Merry Christmas!!

Christmas has come and gone and I am a little sad. It was just barely Thanksgiving and I was setting out thinking of the things that I wanted to do this holiday season to get me in the true spirit of Christmas. Sad to say I barely touched my list. I feel that every year the holidays become more commercialized and I want to put Christ back into Christmas. I did find him this year and I was glad that I was able to do that part of my list. Maybe next year I will get to do everything that I wanted to.

This year we did the traditional dinner for Christmas Eve with my family, gram, Penny, DeLoy, Chantele and Mike at Italian Village where we all get pizza benders. It is a tradition that we have been doing for more years than I can remember. We always get there at 4pm because they seem to get busier and busier every year. Afterwards we head downtown to see the lights on Temple Square. I love the lights. They are my favorite tradition that we have been doing. The only sad part is I don't know if I am getting older and taking more notice or if this is really happening, but there seem to be less lights each year at Temple Square. Also, if you know someone who has a pull in the light color choice please, PLEASE, bring back my Cotton Candy Lane! The orange lights are great, but the pink lights over by the Assembly Hall were my favorite. It made me feel like a child again, so PLEASE BRING THE PINK BACK!!! After Temple Square we head home to open up Christmas Eve Jammies. I love getting new Jammies. There is something great about them.

Christmas Day Jamie and I were up with the parents at 7:30am so we could get our "Santa" gifts opened. We had to be to gram's for brunch at 10:30am so Kelly, Scott, Chantele and Mike could get home so they could talk with Justin (who comes home this month). We went and chatted with him and it was great. After that we went to see the girls Christmas, and it looked like Santa came and they had opened everything and had played with everything everywhere. I remember those days. Chris, Derick and the kids came over to open family gifts and we had dinner as well. I love spending time with my family and I think the best gift this year was Luke being born. He is such a sweet baby.

With Penny and Deloy being in town we did game night on Saturday and then Sunday we had the Wilson Family Christmas Party with White Elephant exchange. It was great. There were some pretty funny prizes out there. There was one that got stolen from me and I was upset. My mom didn't give me a nativity this year (until yesterday) and there was a nativity in one of the gifts. My aunt stole it from me and every gift that I stole from someone was stolen from me as well! I finally stole a Doodle Bear from my aunt so we could have it at our house for the the little girls and my mom got upset with me for taking that. Isn't that the point of the White Elephant? Oh well, I now have a Doodle Bear and I have marked it just like Andy did his toys on Toy Story!

Christmas was wonderful and I look forward to carrying the spirit of Christmas with me all year long!

Getting ready to get Pizza Benders!! Mmmmm...nothing better than Ham with Cheese and NO sauce!

The group by the now orange lights. Again, PLEASE BRING BACK THE PINK!!

We tried to get a couple of jumping pictures a year or two ago, but failed. We thought it would be fun to try again. This was the only one we could get. Jamie wasn't in the picutre because she took the picture. All the pictures of just the three of us looked ridiculous because we were poised to jump but not in the air.

Jamie, Chantele and me. It was so cold that night!

Citrine was scheduled to sing at EVE this year and there is a schedule at Temple Square to show the proof!

Gram got a new reliner and I love this picture of Penny. She sat in it without the back on and she almost toppled backwards out of the chair! Oh how I love my family.

Gram with the kids. Bryn looks like it has been a rough day. Her 'piggies' don't really stay in that long.

Me and my sisters. They are my best friends in the whole wide world. The picture with my mom and the three of us was not very cute! So you won't get to see that. Sorry!

Hope every one had a wonderful holiday season!!