Merry Christmas!

What a wonderful season of the year! We had a terrific Christmas here in Utah filled with lots of family time, gift sharing, and excitement. It was especially fun this year because Amelie was old enough to sort of grasp the concept of Santa. When we came home from visiting with family on Christmas Eve, the first thing she said as we walked through the door was “Go sleep!” She knew that Santa would come while she was sleeping. We left out cookies and milk for Santa, burned the last bit of our advent candle, and then it was time for bed. In the morning, Santa had left Amelie some great goodies, including a Teddy Ruxpin. Christmas morning was lots of fun as we opened gifts and enjoyed Jewish coffee cake. Later that evening, we exchanged gifts with the rest of the Haymond family. One of the most memorable gifts of the year was one for Mark and Brenda that we gave them the day after Christmas. In the Haymond house, it is a long-standing tradition to watch the song, “Keep Christmas With You” from Sesame Street. Originally, I believe they listened to it on cassette tape. Then, they watched the scene on a VHS tape, and now they watch most of it on DVD. It’s a great song that reminds us to keep the spirit of the season with us all year long. This year, I got the brothers together and had them sing the song for their parents, with me playing the violin and Angela accompanying on piano. It was very special and a memory that I’m sure we will all treasure. I am so grateful for a time of the year when generosity and good cheer are abundant and when we can remember the ultimate gifts of hope and salvation given to us by our Savior, Jesus Christ. We only wish we could have spent it with all of our loved ones. Here are some pictures from this wonderful time:

Amelie--pretty in green.

Here's Amelie playing with Bryce's childhood train set.

This year, we had the first Haymond grandchildren nativity scene. Amelie was Mary and Calder had the honor of being baby Jesus. It went suprisingly well and was a sweet reenactment of those holy events.