A Christmas to Remember

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Past Christmas celebrations have all been fun and filled with memories, but this year's time together has really been the most memorable to me.

Not because of all the gifts (although those were nice too), but all the little things. New traditions that will be around for years to come. The little things that made me laugh and even cry.

The week prior to Christmas Rick and I helped the kids write letters to each other and everyone else in the family. It came from a post I found last year from An Ordinary Mom on stocking stuffers. The letters were all "top secret" and I put them into everyone's stockings Christmas Eve after Rick and I sat down and wrote a letter to each of the kids also.

Christmas morning, after we had a yummy breakfast, read the last devotion from Jotham's Journey and read from Luke 2, the kids sat down to read all the notes and letters in their stockings.

And really it was the sweetest (and funniest) thing to read some of the notes they wrote to each other.

"Kaleb, I love you because you are cute, cute, cute!" Laurianna

"Thank you for hugging me when McKenna hits me." Zachary

Laurianna had worked especially hard on a gift for me (after we said we didn't want her spending money on gifts for us) and made me a special necklace one day. She made 6 paper beads and laced them onto a yarn necklace. Six beads since there were six of us in the family. And it was wrapped ever-so-sweetly too. A little necklace that now has a special place in my jewelry box.

But the one that just brought tears to my eyes was a handmade gift from Laurianna to McKenna. One that she had obviously put time and thought into and been planning for awhile. During her co-op time while learning how to sew and stitch, she made her first "cross stitch" for McKenna.

One that I will be keeping around for years to come.