It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Ah, I just love to hear Johnny Mathis sing that. Totally puts me in the mood!
Not knowing for sure if Mark will be here for next Christmas, we tried really hard to make this Christmas a really good one. Everything we did involved hot chocolate, and cookies if possible, we played lots of Christmas music and tried to be really involved in what was going on.

Here are a few of my favorite things:
*Christmas decorations~ I am particularly fond of our stockings. Charlie Brown and Linus, and the framed "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" print Chris made for me one year.


*Chocolates~ When I was little, I couldn't wait until I was old enough to be able to help dip chocolates. I remember the first year I was able to help Mom, we dipped them downstairs in the family room with the windows open and listened to a BYU football game on the radio. I love that my kids want to do it too.



*Gingerbread houses~ This is one of the traditions I remember doing every year for what seemed like my entire childhood. I wish I had been better about doing when Jonathon was little, but we didn't start doing them until a couple of years ago, thanks to Kimmie.


*Christmas Eve with the Evans~ It's so nice to be able to do Christmas Even with Evans and then Christmas Day up at Moms. That way there's no rush, we can enjoy being with our families. I wish I had Christmas Eve pictures with the Evans, but being me, I forgot my camera. So here's another favorite:
*Sugar cookies~ Yum Yum Yum, and the kids are getting old enough it's not nearly as much work as it used to be.


*The looks on the childrens faces~ The excitement, the giggles, the ripping of the paper. This year we papered over the entrance to the living room so the kids couldn't peek, and it was the best! I am totally doing that from now on. Zach, being the youngest, got to break through the paper first, and we were finally there to see the looks on their faces. Usually they get up, sneak in and look at everything (without unwrapping) before we wake up. This was way better!

*Christmas ornaments~ One of my happy memories involving my father is of him giving us Christmas ornaments. I have 3 or 4 that he gave me, and they are very important to me. Almost all of our ornaments have a specific memory or event attached to them, and I love them all for that.