Christmas

The Family Bonus

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

It is the 5th Friday of the month and I decided to share photos from the time that I was able to spend with my family during the Christmas season. I hope everyone had a wonderful December. That wonderful memories were created this year and that there is excitement for new hopes and dreams as we start a new year. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Christmas vacation should be spent in . . .

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

I think I am a pretty typical and predictable person. I like all the things most people like and 8 out of 10 times I want to spend my Christmas at home with my family doing all of our traditions but . . . there are times when I dream of far off places that I would love to experience during the Christmas season. My first real taste of this was when I spent my first Christmas away from family in Hawaii. I am not going to lie; I really enjoyed seeing lights in palm trees. I didn’t miss snow one bit and I loved that it was in the high seventies during the day. My most favorite memory was calling to talk to my family on Christmas morning and telling them that I was headed to the beach for the day while they were in a blizzard.

So here are 5 places I have only ever dreamed about visiting during the Christmas season. Who knows; maybe next year I will be in one of those places sharing with you the 5 things you should do while visiting. Fingers crossed!

  1. Paris, France 
  2. Malmo, Sweden 
  3. Pape’ete, Tahiti 
  4. Quebec City, Quebec 
  5. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico 

Gift Giving

/ jennced15 / 4 Comments

As a kid it was VERY easy for me to come up with a list of things I wanted for Christmas. Some years my list was a couple of pages long. I remember pouring over the toy section of the Sears Catalog and turning down all the pages of the items that I just knew I had to have. As an adult, I prefer to give gifts then receive them because the real gift for me now is to know that others are happy but even with that being said, it is nice to see something under the tree with your name on it.

The older I get the more I want to give gifts that are experiences and not things but an envelope with tickets isn’t the same as the actual wrapped box under the tree. Over the years I have also noticed a structure for what gifts to purchase so that overbuying doesn’t ensue. So here is the structure and my list should anyone be buying anything for me this year.

  1. Something I want to Read . . . Daring Greatly by Brene Brown  
  2. Something I Need . . . Crock-pot (okay I have a Crock-pot but it is really small, I really need a normal size one) 
  3. Something I want to Wear . . . Oxford Heels (aren’t they so cute?!!!) 
  4. Something I Want . . . Air Purifier (I live in Oregon with mold people . . . enough said) 
  5. Something to Eat . . . Salted Caramels (yes, please!) 

May All Your Christmases . . .

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

What a wonderful way to spend a Friday . . . celebrating Christmas. I write this post with so much gratitude in my heart for the wonderful life that I have. I have been blessed with amazing friends and the best family a girl could ever ask for.  That joy makes Christmas morning so wonderful. Christmas reminds me that we are loved, watched over and cared for. I pray that everyone reading this today feels the same way. If you don’t . . . consider this your wireless hug. 🙂

I have been enjoying the Christmas season as much as humanly possible. I have baked, gifted, shopped, shipped, listened and watched all that I could get in. But last night was my favorite thing so far. I had the luck to enjoy Christmas Eve with my best friend and her family. IT WAS WONDERFUL!! We had a traditional German meal. Shared Christmas memories. Listened to wonderful Christmas stories and the birth of Christ. We sang Christmas carols and opened presents. Needless to say, it was midnight when I was leaving to go home.

However, I have never felt so close to the spirit of Christmas then in that silent car ride home. It was lightly foggy; enough to cast a glow to all Christmas lights still on at various homes. I had many years of Christmas memories running through my head and a few tears slipping from my eyes as I thought of all the love that I have felt over the years. All I could hear in my mind was the song Silent Night and I was truly touched. To make it even more idyllic; I have a field right next to my house in which stood 8 deer at attention. I am sure in the darkness there was a sleigh. 🙂 (Really, this was no joke)

I pray for everyone to savor this holiday season. To find joy in life and peace in your hearts. We are blessed because of the birth of a beautiful child.

Merry Christmas!!

Silent Night by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir