3 More Days & Counting . . .

Can't believe there are only 3 days until Christmas! As I was going down my mental check list of things the family must do and see still, I realized the other day we hadn't seen the Christmas lights yet! So last night we headed out with a Holiday Lights Map that Brent had gotten out of the paper. We discovered some fun new neighborhoods with crazy amounts of lights and decorations. Some even were handing out free popcorn and hot cocoa! But my favorite place is one you MUST go and see if you live in the area! The entire cul-de-sac is decorated. Every house gets involved. In order to truly absorb everything, you need to park your car and walk down the street with the kids. One house has even opened up their backyard and made it look like you're walking through Bethlehem. They have narration going on as you're walking and seeing pictures of Christ's birth, the wisemen, etc. Such a neat calm feeling you get as you walk back there. Here are the directions: From Country Club (Arizona Ave), head west on Guadalupe. Take a right on Cherry and then it's about 3 streets down on your right -- it's called Natal. This has become a little tradition of our family that we must see every year!

Our other favorite Christmas light spot? Of course, the temple. So we're heading there this evening (hopefully it doesn't rain!). Before we go, we're stopping at the Mesa Arts Center for Mark Mabry's book signing event!

So as I was sitting in carpool last week, I brainstormed some of the other fun Christmas traditions we enjoy as a family every year. Here are a few:

• Chocolate Advent Calendars for the kids


• The kids making gingerbread houses with Grandma Foster


• Helping Grandma Lamoreaux decorate her Christmas tree


• Dollar Store Shopping for Siblings - the kids LOVE taking their allowance to the dollar store to pick out little gifts for each of their siblings. We did this a couple of years ago and they've remembered and beg to do it every year since. So it's become a December FHE tradition. They get a kick out of choosing something special and spending their own money on each other!


• We do a scripture advent for the month of December. There's a different scripture each night relating to Christ's birth and a little song to go with it.


• Christmas Service FHE -- we find someone in need to help or cheer up and try to make their Christmas a little brighter!


• Baking our favorite recipes that mom used to make (and sometimes still does if we beg her!) - coconut balls, toffee, corn flake wreaths, sugar cookies, peanut blossoms, ginger snaps
  
• Celebrating our anniversary! Yes, every December we get to try and squeeze this into our schedule. Why get married in December, you ask? Well . . . we'd already dated for 2 years and didn't want to wait another semester. So now we're stuck with a December anniversary. Our tradition has become to leave the kids with Grandma from Friday until Saturday evening. Friday night we go to dinner and usually a movie. We usually just go home and spend the night since we're broke from Christmas shopping. Then Saturday morning we get up and go to breakfast and then Christmas shop together all day Saturday! We hit dinner before picking the kids up and it's such a fun weekend. This year, was even better, as Brent's incredibly generous brother surprised us completely with an amazing weekend! When he heard we were just spending the night at home, he decided to put us up at the W hotel in Scottsdale. I have never stayed in a hotel like this -- it was incredible. Very contemporary and quite the place to be in Scottsdale on a Friday night! The valet had to escort us in the hotel since we were guests so we could bypass all of the people standing in line outside to get into the club. We were a little out of our league :)

It was an unbelieveable anniversary we'll never forget!

Hope you and your families all have a very Merry Christmas! We are blessed to have such great family and friends! Love to you all!