The Parties Are Over

...but we sure had fun. We gave up the traditional marathon present-opening with 25 people in the tiny Christmas room, and had the families open their presents whenever they arrived Christmas day. It was much more relaxed and more room to maneuver.

Ethan liked his truck from Grandpa:

Colette shows off a new book:

The next party was at J.Lynn & Tana's for Grandma E's birthday:

We ate in the well-heated garage. The California Moungas were there, and most of the Gales. Jody took two and a half hours driving through horizontal snow to get from Provo to the Farm, and Damien hadn't made it back from Utah County due to an accident on the freeway. John and I made it home by driving behind a semi at 35 mph after the fog had blown away. I was thankful not to be driving from Houston to Utah and back this year, as we did for several Christmases in the past. Much better to drive 40 miles than 1400 (or however many it is).

Our Current (and Former) Political Climate

I first saw this on Times and Seasons, one of my favorite Mormon blogs:

A Happy Christmas Evening

We drove down to The Farm and arrived on a wet and foggy Christmas Eve. Another visitor touched down just outside the window:

J.Lynn and family came over to G&G's for a talent show:

Kelly, Milinda, and Kendrick did Scotland the Brave using nothing but humming and their nasal passages. It was very impressive and funny.

Kendrick and his brothers played the piano.


Chris played as well, and J.Lynn videoed it, so I'll get a copy when we go back on Wednesday for Grandma's birthday party.

We came home fairly early and built a fire and read the scripture story of Jesus' birth.

We finally got Grandma Gene's Christmas lights put up.

Our house on Christmas Eve:


Merry Christmas to all!

A Christmas Song for Doubters*

About the Universe I hear
So many different stories
From 'this is all we have my dear'
To 'we'll sing heavenly glories'
The world will end in fire and ice
Or all are raised in Jesus Christ.

On whole I like the atheist view
It's tidy and it's neater
And death's the end. I don't deny
That Resurrection's sweeter
But hope in Christ risks such a fall
I'd rather not believe at all.

Jesus walks free and wise and wild
Do I dare follow this brave child?

*the first Poem of the Day, hopefully (somewhat revised from this morning)

In the Bleak Midwinter

It snowed, heavy wet snow blue in the depths of the shoveled piles, on the border of freeze/melt.

John shovels the sidewalk beneath the crabapple tree:

No picnics on the back deck

or in the garden

and the kitties stay in their heated boxes

while we come inside for hot chocolate and tea and watch it fall.

Hero watches us--Why do I have to stay out here? I would be sympathetic if, during her days as in indoor cat, she hadn't always been so eager to escape into the great outdoors.

Here is my favorite Christmas song of this year, by Annie Lennox:

SLC and Temple Square

We went to SLC yesterday to hear the Timpview choir sing at the Joseph Smith Building and then in the Assembly Hall. John and Amy and I parked at Betsy's and walked downtown. That's the fun thing about B&B's house.

Notice the choir lining the balconies:

Chris was just left of Mr. Larsen:

Ethan liked the Christmas tree in the JSB:

We had dinner at an extremely crowded Crown Burger on North Temple. Nicolle, Colette, and Johnathan came too, but I forgot to take pictures. We walked back up the hill to warm up in Betsy's house. Alice warmed up Chris in his A Cappella tux:

Grandpa and Ethan play with Brett's Ferrari.

Amy and Betsy are silly. Less than two months until Ellie makes her advent!

Chris' Christmas Concert

We went with the grandparents to Chris' acappella concert this Thursday. It was fun to hear them--especially the Halleluia Chorus with all the choir alumni. I tried to upload it, but it must be too long for blogspot. After the concert we went to the Creamery for BYU ice cream. Yum. I was nostalgic for when we went to Ruby Begonia's for ice cream in the Woodlands after Dave's 5th grade Christmas band concert, and the girls' Nutcracker. How far back would that be? 20+ years. A lot of concerts and ice cream since then.