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Saturday, January 10, 2015

Christmas 2014

"Welcome, Christmas, bring your cheer. Cheer to all Whos far and near. Christmas Day is in our grasp, so long as we have hands to clasp. Christmas Day will always be just as long as we have we. Welcome Christmas while we stand, heart to heart, and hand in hand."-The Grinch Who Stole Christmas This was our very first Christmas here in Oklahoma and I must admit it was a little bit different then Christmases past. Sometime in October I got a call from Mark's mom asking if my parents were coming to Oklahoma for Christmas. When I told her that they weren't she asked if her and my father-in-law could come and spend the holidays with us. Of course they could! That night I told Mark and the kids that Tutu and Poppa would be coming for Christmas and they all got so excited. Mark hasn't spent Christmas with his parents in years, not to mention hadn't seen them in 6 months, so I knew he was looking forward to the visit. I tried my hardest to make Christmas special for Mark, the kids, and my in-laws by decorating the house (inside and out), cooking meals and treats, the reading of the Christmas story in The Bible, an afternoon of shopping and a movie, celebrating Mark's birthday, and other small things. The only two hiccups to Christmas in Oklahoma was us having to explain to Kai the truth about Santa and the snow we got on the day Mark's parents were to leave to head home. (They made it home but it just took ALOT longer than expected). The day after Mark's parents left we loaded up our car and headed to Lubbock to spend the rest of the Christmas break with my parents. Upon arrival we were able to have a small gift exchange which included my sister's family. My parents were so filled with happiness having all of their grandkids and kids together opening gifts. (The last time that happened Kaden, our nephew, was 4. He is 13 now). The next day my mom, sister, and Granny all met for lunch at a cute sandwich shop called Manna, which is becoming a habit every time I am in Lubbock. After lunch my mom and I had plenty of errands to run because the next morning we would be heading to Ruidoso to spend the rest of our vacation. West Texas and Eastern New Mexico got a pretty good snow/ice storm the night before and morning of our trip. Needless to say, a 4 hour drive to Ruidodo turned into a 9 hour drive due to road conditions and closures. Once we made it to Ruidoso we had a fabulous time with my parents. There was skiing, snow tubing, a game tournament, deer watching, football game watching, and even a little gambling. The only hiccups to this trip were the drive there and Mark getting our car stuck in a ditch the night before we headed home. Even though this Christmas was a little different I'm glad for it. I got to spend some time with the most important people in my life, remind my children about the true meaning of the holiday, and just relax and have fun. The Whos in "The Grinch" have it right, Christmas Day is in our grasp and long as we have hands to clasp. Heart to heart and hand in hand. It doesn't really matter the amount of gifts given or received, as long as you are with the ones you love the most you will always have a great Christmas.

1 comment:

Yodasmom said...

We had a nice time and especially enjoyed watching the kids enjoy CHRISTMAS. It also pays to be old, as I got to open my presents first.