Christmas Sunday
I love Christmas Sunday where I dress up with my family in our best Christmas attire and go to church. The musical program is super special and there is excitement, yet reverence in the air.
Afterward we take our picture and go home and spend the afternoon together.
We had enchilada soup for supper. Then Kylie showed the kids a video of her in her dance class. Everyone immediately ran outside and started doing it. You’ll have to check out the vlog to see them dance! Then we watched home movies of past Christmases. Gosh, the kids are growing so fast!
Cookie Baking
Monday and Tuesday the college girls made Christmas goodies with the younger girls. They made spritz cookies, rocky road, peanut blossoms, and Ritz cookies. Alexis also made two different gingerbread recipes to have a taste test. One was baked in a pan and was intended for houses. The other was rolled out into people and was intended for gingerbread people. Most kids liked the people recipe best, but they were both good.
My siblings were sending out pictures of each of their cookie platters so I had to enter my plate into the competition too.
Christmas Eve
We try to eat a meal Jesus may have eaten when he was on the Earth. We made fish, Challah bread (sometimes we make pita), cheese, grapes, and a few other fruits and veggies. Sometimes we even eat it sitting on the floor. But this year we crowded around our tiny table. It was delicious!
Afterwards the children acted out the Nativity story. You HAVE to watch the video of that. It’s so special. Then it’s off to bed, but of course first they put their stockings on the couch for Santa to fill and leave them presents. I didn’t take a picture of mine and Thomas’s but we put ours out too.
Christmas Morning!
In the morning they lined up to go downstairs to see what Santa brought.
Here are the before and after pictures of what everyone got except me and Thomas.
Alexis got shower curtain, liner, Lord of the Rings piano music, and a mouse in her stocking.
Kaitlyn got a navy vest and flat iron, plus postage stamps in her stocking.
Makenna got a navy vest and an airplane ambulance Lego set, plus socks in her stocking.
Talea got a sweater dress and treehouse Lego set plus a Matchbox Tesla model X in her stocking.
Kylie got leggings and sweatshirt to wear to dance class (she was wearing them in this picture) and a gym bag. Plus a phone case in her stocking.
Madalyn got a Nauvoo puzzle and puzzle table, Lord of the Rings piano music, and a phone case in her stocking.
Samuel got a burger truck Lego set and running shoes, plus a tie and a Matchbox car in his stocking.
Anderson got a double decker bus Lego set and white shirt, plus a tie and Matchbox car in his stocking.
Thomas got a warm sweater and pencil sharpener, plus cello rosin in his stocking.
I got some beautiful sweaters.
We opened presents under the tree from siblings and me. Kylie gave Kaitlyn mealworms for her chickens and I gave her a book which she immediately started reading. The little kids got Matchbox Cybertrucks from their buddies. Everyone else got little things they needed/wanted like dance shoes or clothes. It was a simple, perfect Christmas.
Christmas Breakfast
We had cinnamon rolls in the shape of a Christmas tree, which is my family tradition and all my siblings still carry it on. We also ate scrambled eggs from our hens and sausage from our friend’s pigs. Plus a fruit salad. It was all delicious.
The rest of the day we hung out, sang around the piano, and played with our presents. By the afternoon 4 kids were sick on the couch. So we ended up watching a movie.
Friday and Saturday
Friday and Saturday were the same with sick kids lying around the house. Maddie was good to read to them and they mostly slept. In the evenings we watched a Christmas movie. In all 7 kids got sick with only Kylie, Maddie, and me not getting it. It was a 102 fever for at least 48 hours and then a bad cough. I’m so grateful everyone got it the same time and that the weather was warm. It made being sick more fun.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas week!