It's the MOST wonderful time of the year!

I LOVE the Fall season and PART of Winter. I say PART, because it doesn’t even start until December 20^th something and then I ONLY like winter up through January 1^st!

I love Fall for the bright and vibrant colors of the changing leaves, pumpkins and other such things relating to the harvest season, the slight Chill that enters the air AND for college football season! Thanksgiving is also a wonderful time to spend with family and friends and to think of the many blessings in my life.

But, I think I love the month of December more than any other month! I LOVE the Christmas Holiday season!! And, here’s why. My top ten:

10. The "cheer" and excitement in the air... for the most part people are nicer this time of year!

9. Holiday movies that bring back memories of my childhood (like Frosty the Snowman) or just make me laugh and laugh (ELF!)

8. Receiving Christmas cards in the mail with pictures and updates on friends/extended family that I don't get to talk to as often

7. Decorating and the holiday decorations and sitting in front of a fire place with the lights off except for the tree

6. The yummy food and treats :)... and the holiday parties!

5. The chance to think about what others need and buy it for them without them wondering why you did it

4. A quiet day at home with family/friends and knowing I don't have ANY reason to be running errands or out and about

3. The Music!! I could listen all day long. I have a special place in my heart for O Holy Night and Carol of the Bells!

2. Family coming together or talking for a while on the phone

And, drumroll please...

The number 1 reason:
1. Jesus Christ: He has brought meaning to my (and everyone's) mortal existence and has given us the gift of eternal life! His is the perfect example of how I should live and it is because of him that I can feel hope, peace and joy not only during the Christmas season... but all year long!

There’s just some “magic” about this season… and I think it comes down to people letting the “Spirit of Christ” enter their heart... whether they believe in Him or not! It changes people and I think it’s a ripple effect. The change in one person’s heart and outlook, changes another, etc.

This December was just incredible for me and I feel very blessed. Here are some pictures to show some of the highlights, but really, when it comes down to it, the magic and wonder of Christmas is, for me, everything included in my top ten list… with number one being the best!

A couple of friends of mine organized the most elegant and fun Christmas party I have been to (ever, maybe). It was held at a beautiful home in Potomac, MD where there were more rooms on the first floor than rooms in my whole house! It was beautifully decorated for the holidays, and there were place settings for all 30 of us! I felt it such an honor to be invited!

We were told to wear our "best dress". Well, that slightly panicked me because I don't own a dress! Crazy, huh? I own lots of skirts, nice sweaters and shirts, but no dresses, especially no fancy ones. I always have problems finding one that is the right length and not too short. It seems like the cute knee length dresses always fall way to short for me. And, because I wear jeans and warmups to work, my wardrobe has not needed any adjustments! So, I decided to give it another try and headed to Macy's on a Saturday in December. Me and a gazillion other people, but OH - I found a dress (2 actually!) And adorable black shoes and jewelry too! A definite splurge, but a very fun one! And, I got enough compliments at the party to make it worth EVERY cent!

We were asked to bring either a talent to share or a dessert. The choice was easy for me and I started to look through my cookbooks! Others were adventurous...

Practicing for the debut of (as I call it) the "Ho, Ho, Ho" song. Hilarious

Friends awaiting the talent portion of the evening.

Michelle - Looking adorable as a reindeer!

Chad and Chelsea taking their turn to participate in the "Ho, Ho, Ho" song!

Russ and Brad then taking their turn too!
Definitely one of the hits from the evenings talents.

These were the four girls who were the masterminds behind the party... and shared their special talent as well (learned and mastered that same day!)

Caroling around the piano

Chelsea, Michelle and I

Now transitioning. My employment this year as a nanny, means so much more than just tending children! I have many varied tasks and responsibilities, and one of them was decorating for Christmas. I will NEVER forget my reaction when I first saw this tree and the **** I went through in putting lights on it. I can look back now and laugh (a little), but I will never forget it!

I just don't think this picture does the tree justice! The room has vaulted ceilings, and as you can see it's taller the bookshelves, which are probably at the normal height of a ceiling. I had to use a ladder to get to the tippy top. It's also about 6 feet wide... maybe 7. It had to be delivered by a special truck! Despite my initial interaction with it, it was quite beautiful in the end. But, the entire time I envisioned a squirrel jumping out of it like in the movie National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation!

Christmas EVE!

I invited my mom, brother and sister in law over to the house where I work since they were out of town. We enjoyed dinner, sitting around the fire, and then a fun game afterwards that my sister in law introduced us to! It was such a wonderful evening! I love time with family!

Mom by the ever-famous tree!

Evan :)

Then, this is the tree in my apartment! My roommate totally decked out our kitchen and family room and I loved it! It was fun to sit by the tree at night with the lights off and just enjoy the beauty of it! So... this is me in my pjs all full of excitement for Santa to come :)

Christmas Day!
and
Turkey DISASTER!

I had a PERFECT Christmas holiday. It was quiet, but just wonderful. My brother and Madison came over later in the morning to open gifts. I got some things I had asked for, as well as some very nice pieces of clothing my sister in law had picked out!

Madison and Evan also wanted to host Christmas dinner. They had invited Madison's cousin and her family to join as well. All my mom and I had to do was bring the turkey! Easier said than done. My mom has made many turkeys in her motherhood years... no sweat right?

Well, it would have turned out perfectly if my oven had 1. Heated up & 2. Not turned itself off TWICE! We didn't realize number 1 till after an hour of cooking. And, we didn't realize number 2 until 2 hours into the cooking!

So, needless to say, 30 minutes before we are supposed to be at Evan's, I call and say we're going to be 30 min late. My mom and I take the turkey out of the oven and slice it into pieces. We then cook those pieces on the stove top like it's chicken breast! Pretty creative! We only cook enough for our dinner and then I take the basically raw turkey out to the dumpster.

Raw turkey getting sliced!

FORTUNATELY, dinner guests were very flexible and not "die-hard must have" drumstick and gravy or dark meat kind of people to make their Christmas dinner a success! Madison had made everything else for the dinner and it was all wonderful! We had fun getting to know her cousin and her cousins family and spending time just talking. So nice! They had a cute little 6 month old baby who was the star of the evening as well!

Mom and Evan setting the table
My mom isn't that short... he's just really tall!

Evan and Madison's Christmas tree!

It's really unique in that 98% of the ornaments are all hearts. In her family, each child has a theme for ornaments they are given over the years. She is a heart. They have labeled Evan with ships! So, there is one ship ornament on their tree and one White House 2010 ornament (which I gave them.) Every other ornament is a heart!

Evan and Madison

Family :)

I am always a bit melancoly when the holidays are over. Such a wonderful time of year. Fortunately for me, I had the week in between Christmas and New Years off... and was able to come home to PA for some of it! There really is NO PLACE LIKE HOME!... But, Christmas is where your family is, and that was what made it wonderful! Maybe some year we can ALL be together instead of spread out between Washington, Colorado and DC!

A quote I want to remember

Overheard someone saying at a coffee shop while I was getting hot chocolate: Gets me thinking!

"I don't want to do something I don't enjoy even if it pays well because money can come back, my day cannot"- Random dude at Starbucks

Finding Christ in Christmas

It's the Christmas Season and I love listening to Christmas music in my car. Today was no exception as I headed off to church. It was a great 3 hours worth of meetings, lessons and ultimately... people just talking about Christ and their love for him.

On my way home, I was thinking about what I had just partaken of at church and about my love for the Savior. I wasn't really listening to the music until I stopped at a light and tuned in to this song. Here it is on youtube

Here are the lyrics:
How Many Kings by Downhere

Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

Bringing our gifts for the newborn savior
All that we have whether costly or meek
Because we believe
Gold for his honor and frankincense for his pleasure
And myrrh for the cross he’ll suffer
Do you believe, is this who we’ve waited for?
It’s who we’ve waited for

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?
Only one did that for me

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you

....

So, yet again, I was in tears listening to these lyrics in the car. Recently, I was reading a talk about the Savior from our church's 2009 Christmas Devotional. Here's a link to it: In summary, it's about "Seeing the Savior"... or "Seeing Christ in Christmas". President Uctdorf describes how the Savior didn't appear as many thought He would when He was here on earth. He was born in a humble stable to a carpenter. He was not given a worldly education. He was not wealthy and didn't hold a political office. He walked among the poor and humble.

Many yearned for the day the Christ would come... but, yet, when He walked among them they were blinded by their interpretation of what He would be... that they missed seeing him. They remained self-righteous and didn't let the Spirit touch their hearts.

As the song states:

"Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe after all we’ve projected
A child in a manger

Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliness hero, wrapped in his mothers shawl
Just a child
Is this who we’ve waited for?

Cause how many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?"

I got to thinking... If I had lived here when the Savior was on the earth, would I have been blinded by my own vision of who He was and by my own personal pursuits? And, even today? Do I let the glitz and glamor of the season get in the way of me realizing WHAT I am really celebrating? Do my lips talk of the Savior, but my actions lead to worldly pursuits?

Because, SERIOUSLY:

How many kings, stepped down from their thrones?
How many lords have abandoned their homes?
How many greats have become the least for me?
How many Gods have poured out their hearts
To romance a world that has torn all apart?
How many fathers gave up their sons for me?

In answer to all of these: None that I can think of...

But ONE

Only one did that for me!!!

All for me
All for you
All for me
All for you!!!!

I am SO GRATEFUL for my elder brother, Savior, and friend. I am so GRATEFUL for those who DID see the Savior for who he was when he lived here on the earth, and that we can read about their journey and experience with him. I am so GRATEFUL that my Savior died for ME so that I could return to him again. I am SO GRATEFUL for the Christmas season every year to take the time to seek "the Lamb of God, the King of Glory, the Everlasting Light of the World, the Great Hope of Mankind, the Savior and Redeemer of our souls!"

A "Friendsgiving"

As one of my friends put it so nicely, this Thanksgiving was a "Friendsgiving" and it was absolutely wonderful!

Martha Stewart would have been impressed and I think that was their goal :) These 3 fabulous and talented women got together to host a Thanksgiving dinner this year... and let nothing that might seem "over the top" get in their way! Nothing was left behind! They could host the next show for Martha. Aprons and all.

Sleep-deprived and still all smiles
Melissa, Chelsea and Michele

A little background on how I ended up here...

Originally, my mom, brother and sister-in-law were going to get together for a family dinner. A month before the big day, it ended up being best for my mom to fly out to Colorado to spend some time with her grandchildren while their mom had to travel for work for most of November. So, then we were down to just the three of us...

But, about a week before the big day, my brother calls to ask how much I would hate him if he went out of town with my sister-in-law for Thanksgiving! I had to laugh at how he approached it, but of course I said it was OK with me. Thanksgiving, ever since I left for BYU, has been more of a "Friendsgiving" than a Family Thanksgiving. Now, if this had been Christmas and they deserted me, I would have not been OK with it, but Thanksgiving is OK. Christmas seems more family-centered in my opinion, and besides, all of my friends would have been home with their families so I wouldn't have had a place to go anyway!

Well, here is a picture of the impressive set-up. We had "chargers"! (Yep... didn't even know what those were until I asked on Thanksgiving! And, for those who don't know, they are the largest plate beneath all the others in a table setting). We had butter cut out in fall shapes, a printed menu at each spot, a placecard in the shape of a boat (to symbolize the pilgrims!), candles, scented pinecones and other such decorations, wine glasses (for the Martinelli's!!), etc. You think of it... we had it! I was so impressed! Now mom... don't be offended... but this was probably the nicest Thanksgiving table set-up that I've ever been to!

Here's a picture of my setting
See the "1621 ship" with my name on it?
Cool, huh?!!!!

The food was incredible, the company was fun (there were about 15 of us), and it made me realize how much I feel like DC is now my "home". I feel comfortable here. I never felt this in my 6 years in Boston despite the many blessings I received when I was there. I met some incredible people, had wonderful friends and roommates, and opportunities abound... but it just never felt like "home" or where I belonged.

I am so grateful for the friends I have here, the jobs I've had and have, and for living in such an area that's richly blessed with diversity, history and opportunity.

Thanksgiving day here in DC was overcast and a bit chilly, but warmth and merriment abounded with flowers as pretty as these and smiles and beautiful as Melissa's!

Happy Friendsgiving!!!