Christmas Kickoff

This week has already gone by so fast. We have set up the Christmas tree which is always one of my favorite things to do with my family. You see each year we give the kids a new ordament and so we go through the remember this one... AHHH mom this was my favorite I remember when you gave it to me..... anyway I just love it.

Then we had our first Christmas Party with my moms side of the family. We only see those cousins once maybe twice a year and it was nice to see all those familiar faces and get time to chat with them for a little. It reminds me so much of when we were all little and Grandpa and Grandma Bennion would cram all of us down in their basement to hand out gifts. What good memories... What good people, I am proud to consider myself a Bennion and be part of their family.

Then the first Monday of every December my Aunt and cousins put on a live nativity down on their farm by the lake. OH my goodness I LOVE IT! I can't tell you how great it is to go there and hear the story of Jesus's birth in such a touching experience. They start out by having us sign a roster then we sit around a bomb fire and sing songs. Then they take a smallish group to another fire and start the story of that sweet babe that was born in Bethleham so many years ago. They are all dressed up and they carry lanterns and lead us down a path from one place to another first you go to a home searching for the Christ child and they take us to the Wise men who tell us about their experience seeing the Christ Child then we are led to the Shepards who bare testimony of Jesus's birth and they point us in the right direction.
Then as we are going down the dirt road following the star. Angels sing to us, it is amazing they are way up in the sky on a hay stack with a spot light shining right on them. There was a gentle breeze with a light snow fall. I can't explain to you the pureness of the whole experience. We follow on to the manger under a big bright star with the donkey in a coral and a couple in the shack with baby Jesus.
They finish the story and offer the kids to come and see baby Jesus if they would like. AMAZING! I am so glad we have added this tradition to our family. With it being right at the first of the month it helps us remember the true meaning of Christmas all year long!

So yes our Christmas season is in full swing here at the Townsends house. I love every minute of it and the snow just makes it that much better. Then every night we unwrap a Christmas book or two for our reading that night and of course we have the chocolate calander. Yes I do love this season with all its traditions