I haven't done a flashback friday in so long! Our scanner is broken...when it's fixed I'll do it more often. I had this picture on file already:
Top l-r: Melinda, Scott, Jenny. Bottom l-r: Elliot, cousin Lyndsey holding me, cousin Andrew.
I obviously don't remember this picture...I think I was 9 months old. I'm sad that I missed the Napoleon Dynamite-inspired outfit memo! I love the Pluto shirt especially, Jen. :)
Christmas time was absolutely magical when I was little. My brothers and sisters knew how to make things exciting and fun and taught me all the ways of Santa and Christmas lists. I remember looking at toy catalogs and cutting out pictures of toys I wanted. I remember looking at our advent calendar and wishing time would go by faster. The month of December was painful, trying to patiently wait for the 25th to roll around. When I was little, my reasoning for the magic of December was mostly about Santa, I'll be honest. My parents, on the other hand, were wonderful at teaching us about the true meaning of Christmas. It wasn't about the decorations that we got so excited about or the Barbie house we asked for. Our focus was rarely on Santa when they were around. They taught us what it means to be Christlike and serve.
It's funny how Christmas time is still magical as an adult, but for different reasons. Now I wish that December would just take it's sweet time passing. I love how everyone is so kind to each other. People are so willing to serve and give. I love feeling the spirit of the Savior everyday through observing a kind act, or listening to a special Christmas song, or hearing a touching Christmas story about the miracles that the Savior blesses people with at this time of year. I can't get enough of it. And now I feel like it's for the right reasons. It's even more magical than believing in Santa.
Don't get me wrong, we have taught Gracie about Santa. We just want the focus of our home to be on the Savior. Jared always shows her the little figures in our Nativity and tells her the story that goes along with them. The other morning Jared got Gracie out of bed and asked her how she slept. She said, "good". Then he asked what her dreams were about. She said, "Baby Jesus, and Baby Jesus' Mommy." It almost brought a tear to my eye. I'm so glad she had dreams about the Christchild instead of visions of sugarplums dancing in her head. :)
We love Christmas and just need to figure out how to make this month last longer, don't we?
6 comments:
Great Christmas thoughts my little sugar plum. Cute photo too. I remember those early Christmas days. Glad you do too, with fondness. It is a wonderful season.
Great post. I love every time you mention a Gracie quote because I always take a second to imagine it, then I inevitably smile once I do. I really do think our older siblings were great at creating a fun aura on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Very fun times.
On a side note, I actually love how I look in this pic. Kristin often says that she thinks our bright little Lia is probably just like her daddy, but I always assure her that i was a little dim-witted guy who was just happily plugging along through life. This picture captures that.
Another ps. my word verification for this comment is: lewsi. You might wanna consider changing her birth cert!
OH, how sweet is Gracie!!
That is a beautiful post. Like poetry almost. I loved every word.
How sweet that she said her dreams were about Baby Jesus and his mom! She is so sweet. I agree... we need December to pass more slowly!
Just love the picture! What a cool flashback!
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