Christmas 2017

I can't believe another Christmas has come and gone! Where did the time go? Pretty soon it will be back to school and work. Christmas was a success this year, but it was a little different. I finally got to go home on the 23rd and practice the song we (Mandy, Mary, Carol, and I with Mom playing the piano) sang for church. Then the morning of Christmas Eve came and we started it out at church. We only had Sacrament Meeting and we had a nice program. The Primary sang 2 songs and then Colt Christiansen spoke. Then we sang Where You There. Then Colton Rowley gave his homecoming talk. He came home early in the week from Africa. His little sister Faith did a piano solo for the final musical number. We went home to prepare and to celebrate everything else. Santa even came while we were looking at lights. Meg had to work Christmas Day so we (and with Santa's help) moved everything up a day. We even played a new game that I think will become a tradition. I'll get more into that with the photos.

The theme this year was Australia. Australia is hot this time of year, so our dinner was picnic food. We had homemade rolls, a meat tray, grape salad, apple salad, raspberry salad, street tacos with pork, and shrimp.

Christmas morning we had Tim Tam slams as part of our breakfast. Unfortunately I don't have any photos from that. But you have a Tim Tam (a type of cookie) and you bight of opposite corners. Then you put one corner in a hot drink (we used Hot Chocolate) and you suck through it like a straw. The hot liquid will melt the cookie from the inside of your mouth. Before it completely crumbles you "slam" it into your mouth.

The following photos are from Gardner Christmas 2017.

My Apartment Christmas Decorations

The magic of Christmas is not in the presents but in His presence.

Scenes from around Mom's house (these pictures were taken after Christmas. Linus' Christmas Speech and the Greg Olsen Painting are part of the gifts we gave my mom).

Christmas Eve

Dinner

Movie Game

Mom received 2 movies. Carol couldn't decide which ones she wanted to do. So she got The Shaggy Dog and Spiderwick. Her clues were a dog bone and some honey. 

Carol's Movie and clue.

Mary had 3 different dogs. Her movie was Must Love Dogs.

Dad had a magnify glass and a Sherlock Hat. His movie was Sherlock Holmes. 

John received the movie I did. I thought my clues were clever. He had a small notebook, papers teaching you how to dance, allergy medicine, and a picture of New York. His movie was Hitch.

Meg received the movie Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Her clues were a pirate hat and a pirate hook. Later mom found the chest she was going to give with it.

Mandy received Beauty Shop. She had a wig and a doll's hair salon items. (We all thought she looked a little Russian with the wig on)

The movie I received was Happy Feet. I got socks, a smiley face pillow, and shoe insoles.

 New Game

This year Dad and John brought a new game for us to play. There was a present that was wrapped up really tight (slick paper and tape on all places that had been folded). You role two dice and try to get doubles. Once you do you put oven mittens and try to open the present. Once the person next to you gets doubles you have to take off the oven mitts and give it to them to try to open the present. I won the present, which was Harry Potter Clue. Meg really wanted it, so I gave it up to her. Next year I think I'm suppose to bring the present.

 Christmas Lights

After we played all our games we decided to go Christmas light hunting. We had a few fun ones around town and in the surrounding areas. 

When we came back from looking at lights we found a note on the door telling us Santa had come to visit us since Meg had to work the next day.

Before we could open any of our presents we had to go put on out silly pajamas on. I think this will become a new tradition as well as the new game.

Christmas Day

This was the first time in my entire life I slept in on Christmas. It was nice, but strange. Mom made a breakfast casserole to eat in the morning. Then we did our Tim Tam Slams. Afterward we made our way to Orangeville for the festivities there. 

Days after Christmas

Mary's new sweater that she had to get a picture of to send to Dad and John. 

As part of our Australian Christmas we were suppose to paint these ornaments sooner, but ran out of time. They were also suppose to be painted Aboriginal Rock Painting Style, but Mary and I didn't do that. She painted a desert scene which included a lizard and a cactus. I painted Christmas trees, a snowman and polka dots.

 Merry Christmas!!