Early Christmas Celebrating

One of my very favorite Christmas traditions right now is doing an act of service each day counting down to Christmas. I love the way it helps keep us focused on service and giving instead of just Santa and getting presents (which is fun too). This year especially, with so many things going on in the world, as well as the suffering going on around us (stuff we are aware of, and the reality that there's lots going on that we aren't aware of) has left me feeling a little heavy in heart that there is so much heart break in the world. This seems to me like a small way I can help- and try to teach my children the importance of service and reaching out to others too. I hope some of these simple service projects have touched someone's life this year- they have definitely touched mine. I had plans of making a really cute advent calendar, and then life got busy and I ended up just cutting out paper and taping it to the wall. Maybe next year I'll get a fun one made.

Just a few of the things we've done- making gingerbread men and taking them to the kid's primary teachers and we left some for the mailman, making pretzel treats for our pediatrician and the bishopric, made Christmas cards for their great-grandparents and the missionaries in our ward, had kids over to play, donated old toys to DI, donated food to the food bank, and held doors open for people. The kids love the baking activities best (I do too!) and I think they also loved painting Christmas cards. I love having a purposeful, planned out way to do a lot of the fun Christmas activities that we would do anyway.

We made it to temple square one cold Sunday night. The boys loved the Christmas lights, and they both loved watching the nativity. Is there anything more beautiful than temple square at Christmastime?

It snowed! We had all these plans for Monday the 14th- and all of them got ruined (some due to the snow, some due to other stuff) so we ended up just coming home and making a snowman. Even though it was frustrating to not get the stuff done we wanted, the snow is so beautiful and really puts us in the Christmas spirit!  My boys loved getting their shovels out and "helped" me shovel driveways. Chase is actually a little helpful now! Hudson kept taking snow from the sides and pouring it back on the driveway- so he evened the helpfulness out. 

And now there is less than two weeks until Christmas! I've got two very excited little elves! I thought the threat of Santa Claus was going to be golden this year and I'd have the most obedient children ever. Not the case. When I told Hudson that he wouldn't get presents if he didn't stop throwing a tantrum he yelled at me, "THEN I DON'T WANT PRESENTS!" And Chase has explained to me a few times that he knows he's been naughty before and Santa has always left him presents in the past. Also he says he has until two days before Christmas to make the nice list. I guess we will have to see if he gets coal or not!