Favorite Holiday Memory...

Yesterday my wonderful mom sent me a lovely email (along with my brothers and sisters) telling of some very many wonderful memories she was able to witness as they were captured on home video so many years ago. All of these home videos were taken from the holidays and varied from Christmas in 1987 when I was just two and terrified of Santa Clause, to 1992 and 1993 being just seven and eight and the abundance of laughter and genuine joy that filled the air. Mom challenged each of us to think about our most memorable holidays and mine are several. This being the last year that we celebrate the holidays without my wonderful little, bigger brother before he returns home from his mission has made me think about him especially at this time and with that he became my focus of gratitude and plays a huge role in my memories.
Christmas in 2002, my junior year of high school we lived in a small house in Salt Lake City not more than four blocks from my sister Stephanie and where she was living at the time. We were hit with a very very large snowstorm this year and having had the same thing happen two years prior were a little more ready than usual. The snowstorm essentially snowed us in until plows were able to get to us and knocked the power out for hours. I remember Jared and I getting up and filling up two liter bottles with hot water before the heat ran out so that we could keep warm, and I remember Mom and Dad deciding it would be a perfect time to play Monopoly as a family. Mom, Dad, Jared and I played Monopoly via candlelight until the game was over and the power came back on. Stephanie still had power at her house and was so close but we were unable to get out of our street and were forced to find joy in the misery of the situation. It was such a wonderful bonding experience and I don't remember being cold or unhappy.

My second memory is that of a wonderful Thanksgiving in 2005 in which my entire family, including my new husband were able to spend the holidays at my parents house in Idaho. Stephanie and her husband Mike made it from Utah, Kandi and her husband Shane and her two kids made it from Nampa, Idaho, and Shane and I were living in Rexburg at the time so only fifteen minutes away. We all spent the weekend with Mom's home cooked meals, and her wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. This was unlike any other because it was the first real Thanksgiving where everyone was moved away from home except for Jared and we were all able to make it home.
My last memory is of Christmas 2005. Not only was this a very wonderful Christmas because it was Shane's and my first with our little five foot twenty dollar tree and dollar store ornaments, but because once again my entire family convened at my parents house. It is popular tradition in our family to get new pajamas on Christmas Eve and when we were kids my sisters, brother, and I would all sleep in the same bedroom and so that is what we did. However by this time there were so many of us that we were laying in front of and almost under the tree in the living room. The next morning was a wonderful Christmas morning and a surprise invitation to breakfast with our "adopted" grandparents and their children. We arrived and were fed the most wonderful food. I remember Marilyn trying to fatten up Mike by insisting he had more and more helpings of bacon.

I have so much to be grateful for and just wanted to let everyone of my friends and family know that I love them and that I wish for many more great memories to be made along this journey.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!