Pre-Christmas

Our Christmas celebrations had a slightly different flair this year.  Since we moved into our new home the week before Christmas and were planning on spending Christmas day with Mark's sister's family, we didn't put up any of our Christmas decorations.  No Christmas tree, no Santa stocking holder, no Christmas lights, no Willow Tree Nativity.  Some days I felt decidedly un-festive.  

Normally in Decembers our calendars are booked up with traditional activities (breakfast with Santa, Reindeer Run 5K), friends (delivering holiday treats), and parties (with the ward, with friends, with preschool, at the library...).  I know many people endeavor to "simplify" this busy time of year, but I love it and revel in all the fun activities (although I do sometimes with they could be spaced out over a longer period of time).  So this year initially felt a little lacking and lonely (don't worry, we more than made up for it in the weeks immediately following Christmas). 

We tried to keep up what traditions we could.  For example, every year we like to make our own salt dough nativity.  Who needs Willow Tree when you've got this?

The tradition suggests that the youngest member of the family is supposed to create baby Jesus.  This year was Thane's turn, but we ended up with two babies, because after Aubree saw me make a manger, she was determined to make her own. 

Bryce decided he would make the sheep.  But mostly he enjoyed poking his sheep.

 When Grandma and Grandpa Winters arrived, we coerced them into participating in our adventures.  First, we made gingerbread (graham cracker) houses.  Bryce thought this was a fabulous activity, though I'm not sure how much candy actually made it onto his house.

Grandpa agreed to help Aubree construct her house and they got quite ambitious in their initial plans (I can just imagine Aubree plotting how much candy will be required to cover that house).

Unfortunately, graham crackers are not the best building materials and their finished product was not exactly as they'd hoped (but it still served its candy-holding purposes).

With extra hands to help the other kids, Thane and I were even able to make a house this year.  My biggest task was trying to keep Thane's hands out of the icing.

Grandma's house was probably the sturdiest and most appropriately decorated (and Bryce says her house tasted great as well). 

Once we moved into our new home and had necessary supplies like rolling pins, cookie sheets, and cookie cutters, we set out to make and decorate our sugar cookies.  What's Christmas without sugar cookies?

Again, Bryce ate as much as he cut out, and I think perhaps he liked eating the flour almost as much as the cookie dough.

December 23 was our official "Pre-Christmas" where we opened all the gifts that were either too big, too little, or had too many pieces to warrant taking with us to Karen's (7 people + luggage + winter gear + Christmas presents = an awfully tight squeeze, even with a van).  We had to wait till Mark got home from work to open presents and I was impressed with how patient the kids could be.  Here are some of the highlights: