December 2008

This month is obviously the busiest month of the year for us. I typically like to have all of my shopping done before December, and if I'm lucky, before Thanksgiving. I don't love shopping anyway, but I hate it even more in December. This year, I was done with my Christmas shopping before we went to Disneyland! As a result, we were all able to enjoy Christmas!

We started by dipping chocolates for our neighbors. I'm not sure how long my mom has dipped chocolates at Christmas time, but it has been a while. I decided I would carry on the tradition in our home, because I love it, and they are yummy!

I tried to let Simon help...but I don't have that much patience. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist in some aspects of my life. Anything that will be seen by other people, has to look good. I'm vain, I know.

We also had a number of Christmas parties. We had one party with the Sessions (my mom's family), a Drummond party, Granny Bliss had her party (one of my favorite), Grandma Wright had one, and we had a Bliss party! I love getting together and seeing people that I don't get to see very often, and I love being around family.

On Christmas Eve, we have started a family tradition where we take turns having one great grandma sleep over. This year Grandma Bliss stayed with us. We always have hot cocoa and read a Christmas book before bed. This year, we read The Polar Express.

Simon and Nolan have loved reading that book since we got it. Anytime Simon would tell Santa what he wanted, or anytime anyone asked him what he wanted for Christmas he would say "a bell from Santa's sleigh."

We loved having Granny Great stay with us on Christmas Eve. It's a fun tradition that we all hope we get to do for a long time!

Christmas morning, as always, was really fun. Christmas is so different when you have kids. They are so much fun to watch. I've always gotten so excited for Christmas day. I still can't fall asleep the night before, and I wake up long before anyone else does. Ben wasn't too thrilled with me when I woke him up and all of the kids were still asleep! (we DID have to get to a party...so he really did have to wake up...)

Even though we all woke up early, we had a really good Christmas. And not to mention, the kids made out like bandits! All three of them got just what they wanted, and more than they could possibly need. I even had a bell in my decorations that I wasn't using, and that Simon has never seen, so I wrapped it up in a little box so that he could get a bell from Santa's sleigh. He loved it!

We are very blessed to have such wonderful families, who live so close, and with whom we can share the Christmas season.