Christmas

This past week has been so fun and relaxing.  I really feel like this Christmas was a great day for all of our family, and we really felt the true Christmas spirit!  We stayed home this year with just our family, and it was really nice.  We did things as a family,  played outside, and just had a great week!!
There is no better feeling than telling Christmas stories, reading about the birth of Christ,  feeling the spirit so strong during this time of the year,  the excitement from your children all month long, serving others that are truly in need, and receiving goodies and Christmas cards!!  I think receiving Christmas cards and serving those who really need it are two of my favorite things during the holiday!!  I'm glad I have young children to help me remember Christmas through the eyes of a child, and I'm glad there are families that need extra help during the holidays, because it helps me to remember that giving is so much more important than receiving.  We set out our cookies, our magic christmas key (since we don't have a fireplace),  opened our one present Christmas eve, and enjoyed Christmas eve reading stories and watching a Christmas movie.
On Christmas eve we found out about a family we knew that had no where to stay on Christmas and the 4 children knew they weren't getting anything.  The children knew this and were ok with it. They were just happy to have a place to stay for Christmas eve.  A member of our ward where the family was staying sent out an email that evening asking if anyone had any extra presents for the four children.  Our ward was amazing and even though it was so late,  he received over 30 calls and emails of people wanting to help.  When the children came down on Christmas morning they sat on the couch ready to watch the family they were staying with open their presents.  They weren't expecting anything and were very polite, but little did they know that half of the presents wrapped and under the tree were for their 4 kids.  When they told the dad  the presents were for his kids he started crying and was so emotional.   Their family has been through some hard times, and he was so grateful!! It's times like those that you realize you are spoiled if your kids have a few presents to open.  I hope if I was in that position people would do that same for my children.  It doesn't matter how rich or poor you are, you just want your child to have one present to open.  To go along with this story, Lexi only asked for one thing, a zebra pillow pet. We happened to be at the store on Christmas eve and Lexi saw another stuffed animal she really liked.  I told her she would have to choose between her pillow pet that santa was bringing her and this.  It was a really tough decision, but with hesitation she said that she would rather have her happy napper stuffed animal.  We got home and received the email about the family in our ward. The family in need only had one girl, and after talking with Lexi she wanted Santa to take her zebra pillow pet to the little girl.  It made me really emotional, because I knew how badly she wanted this stuffed animal.  Lexi had remembered a story we had read in the Friend a few weeks prior about a little girl who had never owned a stuffed animal, and when she received one as a gift she was so happy and grateful.  To me this is what Christmas is all about!  Its so easy to spoil my kids, but I know that every year there will be a family in need and maybe one year it will be us, so I know in the years to come I probably won't spoil my kids much, because we are blessed with so much and I want to be able to help other kids who really need it.

We had a really neat program for Relief Society the week before Christmas. They portrayed all the important women in the life of Christ.  It was really neat to hear how each of them felt about Jesus, and the important role they played in his life.  Sometimes I forget how the grandmother, mother, and those other important people in his life must have felt when he was born and crucified. It really changed my feelings and perspective because you think of your own child, and how you would feel.  It was a great program to set the mood for Christmas time. I'm thankful for the time that was put into putting that on.

Our kids were so excited on Christmas morning!! They loved opening up their presents, and were so excited with every present!  Every time Lexi would open up a present she would say, "I love it, thank you".   They kept saying thank you, and were so excited to play their new games.  Lexi loved her new clothes and perfume the most! Trey loved his remote control ninja turtle on a 4-wheeler the best! Korver wasn't interested in opening presents, he would just give us the present back when we'd hand it to him.  He loved his new alphabet train push bike from his grandma's!! He was just happy running around and checking out what everyone got.  We had a great Christmas!!

I'm grateful for my Savior and his example.  I'm thankful to be reminded of his humble birth and life.  I'm thankful for all that I've been so blessed with, especially my family.  I'm thankful I have them to spend Christmas with.  I love this time of year, and the new resolutions I can make to be better.
Merry Christmas!!