It was another beautiful Christmas morning with lots of smiles! We got to talk to Tiago first thing, and watched him open the package we sent him. Then he watched as we opened our presents. Q got a lot of fun things this year and seemed very happy. Alyssa and Holly joined us later in the day, and Ayzha and Reyn came the next day.
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| With just 3 of us together on Christmas Eve, we skipped a homemade meal and went to Chick-fil-a |
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| We made gingerbread houses |
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| and decorated sugar cookies |
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| Christmas Eve Gift... a heat up sloth |
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| Qyntn told me a few months ago that he wished someone would do the 12 days of Christmas for him, so I made it happen. I had a friend deliver the gifts for me. He got his 12th gift on Christmas Eve. |
As usual, we spent the evening of the 23rd with my side of the family. We visited my mom's grave site to wish her a happy birthday and sing some Christmas songs together. Then had dinner, played games and sang more Christmas Carol's together. We got to have Alyssa and Holly with us for one evening.
With Holly in Oregon, and Tiago on a mission, we didn't get a single complete family photo this year. The closest we came was in Mexico. I tried to photoshop Holly in, but it just didn't work out.
Although it was the weekend before Christmas, Ben really wanted to go support Hoop Camp at UNLV for a game event. So, we packed up and drove to Vegas. On the drive down we stopped in Cedar City to watch the new movie, "Wicked." It was long, but really good.
In Vegas we stayed at the South Point Hotel and Casino. Apparently, South Point is a sponsor of Hoop Camp now, so we were comped 3 nights and also got free buffet tickets. What a blessing!
The next day we went shopping, and had a lot of fun! We saw Santa at the mall. That night, Ben and Q were checking out the hotel. They were by the movie theater when a young man asked them if they wanted to see "Mufasa." He handed over 3 tickets and we went to the show, it was a Christmas miracle!
The next day was the event.. 10 of our athletes got to be introduced with the starting line-up for both the men's and women's teams. Since we did both games, many of our athletes were able to participate in the time out competitions and play in a 5 minute half-time game. It is always a delight to be able to provide them with cool experiences like this.
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| 2 new friends |
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| Q got to throw out t-shirts with our friends during a time out. |
Christmas came early for 50 souls in heaven. Our amazing stripling athletes got up early and braved the cold to do baptisms for the last time this year. 10 boys showed up and they were each baptized for 5 souls. It was beautiful to see them all dressed in white sitting together in the temple.
I have loved going to the temple every month with these young men. These boys have done enough baptisms to create a new ward in Heaven. I call it the "Stripling Athlete Ward."
Ben and I were recently called to be on the activities committee in the ward. Our first assignment was the ward Christmas party. In our planning meeting we decided to do a brunch with pictures of Christ as the centerpiece on each table. We were going to keep it simple. But, I felt strongly that we needed more Jesus. A thought came to mind and I mentioned that I might be willing to organize a shadow nativity. Nobody was really sure what that was, but they put Ben and I in charge of the program. As soon as we walked out the door, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I had no idea how I was going to pull this off.
The next day, I did some research online and bingo! I found a blog from a woman who had previously organized a shadow nativity. She had printable cut outs for the props, a script and lots of tips. Finding that blog was an answer to prayer. It was a step by step guide for me to follow.
The party was only 4 weeks away, so I had to jump right in. First, I asked several of the youth in the ward if they would be willing to participate. I was so glad that most of them said, yes. Then I scheduled practices.
Next, I found the music. I chose the Christmas version of the song Hallelujah by Caleb and Kelsey. It's stunning!
While the boys were away on their trip, I started on the costumes and props. I asked around to see if anyone had costumes that I could borrow. I was able to find a tunic for Joseph and another one for the child Jesus. The rest I pieced together with things at home. The wisemen wore long robes and Burger King crowns. I made the 3 shepherd costumes and the tunic for Jesus from sheets. I was able to find a dress for Mary and the 2 angels in my closet. Alyssa sewed together 3 white, king size, sheets to drape across the stage. For the props, I used some large boxes that we had in the garage. To be honest, it wasn't very fun cutting out the props and was very time consuming.
I didn't sleep much the night before the party, I was nervous. We arrived early for one final rehearsal and it went okay, but it wasn't as polished as I would have liked. That morning, our Jesus didn't show up, he was sick. Luckily, his dad offered to fill in for him, so I quickly taught him his part. At the beginning of the program, Ben led the congregation in the song, "The 12 Days of Christmas." Each table had an assigned day. Ben and Holly had made large posters that corresponded to each of the 12 days. The idea was that someone from each group was supposed to stand up and hold up the sign when it was their turn to sing. Some groups got more involved than others, but it turned out great. Back stage, the youth and I were getting ready for our performance. When Ben started the music, everything came together and it turned out beautifully. After the nativity, I led the congregation in "Silent Night" and we had a closing prayer. The program was short and sweet, but strong in spirit and full of Jesus.
My friend Deedra texted me later to tell me that she had brought three non member friends with her to the party. During the nativity, all of them had tears in their eyes. One of them texted her that night and said it was the perfect way to start the Christmas season.
Our neighbor across the street told me that her four year old grandson had come with her to the party. During the performance she noticed that he had tears running down his cheeks. Afterward she asked him why he was crying. He said that his heart was so warm and that it grew three sizes that day (like the Grinch). Hopefully he will remember those feelings for a very long time.
Another neighbor told me it was her favorite nativity ever, and I got several additional text messages of gratitude letting me know that the spirit had been strong. The young man that played Joseph told me afterward that it was awesome. I'm grateful that Qyntn was able to be one of the shepherds and that the spirit guided me through the process to make it happen.
