Christmas in Review

At the beginning of the month, I made a Christmas Calendar so that Joe and I would have a Christmas activity to do each day. We had a great time doing it! I love my husband for allowing me to love and celebrate Christmas with all the decorations and baking and presents and family time....etc. 

I took my little sister, Cheyanna, to decorate residents' doors at a nursing home in Fayetteville. This is our creation!

That afternoon, Joe and I went to my cousin's house and instead of doing gingerbread houses, we made Christmas Trees out of ice cream cones! 

 

I also baked A LOT this Christmas season! Here are some of the creations...for my professors, Joe's coworkers, and Joe's students. We also took some cookies to our neighbors with a Christmas card! 

Home made Christmas sugar cookies! 

Toffee made for Joe's coworkers!

Christmas crunch popcorn for Joe's students

We went to the Gentry Christmas parade... 

...and took some candy to our Post Office workers.

And our tree has had three different tree toppers this Christmas! We didn't find any that we liked at first, so we just bought a Santa hat. Then I picked up a little Santa tree topper at the dollar store that I liked. Then the day after Christmas, Joe and I found one that we both agreed on and it was on sale!! It has the Christmas Story (the scrooge one) written on it, and it looked teachery with the text, so it fit us well.

We also bought a second Christmas tree after Christmas. I am my mother's daughter after all....

We made a Nativity scene and then were given a Willow Tree Nativity which I LOVE...

Some of the decorations that I made family members: 

Christmas tree canvases..Mom made us the "Merry Christmas" canvas for our house!

A family tree that I made my great-grandmother..

We celebrated Christmas just the two of us the Saturday before Christmas. We opened our stockings and then made blueberry pancakes. Joe was like a little child waiting to open his presents! 

After presents, we went to Rogers to do a little shopping and go to church:

We drove to Texas on Sunday...

Dad greeted us in his Christmas Story shirt....

Mom's six Christmas trees:

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service: 

Christmas Morning brunch with my aunts (and tacky Christmas sweaters): 

Christmas Day at my Grandmother's house: 

And it actually started snowing! A white Christmas..in Texas...who would have thought!

And while we were in Texas: 

I finally got to see my best friend!

 I laid in the dog's spot and got squashed..

and my dad got "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots...

I love Christmas, and I loved being able to spend so much time with my family. We just spent the last two days with Joe's family and I plan on spending the last day of 2012 laying on the couch doing absolutely NOTHING. 

I hope that everyone had a great Christmas! Have a safe, Happy New Year!

Samantha