Christmas 2010

We had a great 2010 Christmas. Once again I am calling it our best ever. The kids were so fun, we had great company with our friends, the Gardners, and it was really a relaxing holiday. I'm excited to be into 2011, working on my reading list for the year, looking forward to summer swimming...so much ahead!

Just a few picture to document our Christmas:


The halls were decked, stockings hung, Christmas tunes playing...


We had Turkey a la National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation...the only person who ate it was Anthony who insisted on some meat on his Christmas dinner plate! Anthony and Brent were so excited to fry something that I guess they forgot to check on it. The bird was over cooked by at least 30 minutes. Luckily the side dish I made was a big macaroni and cheese instead of potatoes. Otherwise, potatoes would have been our main dish!


Cute boys sitting at their table just waiting for some food.


The Christmas Story, finger puppet style.


After opening their Christmas PJs, the kids watched Polar Express.


The Christmas morning discovery process was fun, as always.


Two of Addie's favorite presents were her Ariel necklace (the one that sings ahhahhhAHHH ahahahhahhhaahhhhhhhh) and Hello Kitty chapstick. It's always the little things!


Strait to the table to paint a wooden jewelry box.


And crazy Jack enjoying his trains, cars, and a cowboy hat.

It was a great time for everyone! We felt very blessed to have our healthy happy children to enjoy Christmas with. After a month of trying to keep Christmas as simple and hassle free as possible, I also enjoyed relaxing on the actual holiday. Very nice!

Now we have hit the ground running...next week we will begin work on our kitchen, which the people we've hired say will not take long. We'll see if that's true. Either way we are excited to see the finished product!

Feedback: 12 Days of Christmas

We got this follow up email from Ian on the 12 Days of Christmas today. It reminded me of how much we can lift those around us with really very little effort.

All,

I just got off the phone with Joe, and wanted to pass on to all of you some of what transpired.

I asked Joe how things have been going for him, and he said that it was shaping up to be the best Christmas his family has ever had. I feigned surprise and said "Really?".

He said "Yeah, you know, things were looking pretty rough this year, and we had pretty much accepted the fact that there would be one present under the tree for each of the boys, but something is going on, and I am just amazed. You should see under our Christmas tree, it's fully stocked!"

"Are you serious?" I said.

"Yeah man!", Joe replied, "You know when it started, it took me a while to catch on, but after about the third night, I realized this was a pretty well thought out thing, because someone has been leaving presents for the boys, and for me and Rose every single night since last Monday!"

I said "Wow! That is amazing!"

"I know!", said Joe. "I was at church yesterday asking people 'Is it you?', 'Is it you?', and nobody even knows what I'm talking about! I don't know who is doing this, but it has been such a great experience. I really see God working in this, and it really has been a spiritual experience for us."

Joe and I talked for a few more minutes before I got off the phone.

I can't tell you how much it means to me that each of you has been willing to participate in this and come through so admirably with your commitments. I hope you have all realized by now that this is not just a material exercise. The temporal gifts that you give are important, but the thing that you are giving Joe and Rose and their kids that is infinitely more meaningful is hope. I can hear it in the way Joe talks, and I am sure that it has changed things in their home this holiday season. That kind of gift is priceless.

Thanks to all of you for being a part of this. It's the same every year. My family and me benefit more than any of the families we have ever given to. I hope that each of you will think about this experience in years to come and feel good about what you have done.

Ian

I thought this was a perfect way to head into Christmas Eve. "Truly He taught us to love one another, His law is love and His gospel is peace" (O Holy Night, Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure, 1847).

Merry Christmas!

The Trains at Northpark

Have I mentioned I have a new camera that I'm just getting to know? The timing on our new point-and-shoot camera is a little different than our old one. I'm not loving it at the moment. Can you see what I mean?


We went to the "Trains at Northpark" display yesterday with friends and had a great time. There is a huge line, even right at opening, but it goes pretty fast. It is a little crazy inside though, hence the one try for a group picture...



Maybe I'm just a little kid inside, but this is one of my favorite things to do during the holidays that my kids also enjoy. I am fascinated by the train displays and can't wait for my children to be old enough for us to do real trains. If Anthony ever sees fit to have a room in our house just for trains, I will be okay with that!



The center of the display was this Christmas tree that had a train winding up and down. Very cool. From where I was standing to take this picture, I could see 4 or 5 trains winding in and out of the scenery. I can't believe someone gets paid to play with trains!



Jack's little face was pressed up to the plexiglass most of the time. I just had to not think about the germs...






All of the kids loved the Fair Park display. We pass Fair Park every time we go to and from Dallas, so my kids LOVE the ferris wheel.


Fun, fun times. Afterward we went to the Scrooge Puppet Theater, which proved to not be as cool as I thought. It was only 15 minutes long, and only Ebenezer Scrooge performed. Not bad if you are there anyway, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it!

Cookies for Santa

Last year, on the 23rd of December, I had a little "Cookies for Santa" party for any friends who were in town. It was a lot of fun, so we did it again this year. I realize it sounds crazy to throw a party in the middle of all that needs to be done before Christmas, but I usually find that my kids are going nuts with all of my "to do" lists and this provides a much needed break for them. It also makes me feel like I'm doing something fun for friends, so I do it in place of taking a plate of goodies to their house.



Today was very low key. We decorated (and ate!) sugar cookies, the kids watched "Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas" and then they played upstairs for a while. The moms enjoyed the low key entertainment and opportunity to chat. It was a win-win that I will do every year we are home for Christmas. And of course, Santa always enjoys the cookies while he's putting toys together!

Gingerbread House

The Wilton Gingerbread house kit is becoming a favorite Christmas tradition. I think someday it will be fun to stretch ourselves a bit and make our own gingerbread, but for now it is sure nice to just throw the house together, let it dry, and let the kids go for it. If it all goes badly, at least I haven't wasted a ton of time!


We just bought a new point and shoot little camera and I'm not doing too great with it. I can't seem to get the timing right on my smiles anymore...They both had a great time. There was LOTS of finger licking going on. Jack has such a sweet tooth I'm just waiting to catch him up on the table trying to take a bite.

Warning: This kit comes with some little candies that resemble 1/4 inch gobstoppers. Those do travel well when spilled on a wooden floor! They bounce on the table nicely and roll just about everywhere pretty quickly! Just something I learned yesterday. :)

Spirit of Christmas, Part 2

We made our Spirit of Christmas deliveries tonight. Let me just say this is SO FUN! I drove the getaway car again, while Addie and Anthony delivered the goodies. I laughed so hard watching the cute four year old silhouette of my Addie running through the dark after her sneaky delivery. So fun!



Our super awesome friends, Chris and Tiffany, sent us a yummy Gingerbread cookie mix, these fun cookie cutters that have holiday phrases, and cute personalized Christmas aprons that have already been put to some good use this week. The cookies were so delicious I may have to get another mix. So much Christmas cheer just coming and going...

Spirit of Christmas

One of my favorite traditions finally hit our house this week. I am so glad, too, because I didn't document it last year and I think it's so fun. We got a treat with a note and a yellow construction paper star on our front porch. The note read:

The Spirit of Christmas is moving quietly and lovingly through the Heath ward. The Christmas spirit is the warm feeling you get inside when you show someone how much they mean to you. The plate of goodies you received represents the special kind of unselfish love that Christ had for all of us. The star is for the bright star of Bethlehem that showed others the way. Place the star in your front window to let others know the Spirit of Christmas has been in your home. Make three plates of goodies with notes like yours. Each plate should have a star like yours and should be delivered anonymously to a home that has not yet been visited by the Spirit of Christmas. Let the star be your guide in choosing homes. Please spread the spirit within 48 hours, for each home in the Heath ward must have it's star by Christmas Day.

Thanks for sharing the Spirit of Christmas! May happiness and joy be yours throughout the season and always!

As soon as we were in full swing Christmas mode, I've been looking for the anonymous surprise on our porch. I was actually kind of sad that it hadn't arrived...thinking maybe we lived too far out in the country for people to bother picking us! Funny how even just after one year I was excited to be a part of this again. The "Heath ward" part could be substituted out for your own church or even your neighborhood. It really does feel cool knowing that all over town this week people will be anonymously dropping goodies off to each other.

Christmas Party!

We went to the annual Christmas party at our church this past weekend. After a yummy meal and a small talent show, all of the children sang "Picture a Christmas". Jack even decided to join the group, even though he's not technically old enough.



After the kids performed, the kids sang "Jingle Bells" as loud as they could until Santa's bells could be heard on the stage behind the curtain. As soon as the curtain was raised, Jack ran by me and said he was going to give Santa a high five! No fear, that boy.



I really do think that both of them had fun visiting with Santa, but my pictures look painfully serious. Maybe it's just very serious business telling Santa what you want for Christmas.



I must say, now that we're rounding the corner into this week I am getting really excited myself! The shopping is done. I think I know where I've hidden everything. I'm ready to roll!

Storytime with Santa

Northpark Mall has a fun story time with Santa that will continue through this Thursday. It's every day at 10:30 a.m. and my kids loved it. Anthony took the kids Christmas shopping on Saturday to buy me a present, which they did NOT enjoy at all, so luckily storytime was happening to jazz things up. Santa stands in front of his cottage and tells stories about the North Pole. Pretty cute!

They also have a Scrooge puppet theater every hour of every day from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. that I think we need to check out this week if I can stomach the crowd!

Christmas Ballet 2010

This week Addie's ballet class did their Christmas performance for the parents. In my usual form, I was not aware of what a BIG deal it was suppose to be, partly because we were sick the week before. So, Addie was the only kid in her pink while the others wore Christmas colors and we were late so she didn't get her fancy pipe cleaner tiara. Luckily she kept her cool and still enjoyed performing. Then we came home and she had dinner with a red and black tutu on to match her red pipe cleaner tiara.

Christmas Ballet 2010 from Julie Berg on Vimeo.

It is fun to see how much better she gets every six months. The little girl next to her was having a bad day and broke down several times during the performance. She also shoved Addie in the back at one point...ah the joys. What a busy week! Now school and ballet are over and we can just enjoy the next week.

Christmas School Crafts

This Christmas season I have been especially loving the crafts Addie has done at school. I've loved a lot of things about school, really. On the first day of December they talked about the birth of Christ as an introduction to the month. From then on, every day has had something to do with that - complete with one day when they all brought a stuffed farm animal to school to reenact the setting of the manger.

This week they focused on the letter "J" so she cut out the name "Jesus" in many different fonts and glued it onto a big "J". Then yesterday she did a cute picture of the Wise Men. It has been so great to have some reinforcement of the things we are teaching her! While it might seem redundant to me to put the same name all over a "J", it made for easy conversation about what Christmas is all about. This is something I am sad to be losing next year in the public schools.


The Christmas Coloring book was a gift from her teachers yesterday on their last day before the holiday. It's to the style of "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?" only it's with Christmas items like stars, reindeer, angels, Christmas trees, candy canes, and presents with Santa seeing the child at the end. It's really cute. Addie will enjoy coloring it for at least a few days and then we can enjoy reading it with Jack.

Twelve Days of Christmas

Yesterday we had the chance to participate in a group "12 Days of Christmas" project and it was so fun (I almost forgot to write about it...)

There is a popular tradition of choosing someone to give gifts to every day for the twelve days leading up to Christmas. My family did it a few times when I was growing up and I've always wanted to do it again. I have the best intentions, but let's be honest: 12 days is a huge time commitment this time of year. While I still think it is an awesome tradition that I may pick up down the road, our friends introduced us to a group version that is pretty cool.

Our friend, Ian, organized a group of twelve families (including his own) to each take one of the twelve days of Christmas. He met a man at his barber shop who had fallen on hard times and was struggling to pay his monthly bills. Ian simply got commitments from all of us, then he sent out an email with first names of everyone in the family, ages, and their address. As each family does their day, they report back to Ian what they gave so that he can forward it on to avoid duplication.

We put together a "Christmas Kick-Off" bag of goodies to get the recipient family into the holiday spirit. We included Christmas movies, popcorn, M&Ms and kisses, hot chocolate, family games, and some cash. Before we went, we read a story about a Christmas drop-off very similar and I think Addie actually started to grasp what we were doing. She and Anthony ran the bag up to the door, rang the bell, and ran back to the car.

I was so grateful our friend asked us to do this. It made me think on many levels. One of the most remarkable things to me was that he simply met this man in a random location. It wasn't someone from work or church that he sees often enough to easily know of his circumstances. Instead of checking his email on his phone, or texting, or reading the paper, or just looking down while he was getting a hair cut he looked around him and engaged with people.

The group was also made up of a variety of people. Neighbors, friends, coworkers and people of varying religions. This cuts away all the junk about keeping your address and name and circumstances secret from everyone and gets down to the heart of a community taking care of each other. Great lesson and a great tradition! I hope we do it many years to come.

Brown Santa

Nothing racial here, folks. The men in my family have a nickname for the UPS truck this time of year, even though he visits regularly throughout all twelve months. Brown Santa. I'd forgotten until earlier this week when Anthony told me "Brown Santa" had left me something.



I do love Brown Santa. He keeps me out of the crazy malls, which I braved this week a little more than I like to. The second day I went to the mall I had to follow it up with a relaxing bubble bath before I could fall asleep. Sounds pathetic, but really it stressed me out. So. Many. People. Free shipping is all around you if you'll just look for it and you have the time to wait for your parcels!

Special Guest Tradition - Emily

My sister, Emily, told me about a tradition their family does for Christmas that sounds fun. On Christmas Eve they "wrap" the kids' windows with fun wrapping paper. The original tradition they got the idea from was wrapping the kids' doors to keep them from snooping on Santa's delivery. Since they have kids younger than ours, they wrap the windows so that the kids can't see Santa when he comes. Good idea to allow easy access to children who are crying or may need a midnight potty break. (I can just see the years of therapy that might be needed from a Christmas Eve potty accident due to walking through wrapping paper in the dark...) In a few years I can see this being really fun for my kids.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

Tonight I'm making pumpkin cranberry bread and it just feels festive because of the aroma in the house. I consider pumpkin a Thanksgiving and Christmas flavor, as well as the cranberries. This has been one of my favorite holiday recipes for years. I found it at allrecipes.com, but it's just a Libby's recipe. Simple, yummy, sweet (but still considered "real food"), and the cranberries make it look pretty when you slice it! I will be enjoying it for breakfast tomorrow.



To make your own you need:

3 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 (15 ounce) can LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

Then follow these simple steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, vegetable oil and orange juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.
3. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

*Sometimes I add raw sugar to the top. It's pretty and it gives you a crunchy top after the bread has been stored.

Moravian Star

The Moravian star is a favorite Christmas decoration we brought back to Texas from North Carolina. Moravians settled Winston-Salem in 1766 and used the Moravian star as their official Christmas street decoration, but the tradition began in Germany. The star represents the Star of Bethlehem and is often seen in large outdoor Nativity scenes as well. They hang from the porches in Winston-Salem and I loved the way they illuminated the historic homes in the neighborhood we lived in. Just a little piece of North Carolina I get to pull out annually!

As a side note: If you happen to stumble upon Moravian Sugar cookies during your holiday shopping, just buy them. They are insanely good. Like, by the dozen good. :)

Scripture Advent

My friend Jamie mentioned the Christmas tradition of a scripture advent in a comment last week. Then we got our December Friend and realized there is this cute advent activity complete with visuals for your children included. THEN President Uchtdorf mentioned his own family's use of scripture advent in the First Presidency Christmas Devotional yesterday. So, my interest has more than been captured.

The ideas all revolve around reading scriptures daily throughout December that tie into the birth of Christ. They can be prophecies of His birth, the events leading up to His birth, or the details of the night He was born. Jamie has children just about my kids' age and they involve candy in the nightly routine. It sounds perfect for us. Reading the entire Luke 2 account of Christ's birth of Christmas Eve has NOT gone well with our little guys so far. We are late getting started this year, but we're doing it and let's be honest...my kids won't know I didn't do it perfectly (neither will yours!)

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Already this month is filling up quickly with fun and festive things. Places we can go, things to see, people to meet up with, food to cook...the list goes on and on. I'm so grateful for the annual First Presidency Christmas Devotional that our church broadcasts every year. It always inspires me to stick to my guns and not get carried away with the details of Christmastime that can make it so crazy.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk this past October entitled "Of Things That Matter Most". Just yesterday the words and message of that talk were ringing in my head as we jumped from one designated place-to-be to another all day. Then tonight he again referred to the benefits of slowing down. Ahhhh, I was listening! Just going from my notes, he suggested that we all prepare for Christmas by pondering it's meaning. Rejoice in the birth of our Savior, ponder His influence in our lives, remember Him, recommit, be grateful, forgive, and prepare for the day He comes again.

President Henry B. Eyring described three gifts we can give to Christ this season: A broken heart and a contrite spirit (repentance), doing for others what He would do for them if He were here (service), and pointing others toward Christ (sharing our testimony).

And finally, President Thomas S. Monson shared his hope that we would all have a Christmas filled with love, giving and the spirit of the Savior. I love that he shared his favorite Christmas reading as well, because I love reading a Christmas book every year. He reads "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, "The Mansion" by Henry Van Dyke, and the second chapter of Luke every year for Christmas. Honestly, Luke is the only one of the three I've ever touched so I'm going to have to change things.

It was a great night snuggling with my children in their PJs while we listen to these men share their testimonies and inspired ways to have the spirit of Christ fill our homes this time of year. I'm excited about the many opportunities this month gives us to talk about Christ with our children. Click HERE to listen to or watch the broadcast if you missed it.

Heath Tree Lighting

On Friday night our little City of Heath held their Christmas tree lighting. We had several families come over for chili beforehand, then went to the festivities. The two elementary school choirs sang, Santa came, cookies and cocoa were served, and best of all there was a TRAIN. Here are my kiddos waiting for the train to circle around the park so they can get a turn.


It was hard to keep Jack off of the track (aka sidewalk) while the train was being loaded with passengers.


Here he is, still waiting. Still excited.


Finally, a turn on the train...


And they're off! How cute is this little train?


All smiles afterward!


The first thing Jack said to me when he got off of the train was that he was NOT scared and he did NOT cry. We had a great time at this event. I love going to local Christmas events, big or small. They are low key and close by, free, and full of our neighbors! I hope this becomes an annual Christmas tradition.

Christmas Tree

While a Christmas tree is not an unusual tradition, I have really put a lot of thought into how we can add a personal touch to ours. I love to have a pretty tree, but I also want a child friendly tree. Plus, I'd like for the tree to reflect us. So, I'm working every year to balance beauty and personality.



I expect that every year our tree will evolve with us. This year's tree includes things that represent our family, where we are in life, and what each of us enjoys.

• Every year I pick up a frame ornament with the year on it and put our Christmas card picture in it.
• ABC's, reading, and writing are hot topics at our house - hence the alphabet ornaments.
• Butterflies, a tiara, teddy bears and plenty of sparkles for Addie.
• Trains, planes, and automobiles for Jack.
• I even found a sailboat ornament for Anthony this year!
• I love Santas and snowmen. We have breakable ones on top, and soft stuffed ones on the bottom.
  
• Even the handmade school and church ornaments and the fishing bobber Santas they made at Bass Pro Shop look good on the tree - which makes the mom very happy!

I love the wonder and beauty of a Christmas tree. I hope to pass that on to my children. While we decorated the tree this year, Addie said, "This is going to be the best Christmas tree EVER!" I agree, every year.

As children have joined our family, I feel like the changes to our tree represent the changes in my life. Maybe I wouldn't have picked butterflies and trains for my tree before Addie and Jack joined us, but it's so much more beautiful with them!