I have been looking forward to Christmas at my parent's house for months. My mom goes above and beyond when preparing to welcome company and, as a result, her home is the most comfortable place in the world.
While looking forward to our visit, I was reminded of a very old talk given by Neal A. Maxwell that reminded me of my mom. He said that "When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.' There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.' Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?"
Yeah, my mom makes coming home feel like that. And since it had been five years since I'd gone home for Christmas, my excitement for the holiday this year was almost as great as when I was a child.
Here are some of my favorite memories:
1. We celebrated the Winter Solstice just before leaving on our car trip to Kentucky. We didn't get to do that last year, so I was glad it worked out this year. I made "sunshine soup" (this year it was a carrot and cauliflower curry soup) and we turned out the electricity to eat by candlelight. I didn't make a yule log but the kids thought that having Swiss cake rolls was just as good. It's a very simple tradition but it really packs a punch for me. I feel quiet and expectant, which is just the way I want to feel as I anticipate the coming of the Christ child.
2. We also put up a very pitiful little tree before leaving. Our poor, deprived children didn't realize how lame it was. They happily hung up our dozen ornaments and accepted the broken lights with uncharacteristic cheer.
3. The trees at my mom's house were beautiful, though. I liked the skinny one in the foyer; it had all pink ornaments. The kids liked the bigger, more traditional one. It was ringed by an electric train.
4. Being with my siblings was the best part, of course. Brianna was there with her new husband. Brinton and Tim were there, too. They all lavished attention on my boys and we did plenty of singing around the piano. I also liked playing games. Apples to Apples was my favorite this trip.
5. The big boys decorated gingerbread houses with Brianna and Tim. Brianna's little house was a masterpiece. She is very much like my mother; they both have a talent for making things beautiful.
6. My mom was excited to read The Polar Express with the boys, which we did on December 23. Afterwards, Brinton came out all dressed up in a train conductor's costume and gave the boys tickets to ride on the Polar Express. My mom made hot cocoa and we pretended that our cars were actually a train then drove to a friend's house where my dad was waiting, dressed up as Santa Claus. The boys, surprisingly, didn't recognize him. He had so much stuffing in his coat, he hardly had any lap left! But they all were sure happy to sit on what little lap he had!
7. One of my favorite things we did was see the lights in the Ashland Central Park. It reminded me of being a kid and going with my Grandma to see light shows at Oglebay. Some of the displays could have been the very same ones that I remember from childhood: the giant glowing T-rex, the life-size storefronts, and the brilliant and detailed nativity. The boys were delighted and ran all over the dark, muddy park.
8. When I asked the boys about their favorite memories from this Christmas, they all mentioned the presents. Carl said, "I got a lot of LEGOs and I got a video camera." Soren said, "My favorite thing that happened was getting my journal" (which was a gift from his Uncle Brinton). Even Sven said, "I want to remember a lot of presents." A funny thing that happened was that my Grandma gave the boys checks for Christmas. Soren, when he saw the check, asked her not to give him anymore because he didn't have a bank account. She laughed and said that if he didn't want her money, she wouldn't give it to him!
9. Oh, the food. And the Christmas crackers, of course.
10. After Christmas, we went to a resort called The Bear Lodge. It had an indoor water park. I'm pretty sure that Sven and I had the most fun. At least, we went on the most water slides.
11. Brinton, Tim, and my parents all came back home with us so that they would be there for Soren's baptism. They celebrated New Year's Eve with us, which meant fondue and a time travel movie. This years selection: Back to the Future II. Oh, and we watched Phineas and Ferb with the boys before they went to bed. Welcome to 2016!
12. The last part of our Christmas was the Epiphany celebration. This one we celebrated with the Duedes. We exchanged gifts with them and had gluten-free king cake. I'm not the amazing hostess my mother is but the company was great so we enjoyed that time together anyway.
13. The best thing about this Christmas: I got to see so many of the people I love. And I got to see them loving on each other, which is especially sweet. I can't think of a better way to celebrate God with us.
While looking forward to our visit, I was reminded of a very old talk given by Neal A. Maxwell that reminded me of my mom. He said that "When we return to our real home, it will be with the 'mutual approbation' of those who reign in the 'royal courts on high.' There we will find beauty such as mortal 'eye hath not seen'; we will hear sounds of surpassing music which mortal 'ear hath not heard.' Could such a regal homecoming be possible without the anticipatory arrangements of a Heavenly Mother?"
Yeah, my mom makes coming home feel like that. And since it had been five years since I'd gone home for Christmas, my excitement for the holiday this year was almost as great as when I was a child.
Here are some of my favorite memories:
1. We celebrated the Winter Solstice just before leaving on our car trip to Kentucky. We didn't get to do that last year, so I was glad it worked out this year. I made "sunshine soup" (this year it was a carrot and cauliflower curry soup) and we turned out the electricity to eat by candlelight. I didn't make a yule log but the kids thought that having Swiss cake rolls was just as good. It's a very simple tradition but it really packs a punch for me. I feel quiet and expectant, which is just the way I want to feel as I anticipate the coming of the Christ child.2. We also put up a very pitiful little tree before leaving. Our poor, deprived children didn't realize how lame it was. They happily hung up our dozen ornaments and accepted the broken lights with uncharacteristic cheer.
3. The trees at my mom's house were beautiful, though. I liked the skinny one in the foyer; it had all pink ornaments. The kids liked the bigger, more traditional one. It was ringed by an electric train.
4. Being with my siblings was the best part, of course. Brianna was there with her new husband. Brinton and Tim were there, too. They all lavished attention on my boys and we did plenty of singing around the piano. I also liked playing games. Apples to Apples was my favorite this trip.5. The big boys decorated gingerbread houses with Brianna and Tim. Brianna's little house was a masterpiece. She is very much like my mother; they both have a talent for making things beautiful.
6. My mom was excited to read The Polar Express with the boys, which we did on December 23. Afterwards, Brinton came out all dressed up in a train conductor's costume and gave the boys tickets to ride on the Polar Express. My mom made hot cocoa and we pretended that our cars were actually a train then drove to a friend's house where my dad was waiting, dressed up as Santa Claus. The boys, surprisingly, didn't recognize him. He had so much stuffing in his coat, he hardly had any lap left! But they all were sure happy to sit on what little lap he had!
7. One of my favorite things we did was see the lights in the Ashland Central Park. It reminded me of being a kid and going with my Grandma to see light shows at Oglebay. Some of the displays could have been the very same ones that I remember from childhood: the giant glowing T-rex, the life-size storefronts, and the brilliant and detailed nativity. The boys were delighted and ran all over the dark, muddy park.8. When I asked the boys about their favorite memories from this Christmas, they all mentioned the presents. Carl said, "I got a lot of LEGOs and I got a video camera." Soren said, "My favorite thing that happened was getting my journal" (which was a gift from his Uncle Brinton). Even Sven said, "I want to remember a lot of presents." A funny thing that happened was that my Grandma gave the boys checks for Christmas. Soren, when he saw the check, asked her not to give him anymore because he didn't have a bank account. She laughed and said that if he didn't want her money, she wouldn't give it to him!
9. Oh, the food. And the Christmas crackers, of course.
11. Brinton, Tim, and my parents all came back home with us so that they would be there for Soren's baptism. They celebrated New Year's Eve with us, which meant fondue and a time travel movie. This years selection: Back to the Future II. Oh, and we watched Phineas and Ferb with the boys before they went to bed. Welcome to 2016!
12. The last part of our Christmas was the Epiphany celebration. This one we celebrated with the Duedes. We exchanged gifts with them and had gluten-free king cake. I'm not the amazing hostess my mother is but the company was great so we enjoyed that time together anyway.
13. The best thing about this Christmas: I got to see so many of the people I love. And I got to see them loving on each other, which is especially sweet. I can't think of a better way to celebrate God with us.
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