Xmas recap.

Confession: I did not get my Christmas tree out this year. This, however, does not mean I didn't have any Christmas spirit. It just means I was tired from all the excitement of life lately. New job, new friends, keeping up on my writing, keeping up on my reading, etc. Some things just took priority over the house decor. It sounds like I'm making excuses...but anyway, no, Christmas was not cancelled at our house. We still listened to the tunes, did the gifts and attended the parties. I would even dare to say it was one of our best Chritsmases to date. There was a lot of love going around. I'm feeling very blessed to have the people I do in my life. A select few close friends who hold my heart, a small (albeit loud) and loving family, an adorably sweet husband, a rambunctious dog. I could go on.

This sparkly flask was a gift from my friend. She knows me well.

Aside from the Oregon trip, Chris got me a few little gems to open on xmas morning, including this scarf (in which I am in love).

My mom got us a heated mattress topper with dual controls and six settings (something I thought would only be used by me, but has gotten a surprising amount of use on Chris's side as well). 

All the gifts were so thoughtful. Lotions, owl trinkets, treats, everything lovely.

I found a little time to make some felt flowers for the little ones (and me). See them here. 

On Christmas morning, we got up to do our service. I'm not sure if I've blogged about it in the past (alas, I am too lazy to look it up) but every year on Thanksgiving or Christmas--and sometimes both--we try to do some volunteer work in the community. The type of work and the places we go vary from year to year. The last few years we have gone up to Hill Air Force Base and helped serve/clean tables at the dining hall. The dining hall is a unique place to be on Christmas morning because it's filled with all kinds of people, many different walks of life. Most are military, alone, stationed here away from their families. Some like to visit. Some like to be alone. Some people bring their entire families for yummy dinner and dessert. There is always an empty table in the corner representing prisoners of war or those who have gone missing in military action. The rose and the empty plate always gets me a little misty-eyed.

Here we are in our chef's hats.

The highlight of the day was when a sweet, old man walked up to my mom and me. He wore a pressed suit, had his hair combed nice and walked with a cane. He grabbed her arm and asked her name. Then he thanked her for working on Christmas. He turned to me, called me by my mom's name, and thanked me for working on Christmas. I'm assuming he was a vet with alzheimer's. What a sweetie.

Next year we're considering doing something a little different. Possibly helping at the Road Home or a battered women's shelter. If anyone has any suggestions for areas of the community that can use a helping hand (in Utah) please let me know. I know there are a lot of nonprofits that need the help year-round, and I'm happy to lend a hand when I can. This is what holidays (and life!) should really be about.

I hope your holidays were as refreshing as ours. xo