Guess What? It's Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We Houghtons have a lot of traditions for Christmas time, so here, I'm going to tell you a little about them! 

• You must be singing (either out loud, or in your head) Christmas carols constantly between Thanksgiving and New Years Day. Only between those times.  There shall be no singing of Christmas Carols outside of those dates.
• Christmas Eve is Family Baking Day, and is to be devoted to making tea rings, eggnog rolls, cookies, and other assorted goodies to be distributed while caroling in the evening.
• The Happy Prince must be read aloud, part of Luke must be read aloud (by Luke), and Dad must give a schpeel about the true meaning of Christmas
• Each year, whenever Christmas presents are mentioned, Dad must say "Kids, this year we've decided to have a really low key, inexpensive Christmas."
•  Mom and Levi must haggle over how early we're getting up
• Christmas day Schedule:  Kids wake up at the time agreed upon by Mom and Levi, kids rouse parents, kids sit on stairs sleepily while Mom and Dad take pictures of them, kids are released, one by one, to go open stockings, stockings are dug into, breakfast is eaten (tea ring and eggs of some sort), presents are opened one by one (for about the first 15 minutes), kids run around the house and play with new toys/gifts until Mom and Dad decide it's time to make dinner, we eat dinner, we sing carols at the top of our lungs around the piano (Dad plays) until we're all hoarse, Mom and Dad order the kids to bed.

I think those are all of the major rules/traditions of a Houghton Christmas.  Of course the gift giving goes without saying.  Now, here are the pictures from our latest Christmas Adventure!

(I just LOVE this Picture)

Christmas Eve:

Marta and Tess cutting out cookies

Eggnog rolls, toffee, cranberry bread, lemon squares, cashew triangles, and cookies, in the prep. stage still

 The family decorating the menagerie of cookies (Tess bandaging some blistered toes)

The completed menagerie, please notice the detail

I love this story.  It is beautiful, and I would recommend reading it if you have not already

Mom and Dad always do a good job of reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas.  We usually talk about the things that have helped us feel the true spirit of Christmas, and we talk about the Saviors birth, and the wise men, shepherds, and the baby Jesus. Some of the things that were mentioned that bring the true spirit of Christmas were: giving the gift of music by caroling and singing in the choir at church, participating in the adopt-a-family program at school, bagging food for the ATCAA food bank, and singing, baking, and doing dishes, with the family.

Christmas Day:

 Sleepy on the Stairs, Christmas morning

Battles at the Stockings

 (Mom got a pedicure pistol)

 Gifts from Non-Santa Clauses 

Luke loves his new memory foam pillow... (love, Levi)

 To Mom

From, the Bad Wrappers

 Dad and Luke got embroidered socks (they always accuse each other of stealing the other's) and Mariokart Love, Marta and Tess

 Luke encourages Eliza to use gel in her new short hair-do

(Eliza re-wrapped up the CTR ring that she gave Luke in November)

   Marta got pants, and a hat from Mom and Dad 

 Levi was dying of curiosity concerning this package, turns out it was a bean bag (love Marta)

 Grandma Houghton sent Marry Poppins-themed items to the girls

The Kempers sent animal hats which have been quite a hit around the house

 Mom and Dad like to give practical gifts, for Christmas, and (almost) everyone received a coat or jacket for the winter months...

Let it Snow!

Thank you for reading about our Christmas, now I would encourage you to write down memories from your own Holiday experience.  It is my belief that every Christmas is better than the last (hopefully) because with each new year, you learn something new about the spirit of Christmas, or you get to serve in a new way, or you spend the holidays with new people.  Each Christmas is new and special, even better than the last.

Love,

Marta with help from whoever took all these pictures (I certainly didn't)