2022~23 Holiday!

Some Christmas years I start scheming and tucking things away in October. This was not one of those years. I didn't decorate or do one thing until after our NYC trip. There was a lot to do and pull off in less than three weeks! But if there's one thing I've learned is that it all comes together just great, and soon enough it is the day after Christmas, then the week after Christmas and so on, and it all comes and goes as quickly as it arrived.

This may very well be the last Christmas with just our little family, as Adren keeps talking about leaving on a mission- though we aren't sure when that will turn into action. (No rush!) We didn't have any kind of Christmas trip planned this year, and with four teenagers who all but one have jobs and packages arriving regularly, there aren't any big needs necessarily. 

Christmas Eve arrived with family coming for the traditional yummy dinner!

We welcomed Cash, Granny and Grandpa Taylor and Grandma and Grandpa Geertsen. Full house, bellies and hearts.

After dinner we ice sugar cookies, prepare plates, read Luke 2 together with Christmas songs tucked in-between the program, then we watched a couple of versions the church has put out. All so good! Soon enough, we send everyone on their way. We always do a quick buzz-up for Santa and then gather in the front room. 

These kids! We open everything under the tree. I had some little treasures from friends, and the much anticipated gift from Granny. She gave little wooden puzzles the kids got into immediately. I sent her and daddy this pic of them enjoying them:

Then everyone opens up their new Christmas jammies!

Fresh and Cozy!

 

Once kids are upstairs- not necessarily in bed for several hours- We put on a movie and the magic begins! I always go outside and breathe in the chilly Christmas night and stand in the dark neighborhood before heading up to bed. So exciting!

The next day was Sunday, and we had to wake up the kids and get them moving so that we could open gifts before Sacrament meeting. It was a great morning!

Zeke loved on his new kitty piano, making us all chuckle at the sound. (and a little sad to miss Sookie.)

Speaking of Sookie, I had some prints done and framed and a pillow made of her. I knew this first Christmas without her would be rough for Paisley. I kept thinking it was Sookie nestled in the pile of gifts! Of course tears flowed, and her pillow is kept on Paisley's bed. I peek in on Paisley in the morning and always assume it is Sookie staring back at me, about to follow me down for her breakfast. I decorated a little tree and put it on top of her grave in the backyard. Dear Sookie...
Christmas break was fabulous, as always. I worked each morning while the kids slept in, then movies and legos and lots of relaxing for them.

New Years Eve was just Jon and I at home. We still ran outside and yelped and hollered at midnight with the Thornock's!

I had several things coming up right away that kept me busy-busy. But first, look at these cute boys walking home from church. My heart! And it's finally snowing a little! (I'll laugh at myself thinking that soon enough- just wait.)

The big annual Stake Youth Bowling Activity on NYE! Thanks to my presidency, the Stake YM President and his counselors, this activity is not too much work on any one of us, and is fun to all be together as we pull it off. We cannot believe the big turnout we get every year, and it's fun to see all the youth together.

Here's the younger group at Miracle Bowl: 

After this I ran over to Fat Cat's to see the bigger kids, then on to the church for the fireside that kicks off the new theme for the new year and a pizza lunch. We filled the chapel and overflow! We feel like we have this down like clockwork.

Once this event was over, it was time to turn my attention to the ACHF After-Holiday Party. I learned November- December is busy at ACHF, so the Holiday Party needs to be in January. (and I learned I need to be ahead of Christmas myself by then!) It was scheduled on the calendar for Jan. 9th, but it was up to me to take it from there.

I found a great venue for free thanks to an awesome donor. I sent out RSVP's to all employees, Board Members, Volunteers and Interns. Then assigned dishes for everyone to bring. One day Kent texted me that a company going out of business was donating 200+ weighted blankets to us, but we needed to pick them up ASAP out of their warehouse. I tried coordinating a truck from Rocky Mountain, but with only my boys able to help me one afternoon, I realized we needed a much bigger truck and much bigger muscles. And where are we even going to store these heavy things???

This is all that could fit in the back of Jons truck- and I worried the whole way home we'd lose some~ sweaty! I realized it would take about 15 trips in the truck.

Kent ended up renting a U-Hall and took Eli and Zeke with him to pick up the rest. I ran to our warehouse to clear space, Jon joined us and we hefted those heavy blanket boxes into stacks up a ladder on shelves for the next two hours. Whew! We really wanted to be able to give everyone a blanket at our Holiday Party and we did it!

I checked out our venue so I could get things set up.

It turned out being a great night; huge turnout with great food and activities. I supplied (well, ACHF supplied) wings in my roaster, big winter salads and cheesecake bites. Everyone contributed as they were assigned. And everyone left with a beautiful weighted blanket! (Do you see them stacked by the window?)

This marked the official end to the Holiday Season for me!