Our First Christmas

Yes, it's true! We had our first Christmas as a married couple. Christmas, in my mind is a way bigger holiday than the other holidays because it is such a huge time to spend with family and giving to those around you. Our Christmas was spent up in Bear Lake with the Larson's and Maughan's. So yes, it was my first Christmas away from home... and I survived! I didn't have any doubts that I wouldn't, I was just expecting tears at some point but I was perfectly fine. I missed my family and everything but I loved being with Kevin and sharing Christmas with his family so it balanced out my feelings quite well.

Our time was spent like most Bear Lake times sleeping, watching sports, playing card games, talking with the family and playing with the cousins and our adorable nieces, going sledding, riding the snow machines and some of the guys did a polar plunge-Kevin included. The lake was maybe 20 Degrees at best and in the summer doesn't get much higher. Sadly, I really didn't take any pictures or videos like I normally would have so sorry this is just a post with words and no pictures of blood, or people flying out of sleds...which they did...a few times :) Or one of me falling off of the snow machine.

It's been kinda fun as Kevin and I discuss what traditions we want to start as a family. I'll let ya know a few but you have to promise not to steal them! Just kidding, they are pretty good ideas so you can borrow them if you'd like. What we're going to try to do every year is give to another family, kinda of angel tree sort of thing. We're not going to tell our children about Santa since that takes away the whole purpose of Christmas and we want our children to know the real meaning and not all the commercialization. They'll still get presents, and somehow, I don't know how but somehow it'll work out and they won't tell other children there isn't a Santa or something like that. Once we have a Christmas tree, or at least a bigger place to even put one of those little ones in then I want to put ornaments of Christ around our tree and maybe have our children pick their favorite picture and decorate some paper around it or something. Hopefully you get the drift that what we want to do is to always keep the spirit of Christmas and Christ's birth in our home so our children and us as well, can have a firm testimony in the Gospel and feel the joy of giving to those in need and they can always feel Christ's love for them and others as they serve those around them. I think that's every family's goal for Christmas, but everyone gets so caught up with Black Friday, and presents and getting the kids excited for Santa that the real meaning of Christmas gets pushed to the back burner. Hopefully we can keep our traditions and our hearts and minds always focused on Christ and the true meaning of Christmas.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will have a wonderful New Year!! Since the New Year is closer than Christmas now :)