Christmas Time, Mistle toe and Wine

Mila was an angel in our ward nativity

Freeing the tree

Ok so maybe not so much wine for me... But the holiday spirit is alive and well: with nativities and Christmas parties. Carols and Christmas trees. I am not even homesick this year. (although I must say that the week after my brother and sister left I did hit a low realising so clearly what we miss out on being far away from family).

This year we got a gorgeous real Christmas tree. It is tempting to do this every year since we were first introduced to fresh real trees by wonderful friends in Oregon. Kurt brought it home on the 1st of December per tradition. It smells lovely - I enjoy vacuuming up the pine needles that fall and filling my head with the scent.

This year will be another quiet family Christmas... staying in pajamas with nothing to do but open presents, eat and play. Our first little nuclear family Christmas I remember was the Christmas after Mila was born. She got sick on Christmas Eve and stopped breathing. We were at my parents house. It was the beginning of a long battle with whooping cough that brought us all to our knees. After being in the hospital on Christmas Eve we went home and Kurt roasted us our very own chicken for Christmas lunch. He is still wonderful like that. That was the first of many Christmas's that we have spent with remote access to family around the world.

Some day my children will know what it is like to be bombarded by cousins from every direction!!

In the meantime I will enjoy the peace afforded by being together - our little family- celebrating love.

The love we have for each other, the love demonstrated each day by our Heavenly Father, the love of Christ.