Christmas Eve

I daresay that traditionally, I enjoy Christmas Eve even more than Christmas Day. We have so many traditions in our family, that all make me so happy. Christmas Eve Day was most definitely a very busy one- not documented in pictures though! Hazen was getting a pretty nasty cold the night before, so I had doubts of if we'd be able to do anything that day, but he sure pulled through! We woke up; Jason was at work, so it was just Hazen and I, and headed over to Heather's house. It's a Danielson family tradition to go to the homeless shelter and bring them clothes, gifts, and food. We deviated slightly from her exact tradition this year, but we were able to still enjoy the gift of giving. Heather made each family unit grocery lists, and we went to Walmart to get food and other items that the Food Coalition in Provo was in need of. It was a great opportunity for the kids to see how much they have and how little others have. Heck, it was great for everyone to see!

Once we had dropped everything off at the Coalition, we sang a few songs. Just in case you're ever in the position to carol to homeless people, it might not be in the best taste to sing, "Let it Snow" to them, ahem....Heather.... :) We were all really hungry after our hard work that morning, so we went to Lon's Barbeque for lunch. Mmmmm, Fried Cauliflower......





That night, we had our traditional Christmas Eve "walkaround". It had all of the food that I remember from growing up, and my mom even added Brie in the mix because she loves me. Heather had arranged for a puppet show, so we watched that, which discussed the gift of Christmas. Afterwards we went around and discussed gifts that we had recieved the prior year. I mentioned that I had been given a gift in the form of Jason, because he's such a wonderful husband and works so hard for our family. Also, Hazen, because he's such a blessing, and he's my buddy all day when Daddy works. I honestly don't know what I did to deserve such a good little baby. Lastly, I mentioned Heather, because she's always there for me, and is more than a sister; she's my best friend and I love her so much! Jason mentioned that I was his gift this year because I've been patient with him while he worked and accomplished things, and also because I take good care of him and boy. I know that I can do better- and I will strive to do just that in the upcoming year!

We rounded out the evening with our yearly PJ exchange. This year, I made matching PJs for Jason, Hazen, and I. They seemed to turn out really well- but time will only tell after a few loads of laundry. We all had hugs and kisses goodnight, then the Lees went home where we snuggled into our beds to await Santa's arrival the next day!