Ever since 1997 when Joseph first went away to college, the best part of Christmas for me has been having the kids home. This year, we were so happy to have Janet home and to have Emily and Preston to spend time with. And it was wonderful to talk to the kids who were celebrating with their other families and to our two missionaries. Those were the best parts of the day for me.

On Christmas Eve, we had our traditional Christmas Eve dinner. Besides Janet, Emily and Preston, we invited a family from the ward who were leaving on Christmas day to visit her family in England. The dinner was great and Kim brought some crackers with her. These are a tradition in England. They are cardboard tubes filled with little toys, paper hats, fortunes and jokes, and something to make them snap. At the beginning of dinner, you cross your arms and hold the ends of the crackers all the way around the table. At someone's signal, you all pull and the crackers snap open. It was really a fun way to start off the evening and a tradition that I'd like to continue. Here is a picture of the exact kind she brought. They are wrapped in 12 Days of Christmas paper, if you're interested.




On Christmas Day, after we had talked to Sarah and Joseph, opened presents, and visited Preston and Emily's to play a few games, we went to a potluck Christmas dinner with our friends, the Thompsons. Once again, a very yummy dinner and great company.

After that, we came home, talked to Ben and Joanna and Grandma Allred, played a few more games and called it a day. All in all, it was very peaceful and restful and fun to spend time with people we love.