The last time we were in Mesa with my side of the family for Christmas was in 2008. In 2009 we went to Denver to spend it with Dan's family. Last Christmas, Hannah was only 8 days old, so my mom came down and we stayed put. This year we stayed in Mesa with my mom for 4 days and it was wonderful to be with my family participating in all the festivities.
The day before Christmas Eve, Dan and I went to the Mesa temple to do a session. It had been ages since either one of us had done one, let alone together. Initiatories have been our bread and butter since Hannah's been nursing all year and we were always rushing back to feed her. It was so nice to do a session. Then, that same night, we took the kids to see the Christmas lights. They are spectacular and the spirit is almost tangible. It's one of my favorite things at Christmas time.
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One day we visited Dan's Grandma Dixon ("Granny") who winters in Mesa, and Dan's uncle and aunt who live two doors down from Granny. We had a great visit.
I'd been waiting 3 years for my favorite Christmas Eve tradition, which, of course, revolves around food: bring-your-own-mug soup night! Every family brings a different soup and each person samples as many soups as so desired. We didn't have as many people as usual, so there were only four soups this time, but they were tasty! My mom always brings her YUMMY minestroni, my sister always does a potato/cheese for the kids, and I do french onion. Mmmm.
The family crowd was small that night - only 8 children. They put on a lovely nativity for us.
2 comments:
i love to read about people's christmas traditions. the temple lights looked beautiful!
Once, we actually spent Christmas with my grandparents in Arizona years ago, and we had the opportunity to see the Christmas lights at the Mesa Temple. Wow! That same year, we had also gotten to see the lights on Temple Square in UT. No comparison, really. As beautiful as the Temple Square lights were, I was blown away by the Mesa Temple lights. Normally, too many lights equate gaudy in my mind. But the Mesa Temple lights were so tasteful, so incredible, I loved having the opportunity to see them! I'm so happy your kids can see them on a more regular basis.
And I absolutely love the wise man (or shepherd?) who is picking his (or her) nose. Classic! :)
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