As the title of my blog points out, I really am a control freak. I usually start my Christmas shopping in July. It makes it easier on our pocketbook, plus, usually, it gives me a chance to enjoy December so much more. This year, I was a little behind, so December has been a bit on the crazy side, as I have tried to get presents done, packaged, and ready to give before we left out of town for some family parties. I am also about 6 months pregnant this year, which makes me a little more emotional and stressed-out. But, now that we are done with our Christmas traveling, and most everything is done, I feel like I can finally take a breath and enjoy this holiday. All the Santa stuff and traditions are so much fun, but my favorite part is sitting down as a family each night, singing Christmas carols around our tree, and reading a scripture and story about the birth of our Savior. The Spirit is brought in each night and we all go to bed with a resolve to be more like our Savior the next day. It truly is such a spiritual time. I am so thankful for that. And, I am thankful for the spiritual discussions it sparks between my husband and I, as well as our 5 year old. She is such an old spirit -- she recognizes spiritual things so easily. It makes our evening discussions about Christmas so much more interesting and peaceful.
But, along with that, comes all the fun stuff, as well. Welcome to some of the Stearmer traditions each year!
Chopping down our tree. This year, there wasn't any snow, even in the mountains, until just a few days ago! The kids loved being to hike around to find the perfect tree, instead of trudging through 4 feet of snow. But, we did find some patches, which Rebecca found was heaven on earth. Ryan...not so much. He loved it last year, but this year, hasn't liked the cold too much
Christmas Cookies -- who doesn't love getting the kitchen all dirty, with flour floating around like a white cloud, dough flying everywhere, including into our mouths, and frosting as thick as syrup all over the kitchen and cookies. Always a fun experience!
Our lights, trees, and village. I love 2 year olds. They are so fascinated by all the lights. Rebecca was at 2, and now Ryan. He will sit down and stare at all the village lights and people, as well as the lights on the trees.
These are just some of our traditions that we do as a family. We also love to go around in the car and look at the lights around the neighborhoods. Vernal is the best for that, as there are many houses where it looks like the Christmas section of Walmart exploded on their lawns. The kids love it, and we love it, too. Merry Christmas to you all, and we hope you have a wonderful new year!
