This year has been a little bit different in some ways. We have done many of our traditions, but there are many things we normally do that we have only done partially this year or not at all. This is partly due to the fact the we traveled the last two weeks of November and then the first week of December, which made it so things we would normally get done on the weekends didn't. Also we took on the project of remodeling Tanner's room for Christmas and that took a lot of the spare time we did have. Add in the start of basketball along with games and practices for Chloe and we just didn't have the time for everything. Even so I think that this has turned out to be a memorable Christmas for us all and I wouldn't want to change any of it.
We have tried to watch a Christmas Movie each weekend together as a family. I liked this. It was Tanner's idea. I think we will do it again next year and I will probably even buy a few Christmas movies to add to our collection at the beginning of the season.
We didn't make gingerbread houses or sugar cookies. There were several reasons for this-gingerbread houses were sold out and homemade gingerbread is not something I do, also I left my cookie cutters in at Landon's parents by accident over Thanksgiving. Also we just didn't have a lot of extra time and both of these things take time We kind of missed these two activities and hopefully next year we will be back on track with them. I did find some gingerbread men at Michael's one day, which Chloe and Bryce had fun decorating one afternoon over the break. No the same, but they still enjoyed it.
We didn't do a secret Santa this year. This is normally something we always do. Instead we put together some homeless bags and donated a stuffed bear to our cousin who was trying to get them to give to kids in need. I think these were good causes, but the kids missed the secret Santa and so did I, so we will probably do it again next year.
We did the 24 books of Christmas. Bryce liked this and so did I. He opens a different Christmas book each night up to Christmas and we get to read it. It's lots of fun. We will keep this one going for a least a few more years, until he is to old for me to read to him ;(.
Once again, I made my Grandma a video for Christmas. It is the only thing she wants every year. I try and get as many of her kids, grand-kids, and great grand-kids in it as possible. I think the whole family really looks forward to it cause they all ask to watch it first thing when they come to her house on Christmas. It can be quite a time consuming process, but this year Chloe was able to help me quite a bit. I can't believe how fast kids pick up on technology and can learn things in minutes that took me years to perfect. While putting the video together I came across this cute picture of my taken in 1984 (I would have been 2). Fun memory!
One day while out doing a little bit of shopping I saw this station wagon it was loaded with presents and had tree on top. I couldn't help but take a picture. It reminded me so much of one of our favorite Christmas movies National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. We didn't see that one this year-next year it's on the list for sure.
Chloe and I made these cute snowman candy bar gifts for her to give her friends. They were cute and simple and fun to make together.
Santa was at my work, so my team snapped a picture with him. We didn't officially take Bryce anywhere to see Santa this year-another first for us-but I figured the Santa n the Polar Express was more than sufficient, plus he probably wouldn't have wanted to sit on his lap anyways.
We went to my Grandma Marshall's house on Christmas Eve to hang out with some of the family. My Mom was in town-yay! My Grandma gave all the kids socks for Christmas it was funny, because all of the kids even Tanner immediately put them on to test them out.
We had a nice Christmas dinner at my Grandma Marshall's with most of my family. The food was great and the company better. It was a nice way to finish off a beautiful Sunday Christmas Day.
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