A jam packed month means this update is even longer than usual. It's for the memories though, so here goes. December found us . . .
Failing . . . at Christmas traditions. I mostly mean we failed at our daily Christmas calendar--the one that has a scripture verse and an activity on a tile for each day. I think we actually did it a total of two days. I don't know what happened, but day after day would go by and we just forgot all about it. Occasionally, Clark or Silas would put up several tiles and catch us up to where we were supposed to be. But it was rare that we would actually pay any attention to what was on the tile. That said, we still did a lot of our traditions, just not on the day they were "assigned": writing letters to Santa, going to a live nativity, watching the Christmas devotional, making ornaments, buying and wrapping Christmas presents, drinking hot chocolate with candy canes, watching Christmas movies, sleeping by the Christmas tree, etc.
Creating . . . a diorama. I love this third grade project, and Ian executed it all on his own. He made a habitat for a koala, complete with a predator, source of food and water, and shelter. Later in the month, we got to see all the dioramas in Ian's class, and some of those kids (and parents, haha) really pulled out all the stops!
Searching . . . for the Green Gables tree at Festival of Trees. I mentioned last month that Mike's sister, Anne, was planning to donate a tree to Festival of Trees in honor of Alisa. The tree was based on Anne of Green Gables. Festival of Trees is an annual fundraiser that raises money for Primary Children's Hospital. Mike and I walked up and down aisle after aisle of gorgeous trees, but when we came to "our" tree, we both agreed that it was the best. And it made us both a little teary as we thought about Alisa and how this tree seemed to have her touch.
Braving . . . the crowds at Christkindlmarkt. My friend, Molly, was vending her art this year, and I really wanted to see her booth in addition to the many other booths that were there. Someone told me that if you went during the last hour of the day, the crowds would be more manageable. Apparently, they didn't mean if it was a Friday night; I have seen crowds at Christkindlmarkt in the past, but this was by far the most congested. We managed to squeeze ourselves into Molly's booth and got food at a couple of places that didn't have ridiculously long lines (to be honest, looking for the short food lines turned out to be the right approach because I got the best broccoli cheddar soup of my life at a booth I probably would have passed over otherwise). I'm glad we went, but I won't go on a Friday night again.
Crying . . . about going to a birthday party. Silas was invited to a friend's birthday party. He was so excited to go until about an hour before the party, and then he flat out refused. But I knew it was just because he was feeling shy. I told him I would stay with him, but he still screamed all the way there. And when the little boy excitedly opened the door to welcome Silas, he was met with the darkest glare from Silas. But we stuck it out, and after about 20 minutes, Silas was having the time of his life going on a treasure hunt, wacking a pinata and eating a cupcake. Sometimes I don't know if it's good to force a kid out of their comfort zone, but this time, it ultimately ended up being a positive experience, so hopefully it gave Silas more confidence that he can do hard things.
Running . . . across the stage. Speaking of hard things, Silas was asked to be "Young Jesus" in the shadow nativity for the ward Christmas party. Clark was being the innkeeper and a wiseman, and Bradley was being the stable and a Roman soldier. All Silas had to do was run across the stage to Mary, give her a hug, and then walk off with her. 20 seconds tops. But he pretty much lost his mind at the rehearsal and kept me in a death grip. They had one final rehearsal before the party, and I was about to text the director to tell her she'd have to find another Young Jesus when I had the idea to invite the little girl playing Mary over to our house for a little mini-rehearsal. We pulled up a video of the shadow nativity and ran their little 20-second interaction three or four times with the video. After that, Silas didn't have a lick of trouble, and he crushed it during the actual performance. The party was one of the highlights of the month for me. The cultural hall had been decorated to resemble Bethlehem, the food (kabobs, pita bread, vegetables) was reminiscent of something that shepherds might have eaten, and the shadow nativity made me cry; it was so sweet and powerful.
Exchanging . . . gifts with friends. I had my annual Christmas parties with both my knitting group and my book club. My knitting group got together around lunchtime and then hung out until past dinnertime (I had to leave a few hours early to go to the Nate Bargatze show with Mike's family). We had a baby shower for Claire who is due to have a baby very soon. There were so many darling handmade gifts for her baby! We also had our little gift exchange: I gave each person a crocheted Christmas tree, a leather heart bookmark, and a piece of chocolate. I came home with darling little ornaments, treats, and trinkets from my dear friends. Then a little later in the month, I went to my book club's annual planning meeting and book exchange. We all wore fancy pajamas, planned out our entire year of reading and hosting, and then had a lively book exchange where there were definitely some strong feelings about books. I laughed so hard. So grateful for both of these groups of women I get to be a part of.
Laughing . . . at Nate Bargatze. Last year, Mike's parents gave all of their kids and in-laws tickets to see Nate Bargatze this month. As it happened, there were a few tickets that weren't going to be used, so Clark and Maxwell also got to come. We ate dinner at Mike's dad's office ahead of time and then went to the show. And it was so good! There were three openers before Nate, and even though they were funny, there was a noticeable difference in the energy and hilarity once Nate took the stage.
Performing . . . the final concerts in the high school auditorium. Maxwell and Aaron had their winter concerts (wind symphony; troubadours; concert choir; orchestra) early this month. All the fine arts classes had to be completely out of the building by the following week due to scheduled demolition. Our high school has been in the process of a rebuild for the past six years. The fine arts building is the final piece that will hopefully be complete by the next school year. In the meantime, all the fine arts classes are homeless. Max told me the band is rehearsing in the weights room. And I think their remaining concerts for the school year will be at our junior high. (Oh, and the actual concerts this month? So fantastic. The bands played a bunch of favorites from over the decades, so it was basically a highlights reel. And "Glow" by the concert choir was one of the prettiest pieces I've ever heard.)
Painting . . . at a work Christmas party. Mike hasn't had a work Christmas party in years. The annual Christmas party used to be a huge, fancy event at the Salt Palace, but the company outgrew that event and stopped doing it. I was mostly relieved except that I did enjoy the chance to meet his co-workers. This year was perfect: a much smaller party with only two teams held at the director's house. We had a potluck dinner, Mike hosted a hilarious version of Would I Lie to You?, there was a white elephant gift exchange (office edition--whatever you received had to be displayed on your desk for a month), and a Bob Ross painting session. It was actually quite a fun night.
Attending . . . Winters. Aaron asked his good friend (who lives across the street) to go with him, and they had such a good time. They started the day with a trampoline park, took photos at one of the boy's grandma's house, ate dinner at De Los Muertos, went to the dance, and finished with a cooking challenge.
Holding . . . two Christmas recitals. This was something new I tried, and I loved it. I had two student-only recitals (no parents or guests) at my house. Students could choose which recital they wanted to play at. I loved having some flexibility with two dates because it meant everyone was able to make it work with their schedules. Aaron's students played as well. After each student played, everyone shared a compliment, and this made the whole experience feel really positive. I'll definitely be doing this type of recital again in the future. (I'm sad because I forgot to get a photo with one of the groups!)
Performing . . . more music. I've already mentioned some, but here are some of the other musical performances that happened during the month:
- The youth caroled around the neighborhood on a hay covered trailer
- Ian had his school Christmas performance
- Bradley and Clark played in their band concert
- Ian and I performed in our elementary school choir
- Max and his cousin pulled out their saxophones for a little dueting
- We went to a care center with cousins and performed a full musical program
Having . . . fun at the Johnson family Christmas party. We ate food from Zao, decorated gingerbread houses, played a couple of games, acted out the nativity, and sang "Angels are Making Their Rounds" (tradition!).
Performing . . . Silent Night in sacrament meeting, which doesn't sound that special or exciting until you know that it was on the saxophone. It's an instrument that has sometimes had the reputation of not being reverent or spiritual, but I knew as soon as Max and I played through an arrangement of Silent Night that it would be perfect for church. Max can make the sax sound so mellow, and when he played, it was just the creamiest, dreamiest thing you've ever heard. I loved performing it with him, and it was a highlight of the season for me.
Walking . . . around a live nativity. Mike's parents told us about a live nativity that was happening on a farm near their home, and we decided to go. The farm took what they already had (sheep, horses, etc.) and then added shepherds, wise men, Mary and Joseph and Baby Jesus, etc. It was really special (and the hay ride to get there and the hot chocolate/cookies afterwards weren't bad either!).
Receiving . . . a new smile for Christmas! Bradley got his braces off just a few days before Christmas, and he couldn't have been happier. He had been so diligent the last few months with wearing his bands and brushing and all the things because he was so ready to be done with braces, and his consistency paid off. I found a photo of the two of us just after we both got our braces on in 2023--it made me laugh that our height difference has flip flopped in the time since then.
Reading . . . and watching a host of Christmas novels and movies. Let's see if I can remember them all:
- Movies
- Holiday Inn
- A Biltmore Christmas (I didn't love it as much as last year)
- The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (loved it just as much as last year)
- This is Christmas
- That Christmas (animated, cute)
- Jingle Bell Heist
- It's a Wonderful Life (I had a yarn advent calendar based on this movie this year)
- Elf
- Arthur Christmas
- Home Alone
- The Santa Claus
- Books
- Christmas with a Crank by Courtney Walsh
- The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose
- Let It Glow by Marissa Meyer (middle grade; involved both Christmas and Hanukah)
- Since We've No Place to Go by Kate Watson
- Merry Ex-Mas by Courtney Walsh (this was my favorite of the bunch)
Helping . . . at St. Vincent de Paul. Our neighbors invited us to put together meals for the homeless with them. Even Silas was able to help!
Taking . . . Ian to see A Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater. Per tradition, Mike and I went with Ian to A Christmas Carol. We've taken each of our kids the year that they turn eight. I wasn't sure how it would go with Ian since sometimes things can get a little long for him and then he gets restless, but he loved it. He was so cute and happy the whole time, and we enjoyed having this solo time with him so much. Meanwhile, the other boys (but mostly Clark) were babysitting Declan while my sister and her husband were at the Nutcracker.
Enjoying . . . Zootopia. We went to the movie theater bright and early on Christmas Eve. Ate popcorn for breakfast. Loved the movie.
Hosting . . . Christmas Eve dinner. For years, we've gone to the Blodgett's house on Christmas Eve, but this year, they went to Mexico, so we knew we'd have to do it on our own. We invited Mike's parents and his sister, Anne, and her family, and we had such a nice time. I loved having everyone in our home so much, eating delicious food, sampling chocolates, playing bells, and chatting. It was the perfect lead in to Christmas Day.
Celebrating . . . Christmas! We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant day (although a little snow would have been nice). We started the day with stockings and progressed through the presents from there. Highlights included: a Giga Pet for Ian (although it was kind of for me too--nostalgia and all that), Lego sets for all the boys, a spudster kitty for Ian (which he had desperately been wanting so she could be a sister to a kitty he already had), basketball shoes for Clark, a harmonica for Clark, a pizza oven for Silas, and a staycation for the whole family (more on that later). We lounged around, watched movies, went on a walk (without coats! what???), and ate dinner by candlelight. Christmas 2025 was a good one.
Vacationing . . . at home. We considered going somewhere after Christmas but decided we'd rather just stay home. On Christmas, the boys opened up a long board that was divided up into eight days. They then opened up gifts that filled in the days with activities and restaurants that we'd be doing during the break.
Here's a full run down of all that we did:
- Activities
- Dave and Buster's Arcade (where Max and I had a surprisingly good time playing Guitar Hero over and over again; Ian also got to bring his friend with him)
- Swimming at the rec center
- An evening at my parents' house
- WWII submarine escape room at Escapology (we lost, but only by seconds: we were putting in the numbers for the final clue when our time ran out)
- Game night with our neighbors
- New Year's Eve party (which turned out to be more chill than originally planned--mostly movies and snacks)
- K1 Speed Racing (most of the boys loved it (except for Max))
- Movie theater to see David (wish I could give it a positive review)
- Desert Star Playhouse (we saw Scrooged (A Christmas Carol Part 2) and it exceeded my expectations, but the food did not)
- Zoo Lights
- Food
- Dave and Buster's
- Sara Thai Kitchen (where Max later earned the nickname "Spicy Boy" because he ate an entire chili pepper and almost melted right onto the table from the heat)
- Shake Shack
- Enrico's Deli
- Belgian Waffle Inn with the other priests in the ward
- Blacksmith Ice Cream
- Slackwater Pizza (we tried to go without a reservation and it was an hour and half wait, so we came back another day with a reservation)
- Real Taqueria (I could eat the queso from here all day)
- Takumi Sushi (the last place we went on our staycation, and a real disappointment, sadly)
