Christmas Day 2022

Christmas Highlights:

We made our Christmas Santa rice crispy treats that we do and wrap in silver foil - that my mom and dad did forever and that now I’ve done for my kids forever - and they just are so good on Christmas morning when people are unwrapping gifts to just be chewing on a piece of foil wrapped rice crispy treat.  It tastes like Christmas morning. 

We laughed and recalled the time when Laila was 16 years old - so four years ago and she’s the only one left at home and those that are sleeping over or putting the kids to sleep and starting to put Christmas presents out and make their Santa gifts etc. and now It’s 9 o’clock at night and I am starting to make rice crispy treats.    In the past it would be like 11 o’clock at night when I make these to make sure Laila is in bed as well. But it’s 9 o’clock at night and Laila comes into the kitchen with tears in her eyes and said, “mom You’re ruining Christmas- you make the Rice Krispies?”   like she had no idea that I actually made the rice crispy treats that Santa really didn’t do that. I said,”Laila you’re 16 I need your help. She says you’re ruining the Christmas magic”. We laugh about it now. 

Christmas morning Monson was in charge of breakfast here and he made cheese ham bacon omelettes for everybody. That was very nice of him 

We had a big family dinner around 2 o’clock today with Landon and Alex bringing Gameday stew and Wayne with Rolls and Truman with a salad and Addison and Bre with sweet potato stacks and they just all pitched in and did all that because I can’t because of my shoulder surgery and it was really nice. We didn’t get out grandma‘s beautiful gold flatware and her Royal Albert plates this year - we just did paper which is fine - but I will pull that out every year that I can.  I’m sentimental like that.  

We gave our kids some awesome chairs -like camp chairs but they fold down to maybe 15 inch long bag that’s maybe 4 inches deep and 4 inches across that’s really lightweight that you can put in a bag for the beach or a soccer game.  it just kind of pops all out and hooks all together in an instant — we are pretty excited about these chairs. I don’t if the kids are yet, but I think they will be when they start using them - And A bountiful kitchen cookbooks that my friend Si wrote, and Bre did all the lifestyle photography for. 

It’s been a beautiful Christmas - as I sit here in the afterglow of wrapping paper everywhere, and a mad, noisy crazy house and a ton of shoes by the back door, and grandkids, laughing, and crying together and dishes piled high - I’m just looking at my tree and my house is now peaceful and I’m pondering on why I love Christmas so much —It really is family time and creating memories and the feeling of peace and love and gratitude and I know all these good things come from God - I feel that.