red and white. Then one year it was green and white with silver. Then my favorite color was approved and we had a purple and gold tree. My decorating skills were just budding at that time and while everything matched, it wasn't a well decorated tree. But it was beautiful!

For years the hodge podge trees were the preferred trees and my "prissy" tree was tolerated. And then a few years ago we were out Christmas shopping and found the most beautiful tree decorated in earthy tones like orange, red, green, brown, and gold. It had such a random mix of ornaments and yet it all came together to create a stunning tree. That was the year everyone at our house wanted a "prissy" tree, although it was never called a prissy tree. And the new tree was beautiful!

For years now I have improved my decorating skills and now that sweet tree we bought over 20 years ago is displayed in full glory, covered in a stunning array of red and white decorations that are a random mix with a few themes mixed in (if you look close enough). And the lights came on again this year. The tree is beautiful!

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Shop, wrap, repeat

Saturdays are our main shopping days, which makes Sunday a big wrapping day. We bring out the gifts, spread out the wrapping supplies, and dive in. We usually watch a holiday movie, unless there's a really good football game on and then it takes precedence.

Today was no exception - lots of shopping. Plus, I have gifts that I've bought over the past few months. So tomorrow will be a fun day of wrapping.

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It wouldn't be Christmas

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without foods and treats. Some are from years past, others came with time, and some happen some years and not others.

• Fudge - a staple as a child and still a part of Christmas present, but it must be the Fantasy Fudge recipe
• Popcorn balls - J makes the best ones in town and their red/pink color just for the season
• Corn pop candy - this recipe came from some friends years ago and we've adapted it a bit; it uses the Corn Pops you find on the chip aisle and is coated in a buttery sugar syrup and you can't stop eating it once you start
• Prime Rib - the food of choice for Christmas dinner and melt in your mouth perfection with a little horseradish sauce on the side
• Brussel Sprouts with special sauce - I for one do NOT partake of the Brussel Sprouts but no Christmas dinner is complete without them (why we can't make the sauce for something worthier like broccoli or cauliflower is beyond me)
• Caramel & Chocolate covered pretzel rods - this is a new addition and one that doesn't always get made each year, but oh so worth it
• Homemade caramels - another thing that doesn't always get done but when I do get them made they are really, really good
• Scalloped potatoes - J makes a good batch of scalloped potatoes and Brianna could eat every last drop

I'm sure I've missed something but that's the highlights. Wow, I think I'm hungry!

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Christmas Behind the Scenes

I love taking pictures of our decorations and this year is no exception. I have pictures of every tree in the house plus closeups. There are photos of the lights on the railing, the beautiful rugs on the walls, the festive mantel, a dozen or more of the village and the nativities. Everything is picture perfect.

Here's the reality. We have two rambunctious puppies that love to chase each other, especially around things like the ottoman, the kitchen island, and especially the Christmas tree, plus an established hound (Mabel prefers not to be called old) that loves to sleep under the tree and scruff the tree skirt. And while overall they are very good to leave the ornaments and decorations alone, every now and then a casualty happens and it is hard to keep an eye on them constantly. Plus it freaks me out to see the tree sway back and forth or spin ever so slightly.

And so we've implemented a few additions to the normal decor.

Kitchen bar stool on family room side

Kitchen bar stool AND chair on kitchen side

Gate into front room; often it is between the family room and entry so they don't head downstairs or into the front room

Unable to protect the Disney village, Pluto's dog house seems to have had a close encounter today

Does it still feel like Christmas even with these non-traditional items included in the decor? You bet! Likely you won't see them since we tend to grab and stash things if the door bell rings. Gotta preserve that picture perfect look and Christmas must go on!

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To Shop or Not to Shop?

That is the question that most people ask when it comes to Black Friday. And typically, we go shopping on Black Friday, but we don't get up at the crack of dawn with the crazies, but sleep in and then hit the sales that end at 11:00 or so.

This year the plan was no different, until K got an idea in her head. She had purchased part of what she needed for her managers but needed to go to several stores in the Salt Lake City area. The plan was to do that on Black Friday. But she got to thinking. Instead of fighting the crowds that morning, why not go when the store opens at midnight? We aren't going for all the sale items so we can go in, get what we need, and get out. Great plan!

So off we headed to Salt Lake at 11:30 Thursday evening. We got to the first Kohls and there was still a line outside, which meant we had officially joined the ranks of the crazies, but it moved rather quickly. We went to the back, found what we wanted, paid, and headed to the car. Unfortunately, we still needed a few more. So we headed to the next Kohls. Here we hit the jackpot and found the exact number we needed so we jumped in line. Now mind you, the line was at the back of the store and starting down the middle aisle. AND there were two lines - one for each side of the store that took this lovely path. We got in line with hopes that it would move quickly (and the store person monitoring the lines was SURE it would only take about 20 minutes). One hour and 30 minutes later, we reached the check out. By then we had acquired a couple other items that would make great gifts for family, we had watched the people in front of us take turns standing in line while the others shopped, and bonded with the people behind us about the lack of carts and how our arms were about to fall off.

We arrived home a little after 3:30 am and passed a few people that looked like they were heading out for the stores opening at 4:00 and 5:00.

Even though we didn't get a lot of sleep, it was a fun adventure. We chatted, looked at things that were on sale and wondered who bought them, commiserated with other shoppers, discussed what we wanted to do that weekend, and basically just enjoyed hanging out. I'm not sure I'm ready to do it again anytime soon, but it makes for a good story and an even better memory.

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