The Best Christmas EVER!

Matthew and Katie have officially declared this to be the "best Christmas ever!" It truly has been wonderful... so great that I'm not ready to see it go. The Cragun family has a tradition of reading the "Forgotten Carols" by Michael McClean each year and one of the carols is "I Cry the Day I Take the Tree Down." Well, I think that is how everyone in our house will feel this year.


Our Christmas started early with the Cox Christmas party on the 20th. There were 20 HYPER kids at Grandma and Grandpas... all very ready for festivities. The adults enjoyed a "White Christmas" by spending the morning in the temple while the kids played with their cousins. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate about the true reason behind Christmas... our Saviour Jesus Christ and doing something for someone that they can't do for themselves. Later, we had a Christmas dinner and gift exchange. The kids were thrilled with the gifts their cousins gave them. Matthew ended up with a Fantastic Four movie in Grandma's white elephant exchange. He watched that movie once a day until Christmas.



Something very significant... that was the last day of binkies!! Jeremy told Ash and Will, "the binkies are going bye-bye boys" and they did! Today is the first day, Will has taken a nap since then, but he has be going to bed without one all week. Finally!!


The next day we received a wonderful surprise when two of Santa's helpers dropped off two garbage sacks full of gifts on our porch. They wouldn't tell us where they came from. It made Christmas so special this year... to have someone think of our kids and want to share.


The kids and I had a great time while they didn't have school. We made home-made wrapping paper, read Christmas stories and the kids loved helping Ashton with his pirate treasure kid kit. Jer had raised funds from local businesses to get all of the kids at Head Start a fun kid kit for Christmas. (Usborne matched the donations 50% and I threw in my commission to stretch the funds he raised.) During our reading the kids and I learned about the origins of many Christmas symbols and traditions and how Christmas was celebrated around the world. The kids were especially interested in the hearing once again, the story of Baby Jesus; as well as the story of St. Nicholas.

Jer and I stayed up late one night to make Pan de Jamon. A traditional Venezuelan Christmas bread. A friend gave us the recipe (and some bread) our first Christmas together and we've made it and shared with friends and family ever year since.On Christmas Eve I woke up with a stomach bug. Will and I have actually been battling this stomach bug off and on for a month. Just when I think I am better he will get sick again, and then a day or two later I will. But, it was still a great day!

We enjoyed our traditional Cragun brunch with sausage, bacon, and most importantly Ebelskiever and rice pudding... a Christmas tradition passed down by our Danish great-grandmother.

Then we had the Cragun family Christmas program. I will try and upload some videos later, but Katie recited her Alaska poem, Matthew sang a song and Will and Ashton were Will and Ashton.

Then, we ate an early supper with the Parrishes, Frames, Smiths, and the missionaries. This our 20th year of enjoying a Christmas Eve dinner with those families. Jenny (in the picture below) and I were in third grade when the tradition started. After dinner "Jenny the Elf" told the kids wonderful stories about the NORTH POLE and the kids enjoyed a game of Don't Eat Pete. It is Katie's turn in the picture.

Then, we went to Manti to celebrate Christmas Eve with the Coxes. After a delicious dinner, the kids acted out the Nativity. I did record it, but I'm not sure what file it is. I'll see if Jer can figure it out. The recording will be kind of interesting... 10 minutes of organized chaos designed to remind kids about the true meaning of Christmas. No matter how crazy it seems to us adults, it's getting through to them right?

Then next morning we woke the kids up at 7 am (after Jer and I had stayed up until 3 am finishing Christmas blankets for them) to open some presents at my moms. Steve had just gotten off work and needed to go to sleep. We had a great time. Will and Ashton were especially thrilled with their gifts... farm sets.

The video below shows our kids running downstairs to see their presents. (I thought this was the nativity when I added it. The same chaos prevailed.)

We spent Christmas playing the Wii we got our kids, napping and watching them enjoy their gifts. The next afternoon (when Jer was done with morning chores) we went to visit my Grandma Cragun. The kids enjoyed listening to her stories about when Grandpa was little. Then we went to my Grandpa and Grandma Heslops for the Heslop party. We all had a great time with our cousins and the kids got even more presents which they loved!!

It was a wonderful Christmas... we made amazing memories, enjoyed great time with our family, had time to reflect on the birth, life, and atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ, shared meaningful gifts... does it get any better than that!?!