Christmas 2008

There's no pictures with this blog, just my personal reflections on one of my best Christmas's ever!


Why is that?

Well... Mike and I worshipped the Savior through music on Christmas Eve. We sat at the piano and sang Christmas carols for 30-45 minutes. We invited my brother, Steve, to join us, but he chose to 'listen'. (The next day, he told my family, “Mike and Sidney gave a concert last evening for me.” I had to laugh.)

We invited my brother Steve over for dinner on Christmas Eve and it was so fun to have him in our home! After dinner, we - Mike and Sidney - sang carols and then all of us opened up our gifts. (Mike had to work later that night and he needed as much sleep as he could get before we headed over to my parents on the afternoon of Christmas Day. We decided that opening our gifts that evening would be the best time.)

On the afternoon of Christmas Day, we went over to my parents home and had a nice dinner with members of my family. Afterwords, we all sat around and played Phase 10 and talked. It was a drama free Christmas!

As I told Mike later Christmas evening, I think that for me, it is more important to sing of the Savior and remember him in that way, rather than read the Christmas story from Luke 2. For me, it has more meaning and is more important. I don't really think it matters HOW we remember the Savior, but that we DO remember Him! We decided that our future Christmas’s will include more singing!

Even after almost six years of marriage, we are still trying to figure out our TRADITIONS! Mike will tell you that the first year we were married, I was always talking about what traditions we should create and he wisely responded one time with, "Don't traditions just HAPPEN?" I had to think about that, and soon realized that he was right! Sp, we started a new tradition this year! Our singing together was the most important thing to me about this season.

I know that the final reason why this Christmas was been so special for me is because I have Mike to share it with. He's a great man and I'm grateful he asked me to marry him! It was six Christmas's ago that we spent the day together and then afterwards, both of us came home and realized that it was time for our relationship to MOVE FORWARD. We were 'unofficially' engaged four days later! (The short version... Mike told me, "I am going to ask you to marry me, but not tonight. I responded by saying, "And I will say yes". It only took him 2 1/2 months to officially asked me, just 13 days before our wedding!)

I think Mike may have a little different version, but since I'm the one blogging...