Christmas

This Christmas we're in Indy. It's been a lot of fun! We've been shopping, seen old friends, kept old traditions alive, and started new traditions. All while managing to not kill each other(yet). I'd call that SUCCESSFUL!

One of the highlights of coming home for Christmas is serving Christmas Eve Dinner at Wheeler Mission. It's a homeless shelter and it's been our way of giving a little back each Christmas for the last 9 or 10 years.

Apparently, a new tradition we've started, is that we don't get out of bed until 8:30 on Christmas morning... (we're usually 6:00 people). Dana informed me I wasn't 10 anymore so I shouldn't be all excited and wake up early. Needless to say, this year we ate breakfast BEFORE opening presents. That has NEVER happened in the 22 Christmas I'd been home before this one. We did carry on the tradition of cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate for breakfast. I figure since I was up HOURS before everyone else I would make them. For some reason the oven burnt the bottoms and didn't fully cook the tops so we had loads of fun fixing them so they were edible! Good times...

One thing that hasn't changed is my mom saying we're "not doing Christmas", or that it's going to be very minimal and, as usual, she goes overboard. There were loads of presents and I somehow had the most to open, which was very fun and very unexpected. I got sweaters, necklaces, shoes, and Dana brought me a scarf and Christmas ornaments from Jerusalem. Luckily, no one seemed too upset that we didn't get them anything.

My family has adopted the local missionaries since Logan's been gone, and is continuing as Skylar will be headed out soon. We had a pair of elders and a pair of sisters over for Christmas dinner. We ate, played Cranium, and gave them stockings full of fun little things including little guns that shoot airplanes and discs. They had a blast running around the house shooting each other. Their final gift was to go through the 100s of ties Logan brought home from his mission and pick one or two. He has all kinds of designer ties... louie vatton, calvin kline, Bordeaux, etc... John is bring home quite a few... And I stole the Louie Vatton one. The elders were so excited! They threw ties in the air and buried Elder Housekeeper underneath them all. Pictures to come of Elder Housekeeper at the bottom of all the ties.

Overall Christmas was great!