Perfect Day

Perfect day after Christmas...just snuggling up, warm inside. Listening to all those brave people outside shoveling the snow. Not moving unless I absolutely have to..snacking on leftover homemade chicken noodle soup, and a little chocolate. What can I say? It has been a lovely Christmas this year.

Christmas Eve got started off with our regular Chicken noodle soup and pretzel jello dinner. Looks like Tom and Jim are just a bit on the tired side, but having a good time... while the kids are all in playing games.

They play some sort of charades game every year. It was fun to have the PA gang here. Made things a little more lively!

I think the girls beat the boys!

Then the stockings were hung...

Christmas morning Santa found these little boys...even tho they were way out west...

he found these guys too!

Santa found Jake, even tho Jake was just a bit overwelmed! I think he got a recliner and a motorcycle, but he liked that ball the best.

Whitney and Jason had fun their first Christmas together.

Luke got an ipod

on to Jim's omelets! Hope you have as fun a Christmas as we did!

The end...

Well....everything's finished, so I guess I'll just put up my feet and wait for Santa...Merry Christmas...

Love, Aunt Polly

The Gang's all Here

All was quiet in our house.....ready for Christmas, but not quite.

Then the PA Gang exploded in....minus one....

Oh, there he is. Now we can really start Christmas!

Happy Birthday Taylor

Can you believe that Taylor turned 12 years old today? It seems like just a bit ago that we got the call that we had our first grandson! Tomorrow he gets ordained a deacon and then we get to see him and the rest of the gang on Monday! so happy birthday Taylor!! Oh, we celebrated by taking Jake on his first sleigh ride! I think everyone enjoyed it except Jake!

Some golf, anyone?

With all the snow, I'm wondering if Santa will find some warmer climates to do a little golfing!? (hopefully he'll wait til after Christmas) If the mom's don't get a rest then he doesn't get to rest either!

It's not quite Norman Rockwell, but it is mine and I love driving up to my home on a snowy evening and seeing everything all lit up! Merry Christmas from our house to yours.

Enjoying Christmas!

Have I said how much I am enjoying the Christmas Season this year?  I guess getting older is another thing to be grateful for, because I have learned that Christmas always comes on December 25th and somehow everything gets done and everyone is happy and what was I so stressed about?  So as I get old and a bit wiser I am learning to enjoy the ride, knowing that the season comes and goes all too fast.  Yesterday my two dear friends...Teri and Pat came for a visit.  It was fun to turn on the Christmas lights, some music in the middle of the day, so things would be relaxed and a little festive and then sit down for a nice chat.  I love them and it is comforting to have them take the time to come over and visit on a snowy day.  

Jim and I went shopping the other night and met some old friends we hadn't seen in about 20 years.  We didn't even recognize them at first. But after awhile we started visiting and talked for about half an hour.  He'd worked with Jim years ago..we got caught up on families, how we missed mom and dad,  and he told us some fun stories about teaching tennis with Tom, ..as we checked out and went to load our purchases, we realized we couldn't fit them into our car and our new found friends passed by and offered to pack them in their truck and follow us home! So we not only renewed an old friendship but were served by them as well.. I mention these silly little stories, because I call them Christmas miracles!  I wanted this Christmas to be lovely and have prayed for it to be peaceful, even praying for things like the Christmas lights to all work and the printer on my computer to run smoothly so I wouldn't be frustrated, and I realized that I must then look for and acknowledge when these small blessings come along...for it is answer to prayer. These small acts of kindness and seemingly unimportant gifts are given to me and can make the Christmas Season most meaningful and joyous.  

Went to Grama's ward party last night....

met up with my pal Warren,

we climbed around on the stairs for awhile

and then they took us off to see this

guy they called Santa Claus....

That's when the fun stopped!

Old Swedish Custom

One of my favorite Christmas memories was our great Lundgren Christmas Eve party. When I was little we would get together at Grama and Grampa Lundgren's house with all the cousins, aunts, and uncles. It was always a big deal when you where around 8 years old and got to be Mary in the the Nativity program. It was probably the last Christmas at Grama's house when I got to be Mary, because I remember Marty got to be Santa Lucia...and that somehow seemed even better! (how could that be better than being Mary)? At the end of the Nativity, Santa Lucia got to come in with a tray of cookies or sticky buns and pass them around to everyone. She had a crown painted red with candles on it. I can't actually remember the story behind Santa Lucia..so Marty, if you would like to blog about it, I would appreciate it. I loved that we continued with those Swedish customs. How fun that would have been for Grampa to pass on some of his heritage to his family. Memories and family traditions are wonderful. On Christmas Eve we now celebrate by having family and friends come over and enjoy homemade Chicken Noodle soup and on Christmas morning Jim always makes is delicious omelets. Hopefully these will be things our kids and grandkids will remember fondly. Do you have happy memories or traditions?