Christmas Poems

Lincoln and Rachel had a language arts assignment to write a poem using the letters
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S.

Rachel did a lovely job:

Cherished family, joined together.

Hot Chocolate warms my spirit.

Rows of shimmering lights.

Isicles glimmering in the sun light.

Snow glistening on the roof top.

Time for loving.

"Merry Christmas", my neighbors wish.

A shiny ornament hanging on my tree.

Special time to share.

"How is your poem coming along?" I asked Linc as we shoveled snow.

"Great!" He smiled. "It's about you." "I'll finish it tomorrow and bring it home".

A poem dedicated to me? I said to myself. This is wonderful!

The next day, my eagerly awaited poem was hand delivered with pride.

I excitedly read it aloud.

Coke.

Really describes Mom, she's A

Holic!

Isn't it strange?

Two, too

Many,

Addicting,

Sweet drinks gone!

Wow Linc....

thanks...

We Were Fed

Last night we had a special family experience. It was our night to volunteer at the Food Bank as part of our 25 days of service.

We were asked to make deliveries to people who are unable to leave their homes. We split into two teams, Lincoln went with me and Mark took Rachel. We were each assigned four people to deliver to.

We assembled boxes of cheese, yogurt, juice, canned goods, and a frozen turkey breast. We also took non food items like a roll of gift wrap and a container of laundry soap.

We packed up our cars and Lincoln and I headed out to our first stop in Rose Park. The Food Bank was completely out of milk so we stopped at 7 Eleven to pick up four gallons. As we walked in, Linc noticed a big sign on the door that said, "Today Only Manager's Special: Milk 2 for 5.00".

We smiled at each other and commented about our good luck.

A few minutes later we arrived at Viola's home. Perhaps the tiniest house I have ever seen. Before we got out of the car, Lincoln looked at me and said, "Mom, I think this is going to make me feel really good."

Viola looked to be well into her eighties. She had bright red hair and a New York accent. She gave us a warm welcome and invited us into her humble little house.

Although the house was tidy, everything inside it was very old. The stove was rusted out in sections and she said that it no longer worked, "but" she said, pointing at the microwave, "that thing works great!"

She had a mini Christmas tree sitting on her windowsill, it reminded me of Charlie Brown's.

She had no family, no pictures of grandchildren, no one to talk to except her cat.

"Honey" she said to me "I need you to read some things for me."

At first I thought that she had misplaced her glasses but then I realized that she was illiterate. She had lived her entire life unable to read.

We went through her mail and the instructions on some of the food. I read her the information on her new prescription card and Linc did a few small tasks that she wanted done.

She thanked us over and over. As we were Leaving, she grabbed Lincoln and gave him a big kiss on the cheek.

When we got to the car, tears filled our eyes and love filled our hearts.

We continued with our other deliveries. The humility and gratitude of the recipients was touching. We kept checking in with Mark and Rach and they were having the same kinds of experiences.

It took us about three hours start to finish, then we met up with Mark and Rachel for a donut run. When we walked into the warmth of our own home, it felt a little different to us. We looked at our pantry and fridge with new eyes. We hugged each other and talked about how grateful we are to have all of our needs met.

We realized that in our effort to help feed the hungry, we were the ones fed. We gained more than we gave. We were captured by the true spirit of Christmas. We committed to make this a regular family activity.

The Food Bank has a great need for contributions and volunteers. If you have a few hours to spare, gather the family and make a few deliveries. Take it from me, you will be glad you did!

If you would like to help and you live near the Salt Lake area, you can contact Jenn @ 887-1266 or 978-2452.

Merry Christmas.

Thanks Roni, Jana & Co.

Last night was one of our favorite nights of the Christmas season.
We received this little delivery:





These delicacies are hand made by Roni, Jana & Company. They not only look professional, they are absolutely melt in your mouth,

out of this world,

knock your socks off,

to die for delicious.

Lincoln proposed that we choose our first chocolate in an orderly fashion, oldest to youngest.

That plan worked for me since I am older than Mark by four months.
Slightly suspicious in that Lincoln happens to be older than Rachel by two minutes.


Samantha didn't seem to mind going last...

Thanks for your hard work, Roni, Jana & Co.

We will enjoy every last bite!

Twelve Dates Of Christmas

What to get the husband for Christmas?
That is the question that has been swirling through my head for the past two weeks.

Mark loves gadgets and golf.
I thought about a new ipod but he said the old one works fine.
A Kindle would be fun but they are back ordered until February.
A new Garmin would be good but it just didn't seem like the right gift.

I moved on to the golf idea. But then I remembered Mark saying once that if there are two things in life that a guy should pick out for himself, they are golf clubs and tv's.

Hmmmm.Sigh.Groan.Tap Fingers.
What to do?

Completely stumped, I plopped down on the couch to spend a little time with my good friend, Oprah. I can usually count on her for some thought provoking ideas. The topic for that day was Christmas ideas that don't cost a lot.

A young couple talked about how they celebrate the "Twelve Dates of Christmas". They think of twelve things to do together, one per day. The idea is giving each other the gift of time.

I loved it!

So the past few days I have been busy plotting and planning. Some ideas don't cost anything, others have gifts attached. Some "dates" include the kids, others are for just the two of us.

I typed up each date then I went to the dollar store and bought pretty bags, cards and Christmas boxes to put them in. I added some sparkly ribbons and bows and put them under the tree. Mark gets to open one each day.

Here are our twelve dates:

1st date of Christmas: Everything we will need for a cozy night of Christmas movie watching. (pajama bottoms, warm tee shirt, new slippers, a big bowl for popcorn and a bottle of rootbeer)

2nd date: Dinner and bowling at Fat Cats for family night.

3rd date: A late night walk in the park. (New running shoes, warm socks, hat, gloves and scarf)
(Mugs and hot chocolate for when we get back)

4th date: I will drive down to his office and take him to lunch.

5th date: A Family drive to see the Christmas lights at Thanksgiving Point, we'll stop for a treat on the way home.

6th date: Your feet, my treat. (Items to give him a great massage)

7th date: An afternoon date. (A gift card for lunch and movie tickets)

8th date: Family game night. (A couple of new games and treats)

9th date: Dinner and family night at Temple Square. (A gift card for dinner and some thermals to wear outside)

10th date: This one involves a little romance so I'll keep it private. (wink,wink)

11th date: Christmas Eve... kids asleep...us curled up in front of the Christmas tree.

12th date: This gift is so top secret that I can't post at this time for fear that kids might stumble upon it. Let's just say it involves some place warm and sunny.

I also attached little love notes to each gift because sometimes those are the things that matter most.

I can't wait for Sunday.

Merry Christmas!

Sami the Red Nosed Reindeer

Sami, the red nosed reindeer, took a very nasty fall.

And if you would have seen it,

it probably would have made you bawl.

Wouldn't you know it, just in time for Christmas pictures.

....Aahhh, life with a one year old.

Gifts For Him

December is here!

It is a time to cherish family, express love to friends, make memories, honor traditions and most importantly, it is a time to remember the birth of a tiny baby. The Savior of the world.

I am pretty good at making memories with family and expressing gratitude for my friends and neighbors. I snap lots of pictures to preserve special moments and we do traditional things like making gingerbread houses and going to see the lights at Temple Square.

Yep, I do ok in those areas.

What I am not so great at is the most important part of the season, remembering the Savior.

Many Christmas nights I have felt a little twinge of disappointment in myself. I look around at all the gifts, the scraps of wrapping paper, remnants of a feast devoured earlier and I wonder....

what did I give Him?

Oh, we participate in Sub for Santa and other charitable causes and those things are good. But it seems that there should be something more, something deeper.

This Christmas I determined to do better. A couple of weeks ago I called a family meeting. I told everyone to come with six ideas for acts of service.

We gathered together and shared our ideas. We compiled a list and Mark made a calendar entitled 25 Days of Service. Some ideas are simple and don't cost anything like:

Say hi and smile all day. Look for kids who need a friend at recess.

Write thank you notes to primary teachers.

Other things on our list include buy pet supplies and deliver them to the Humane Society, take grandparents out to breakfast read and study about the life of Jesus.

My favorite is "Love at Home Mondays". We each take a person in the family to do little acts of kindness for all day. We rotate each week. Last week flowers were given, beds were secretly made, love notes were posted around the house.

We also have a top secret project that we are working on to be delivered Christmas Eve.

We started on December 1 and now we are a week in. It has been a sweet experience. While none of our ideas are grand or elaborate, small efforts have turned into a big dose of Christmas spirit. We find ourselves remembering Him more and thinking about ourselves less.

I am so very grateful for a child born in the humblest of circumstances. I can never thank him enough for His example, His life, His love. I want to know Him better. I want to do better.

If you have additional ideas that help put the Christ in Christmas, please share.

May this season be full of love, for Him.