A Perfect Christmas....

This was a great Christmas--it had the right combination of music, shows, service, parties, food, family, and friends. Our countertop was filled with sweet goodies from our kind neighbors. Our Christmas lights were fun and up to welcome Tosha and family when they made the first surprised stop. With Gary's help we pulled together the last bit of Christmas giving. And we had snow for Christmas. 

My new ornament to Gary

I have thought a lot about what makes a "Perfect Christmas" as I drove back and forth from work this month, usually listening to Christmas music. Because this year has truly felt like the perfect one.

His new one to me

One part of the perfect Christmas is it reminds us of memories from our past Christmases.  As we watched our grandchildren open packages, it immediately brought back the memories from when our five children were young--we had Christmas mornings in Utah, Hong Kong, Texas and then back in Utah over their growing up years. 

I remembered a Christmas morning when Jessica was 18 months old.  We had spent the night in Syracuse at Gary's parents' home (We were living in West Jordan at the time.)  Charon and Mike were there with Jacob who was the same age.  Jacob and Jessica were so thrilled about unwrapping presents that they ran together from one package to another--ripping off the paper, and then running to the next person opening a gift to rip off the wrapping again.  They did not look or seem to care about what was in the gift.  A bit disappointing to parents who had carefully chosen gifts that we thought they might get excited about.  We could have wrapped empty boxes and they would have had as equally fun morning.

I still have two gifts from the first Christmas Gary and I spent as a married couple.  This turtle cookie jar, who really never has had cookies in it, but who has sat on top of most of the refrigerators in our almost 40 years together and 13 moves.

And the big surprise was this wooden rocking chair from R.C. Willey's.  Gary had hid it in the small storage closet we had in the carport of our apartment complex. I have rocked all of our children and many foster children in this chair over the years.  It is in need of some tightening, but sits still in our family room.

As Gary and Jena lined up for our Christmas train on Christmas morning, I was not only reminded of the days when there were five Hall children lined up from youngest to oldest, but the years that I stood in the back of my seven younger siblings, also arranged youngest to oldest on Christmas mornings to enter into the living room where the magic of Christmas was on display. ("Make sure you have your socks on!"--trivia for my Giberson siblings!)

The perfect Christmas includes reminders that you are loved and appreciated and most of all, remembered by those you associate with--near and far.

Christmas Eve night, Gary forwarded a email Christmas card from our friend, Al Fisher.  He was Gary's boss the first two years in Hong Kong.  We kept in touch over the years through Christmas card, but over the past few years haven't heard from them.  It was so fun to read about their "retirement years" in Slovenia where Monika is from.  I immediately emailed him and he responded back again.  It was such a fun moment to reconnect late Christmas Eve with a friend from the past.  It was one more piece of the perfect Christmas.

I love Christmas Cards and treasured each one of them. (Disclosure--this is one problem with our Christmas this year--I didn't get our Christmas cards sent out.  However because we were able to unexpectedly do a family photo, I wanted to wait and send that out later as a Welcome to 2018 card--or maybe Happy Chinese New Year!)  Each name on the card brought back memories of friendships, far and near.

And, as mentioned, we were spoiled with neighborhood gifts of nuts, soda pop, cookies, and candy.  Our friends, Cindy and Bret Anderson, dropped off this clever gift............

 A box of Kleenex.

Laughter is such an important part of Christmas!

The perfect Christmas is a time for notes and gifts of appreciation.  We got some sweet things from our Primary class and prepare our own for Jena's teachers and things for our Primary class.  Gary was given this by a parent who has a daughter on the Special Olympics bowling team as thanks for all of his work to make the program run smoothly each Saturday.

A bowling angel--made from a used bowling pin
One of a kind gift!

The perfect Christmas includes noisy moments with family--old and young--all in the same place.

To have a moment in 2017 where all our children and grandchildren were under the same roof was truly one of the miracles of the season and one that I will never forget.

And there were the quiet moments, at Church, in the car, at a show or concert, when I could remember the real reason for the season--the birth of that Holy Child, and his Life and Death for each of us, that we may someday live with Him and Our Heavenly Father again.

One of our neighborhood gifts was from Kaye and Wayne Volk--

I loved the message of this tree ornament-"Choose Him Again."  We know that eons of time ago, we stood in the Councils of Heaven and made our choice to follow Our Heavenly Father's Plan and to choose Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer.  We chose Him then and our task here is to choose him "again."  We show that choice in everything we do, especially how we treat each other in our daily lives.  I do "choose Him again" today and every day.  The perfect Christmas will always include many times to be reminded of this important message.

 "And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
                                                                               Luke 2:10-11

I can't imagine a more "perfect" Christmas, but I know that life ahead will provide its own moments of perfection, joy, memories, and laughter.  And I still want to build a snowman with my grandchildren............life is such a gift!  Treasure these moments and hope for a future filled with new adventures!