The Christmas Spirit

It seems that Christmas came and went so quickly this year. I think as one gets older, time goes more quickly because there is so much to do in preparation for the holidays and so much more responsibility. Whereas, when you're a kid, December drags because you just can't wait 'til that one moment you know Santa Clause is coming to town! I remember feeling like Christmas would never come and now, when it does come, so quickly, I wish I could actually slow the time down! I love this time of the year; its a time spent with family & friends, a time for laughter & joy, a time when everyone comes together and love is so much stronger. I hope to keep that spirit throughout the next year, even after December slips away. If we all made that our goal, imagine how much better this world would be...
So what have I been up to that has kept me on my toes, running around like crazy? Well, work at CTMH for one thing, and a little bit of coaching here and there. I have been staying strong with TOSH Acceleration twice a week and still love it! Shopping for presents, going to singles ward activities, and parties, parties, and more parties.
My mom and I have done a lot of baking this year. I haven't participated in as much as I would've like to, but my mom has been busy with chocolate fudge and Licorice Caramels. I wasn't going to do pretzels this year, only bc they are so expensive to make. But I had many who mentioned them and had their mouths watering for their delicious taste of caramel, chocolate, and candy coated goodness. So my mom and I boogied around the kitchen, jamming to Christmas music and had fun doing it.

Christmas Eve went quickly. Again, I spent most of the day working on the Inkley slide show. I am pretty sure every time I attempt a new slide show, something goes wrong! I copied 9 dvds, later realizing one of the songs didn't copy to the disc. I thought I was ahead of the game and done early this year. Well, I was wrong and I stayed up until 2:20am finishing them. But it is always worth it and I enjoy the end result. That evening the Inkley's gathered around at my Aunt Sandi's house for stories, songs, and goodies. We always read the story of the baby Jesus and a family story...then we always end with the song, I Wonder When He Comes Again. This year we read the poem that I mentioned earlier, my first Christmas in Heaven, to honor my Grandpa Inkley. I know he was there and we all felt his great love for us.
*There are no pictures of me, but I promise I was there... After we return home for the night, we always exchange gifts between the siblings. Now that its just Nick and I living at home still, we are the only 2 who still exchange with each other We also get a pair and new PJ's...I kinda picked my own out this year from Old Navy! haha...I love them:) Nick gave me a new straightener which I was thrilled about. I have been wanting to buy one for the past couple of months and just haven't. It's even pink which is a bonus. I gave Nick a Bob Marley shirt which I was way excited to give him, and he loved it, along with a new Longhorns Hoodie, which I think he also liked. Oh, the joy in giving!I spent a lot of the remainder of the night on the dvd slide show. When I finally decided to hit my pillow at 2:30, I couldn't sleep. I felt like a kid again, tossing and turning in anticipation for what tomorrow, or 'today' in this case, would bring! I finally fell asleep but not for long bc we had to leave dark and early for Pleasant Grove to watch Danny and Aspen come out to the tree. We had to be to their house by 8am, which is actually really late for our family.

{I grew up going out to the tree at between 5 & 6am and I am sure we were yelling at the top of our lungs for our parents, before that point. We could never come out of our room until our mom came to get us. After my dad got the fire going in the fireplace, we would say family prayer, line up youngest to oldest, and race out to see what Santa had left. Good old memories that I hope to live with my own children some day.}

Tyler was dying because he was so excited for his kids to see what Santa had brought them. He texted me at 7:52 and asked where we were. We were almost there, but he just couldn't wait! It was fun watching them discover new things and fun toys. Aspen got a Polly Pocket Roller Coaster set that Santa had set up next to her stocking and princess coach/bed. She also got some lip gloss in her stocking that she smothered all over her face...so pretty. Danny loved his new toy, he was rocking like no body's business on that thing. He also discovered the candy cane sticking out of his stocking pretty quick. Then aspen realized there was candy and wanted it all opened so she could eat it. What joy kids bring to Christmas. So fun! For Christmas breakfast, we go back to the Inkley family for Finnan Haddie (Fish) and breakfast casseroles. We gave grandma all of her gifts; it was a little strange without my grandpa there in a chair right next to her. I believe he was there in spirit though.
I showed off my new car and everyone thought it was sweet...many a little jealous. I let Colton, my cousin, take it for a test ride with Nick; he is one of the few I trust...out of the teenage/young adult boys in my family. My Uncle Neal came out and peeked under the hood and inside, he too was impressed. The slide show was also a hit and we had it playing during breakfast. Finally at 2pm Nick and I got to go under the tree and open our stockings. We had a great Christmas and I must say, I was super excited when I opened that mystery present under the tree....it was a new Nano i-pod! I was not expecting that at all! Later T&T and their kids came over. We exchanged gifts and Aspen was so excited about her baby! She wouldn't let it out of her sight and mom was so excited she loved it as much as she hoped she would! She was so excited to give it to her. Nick sorta mentioned Tiff's present before she even opened it, thinking she already had! He got her New Moon and boy was she excited when she DID open it...at least her face showed it. hahaha. The kids were spoiled and loved all of their gifts. They sure left with a haul later...I went over and picked up Grandma to bring her back for dinner. We all felt quite privileged to have her for dinner. It was delicious and it was the first time in a long time we had a sit down dinner instead of just a buffet. I guess it's bc normally we did sit down on Christmas Eve when my Grandma Mason cooked, but she is now gone and so this year for Christmas Eve, we went to Cafe Rio and made Christmas dinner a sit down. Later, we played with our new gadgets, watched the slide show again, Tyler and Nick raced their new race cars around, and we just enjoyed a wonderful evening together! I had a wonderful Christmas and can't believe the holidays are almost over. We still have new years in a couple of days and I am looking forward to an awesome weekend!

-Peanut