I know this is really behind the times to be posting about Christmas but I wanted to get it recorded. I so enjoyed the Christmas season. I loved having the decorations up. I loved the festive feeling that was in the air. I loved thinking about Jesus as a baby and then thinking about his wonderful gift of the atonement. It was interesting this year because with every Christmas I love listening to the Christmas tunes on the radio. This year....not so much. It seemed like everytime I turned on the local Christmas station I would hear Bruce Springsteen singing "Santa Clause is coming to town" or some other pop singer taking a beloved Christmas hymn and remaking into a "new" pop version. Oh, how I did not like that! After searching around on XM I found channel 75. What an inspiration! Classical station playing classical hymns in a classical way. So refreshing. The first time I heard a hymn from Handel's Messiah I had just pulled into Best Buy's parking lot. I couldn't get out of the car. I was mesmorized by that beautiful music! My heart was filled with joy as the words and music filled my soul. By listening to this station each time I got into my car, I feel, changed my heart this Christmas. This may sound silly to some and maybe there is more to it than just that but I tell you that it certainly made a difference in me. I loved all of December and did not want it to end. One day while I was shopping I came up to the register and the fellow ringing me up asked how my Christmas season was going. I told him that it had been wonderful. He looked up at me in surprise and said,"Wow! Most people just say they can't wait for it to be over with." I felt sad at that and amazingly enough at the very next store the person in front of me was asked the very same question and she said that very same thing. "I can't wait for it to be over with." My heart was sad. I know that the holidays can get a little stressful but if we are focused in the right direction we can enjoy the holiday with it's ups and down's (including shopping and the long lines.) Rick and I were very blessed to have all of our kids home on Christmas Eve. What a wonderful night. We sang hymns and shared thoughts and testimonies. I love to hear my children bear testimony of the Savior. This picture is at the end of the evening as we all got to wear our Christmas Jammies.
Some other things that made this Christmas memorable:
*A night at the Marriott and the Kurt Bestor Concert (a R & J tradition)
*Zoolights with the "married's" and Carver's for dinner
*Dinner and VoiceMale Christmas Concert with Mike and Jen Shepherd
*Decorating six Christmas trees, yes SIX (St George house, music room, family room, bedroom, dining room, and missionary's apt.)
*Teaming with the ward choir to pull off this year's music (they came through with flying colors even though I should have stayed home in bed 'cause I was very sick)
*Messiah Concert at GHS (this is always a highlight and yes, I always tear up during the Hallelujah Chorus)
*Christmas Eve tamales from Mina Cisneros
*Christmas morning watching everyone open presents and yes, opening my own!!
*Christmas ham dinner
*Temple Square Lights with Skylar's friend from Paraguay (Jose' or Joseph as we call him:)
*Seeing Rafe in his little reindeer outfit:)
*Phelps Family Christmas Party (not the ticket that Rick got on the way there for running a stop sign right in front of a cop:(
*Reading Christmas Stories
and last but not least....
*Watching Christmas Movies
I love Christmas but more importantly I love why we have Christmas. Our dear Savior was born into this world. He led a perfect life and then in His perfection He suffered a very cruel and painful death. All so that we might have the opportunity to repent and recieve forgiveness for our wrongdoings. He rose again on the third day breaking the chains of death so that we all might live again. I love Him!
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