Christmas Day

Friday, 25 December 2009
When Valu was born we asked Santa to make sure that he only brings one present for each of us. We wanted to make sure that the 'gimmies' along with unrealistic expectations could be easily quenched. Our simple Christmas is still magical yet we aren't bombarded with too much stuff. While this way of celebrating may not be for everyone, it works fabulously for us.Santa brought Keenan his coveted Star Wars cruiser.


Santa brought Valu a PS3 and a couple of fabo games.


A hug from Keenan - Valu gave him a Star Wars ship.


Keenan sporting his Christmas Eve PJs and Bakugan goodies.


Valu sporting his new PJs and stash of cash from good ol dad.


Ki got a voice-activated alarm clock from his wife. She wanted to turn over the responsibilities of being the alarm clock steward to her hubby. The problem is the alarm clock went off the next day at 5:30 neither Ki or she could remember the command to stop the alarm. It wasn't Alarm Off. We tried; Stop Alarm, Alarm Stop, STOP!! STOP!!! -- Why oh why can't we remember the command. With the alarm progressively getting louder, we turn on the light and rummage through the drawer to re-read the manual. We mercifully turn off the alarm by stating: Turn Off The Alarm. I am pretty sure that we have that command memorized now.


Our most meaningful tradition of the Christmas Season occurs on Christmas night. This is only the 2nd year we have been doing this particular tradition--but it is a tradition that we will definitely continue. It has already become our favorite and most life-altering.
On Christmas night, after the hustle and bustle of the day had quieted down, we have a special ceremony to celebrate Christ's birth. We each give a gift to Christ. We decided that the best gift we can give him, the best way we can honor Him, is by trying to be like Him. We each commit to work on developing a Christ-like attribute. This promise is not just a one night thing. We commit to focusing on this goal until next Christmas.
We get out our fancy crystal goblets and chill our special apple cider. We each share our testimonies of the Savior and then share the attribute we will be working on through out the next year. We toast one another and promise to help one another with our commitments. To strengthen our resolve we review our goals during FHE over the next year.


The boys really enjoy the pomp and ceremony behind this tradition. Hopefully they will enjoy the power behind the tradition--as they mature.


Here is the ornament that holds our gifts to Christ. It works just fine until I find a beautiful box to store our treasures.
Gratitude Journal:Keenan: Grateful that Santa brought me what I wanted. Santa is the best.Valu: Grateful for a wonderful Christmas and a nice PS3.Mom: Grateful for a grateful and gracious family. I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family. It has been a beautiful season of goodness and peace.Dad: Grateful for our tradition of giving gifts to the Savior. Taking the time to ponder on his life and teachings and trying to be more like him--is the real meaning of Christmas.