The week of Christmas was so fun! We did our last minute purchases (like we finally got ourselves some eggnog!), we did some fun Christmasy things, and we hung out with cool people!

In Durham, they have what’s called “The Triangle Christmas Tree Challenge.” A bunch of businesses and charities and churches and stuff decorate trees, and they are on display in a park in downtown Durham. We love going because it is as close as we can get to the Festival of Trees. We took a picture in front of Fay’s favorite tree. She loved this one because it was about swimming, which she loves.

Another fun Christmas/winter thing we did was make the best hot chocolate in the whole world! In Paris, there is a little café/teahouse called Angelina that serves this hot chocolate. A single recipe of this stuff has nearly 1000 calories! And it is worth EVERY SINGLE ONE! You are basically drinking a 70% cacao chocolate bar! It was so delicious!

In France, they have a Christmas tradition of making Bûches de Noël (Yule logs). I have been wanting to have one for Christmas ever since we got married; but I am never on-top of stuff enough to actually do it. Josh, however, made it happen for us this year! He said that in France, they decorate them to look like they have foliage and whatnot all over them, and, of course, we had to do the same! We had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner on Christmas ever (alas, I did not think to take a picture of them) and shared the fun of our bûche de Noël with them!

This was our first Christmas Eve on our own, and our first chance to start some of our own traditions. In my family, we always do a “stage production” of the Nativity on Christmas Eve night. In Josh’s family, they read the Christmas story from the scriptures together before heading off to wait for Santa. We decided that we would add to the tradition of reading the Christmas story by also reading The Living Christ. It was really special to remember that Christ’s birth in Bethlehem was only a tiny part of His life and mission in bringing salvation to all Heavenly Father’s children! I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have of who our Savior is, that His church is restored to the earth, and that because of His sacrifices I can be with my family forever! That knowledge is what makes Christmas the most wonderful time of the year, and what makes life so sweet and joyful even when things are hard.

 

We had a fantastic Christmas! We were all spoiled rotten, and we are so grateful! Fay didn’t really understand the concept that she was getting multiple gifts for a while. We would ask her if she wanted another one, and she would say that she was busy playing with the one she had just gotten. By the end of the day, though, she would randomly come up and say that she needed another present. It was pretty cute! Carter just enjoyed the general excitement of the day!

 

I love Christmastime so much! And this year seems extra special because I feel like I am really coming to understand the principle that “the Christmas Spirit is the Christ Spirit.” We still have all sorts of gifts to secure, and we aren’t very lavishly decorated this year, but I feel like I am thinking more about Jesus Christ than I have in years past (and I feel like I have always made an effort to think about Christ, especially at Christmastime). And the times that I have been thinking about Him the very most have been the times that I have most strongly felt that warm, cozy excitement about Christmas that always makes me think of being a kid.

I love that the Christ Spirit is so strong that even completely secular and commercially interested people have to latch on! Absolutely, Christmas has been enormously commercialized. But in taking advantage of the commercial opportunities, I feel like people can’t help but catch a little bit of what Christmas and Christ are really about.  They are about love!

Oh man! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just so wonderful! I can’t get enough of it!

Also, my kids are adorable! Check them out some more!