Christmas 2010 in pictures

That title might be a teeny white lie only because you know I'm a big mouth and can't just post pictures without some commentary...

Before I get started though, I have to take note of 2 traditions that will be nixed in 2011:

1) Gingerbread house - my kids just don't get it. They have no patience/desire/understanding of what it means to be creative and make a house out of candy. All we hear is "can we eat it yet? can we eat it yet?" on and on. Maybe we'll get in to it when they're teenagers. But I told Tyler already--no gingerbread houses next year!

2) Sugar cookies - This was something my mom always did with us as kids and I have fond memories of her delicious sugar cookies and letting us decorate all the different Christmas shapes. But this year I nixed it because there are so many other traditions that I want to do instead. We will be saving sugar cookies for Valentine's day from now on.

Here are the kids all dressed up for Church on the Sunday before Christmas. I did not even think about getting the kids some Christmas outfits this year. Whoops!

Thankfully Annie's dress was a hand-me-down from Whitney, Cole's sweater was a hand-me-down from Aunt Mary, and Whitney's dress was a Christmas gift from my mom last year, so they were able to look festive.

Whitney and Shannon were matching one day with their black/white, so we had to take a picture:

We LOVE getting Christmas cards. Thanks to everyone who sent them! Sending out Christmas cards is one of my "non-negotiable" traditions; we just have to do it!

We love the newsletters too, so don't be offended if you don't see yours hanging up. This year I kept them on Tyler's nightstand so he could stop and read a few each night before bed.

It's not Christmas without stopping by the temple to see the Christmas lights! The kids and I drove up one evening to see the sun set and to see the lights turn on; always beautiful!

After hanging out at the temple, we decided to go pick up Tyler from work; his hospital is super close by. We made a scene at the hospital and then went back to the temple to show daddy what we were up to earlier that day:

Isn't Tyler is so handsome in those blue scrubs?

It's not Christmas without Fudge for me & Almond Roca for Tyler:

These pictures were from Google Images (our food must have been devoured too quickly to get a shot). I had success making Almond Roca with this recipe that Tyler claims tasted just like his mom's. After 8 years of marriage, I finally found the winning recipe!!

Christmas Eve

(not pictured: candlelit traditional dinner of ham, cheesy potatoes, rolls, and more on the Christmas china)

Nativity with the most excited "Mary" that got to wear make-up, a silky robe, and hold a real baby:

The cast:

You can open one present--what could it be? PJs

We left Shannon on the couch while we tucked the kids in bed, and came back to find her fast asleep:

Christmas Day was exciting, of course. Whitney started ringing the bells at 7am to let everyone know that Santa had arrived. Like last year, I was so excited about video-taping the morning that I didn't get any still shots until after most everything was cleaned up. Here is Shannon enjoying her new bugs:

Cole asked for a Lego Batman/Robin set, but Santa's elves must not have been making that set this year, so he got the Lego City airplane instead.

Whitney got her treasured "Girl Legos"

Needless to say, we enjoyed a leisurely morning playing with toys...

Our sweet friends invited us over for a gourmet Christmas lunch. I brought my camera over to their house, but totally forgot to pull it out. Doh!

One thing I cannot forget to document was a really special surprise. A week (or so?) before Christmas I was having a horrible, rotten, no-good day. I had spent 45 minutes at the post office trying to track down a lost package (that still has not been recovered!), and the kids were total basket-cases. Imagine me with a fussy baby in the front-pack, Annie on the leash, and Whitney and Cole practically jumping off the walls. It was nuts, and I left the post office fighting back tears.

At the end of the day, I was talking on the phone to my mom ranting about all the awful events that had happened that day. I was getting Annie ready for bed and brushing her hair in the bathroom when Whitney came in and said, "Mom, someone just knocked on the door!" The last thing I wanted was to have anyone see my chaotic life. But we opened the door and sitting there was a HUGE stack of presents--one package with each of the kids' names and then a 5th package that said, "Nelson kids." 

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I had to hang up the phone with my mom because I couldn't stop the tears. It was the sweetest thing! I read the tags a hundred times and memorized the handwriting on the notes. I couldn't stop wondering who our Secret Santa could be. 

On Christmas morning, we let the kids open their presents and explained how we had no idea who they were from and how special this was to receive something from a Secret Santa. We were floored at the generosity that the kids unwrapped. Someone knew our kids so well! Whitney got lots of things including a warm jacket and a game...

Cole got some Batman pajamas (with a cape!) and this darling Batman shirt...

Annie got a new shirt and some PJs, Shannon got the cutest outfits and a generous stash of diapers. We couldn't believe how generous (and secretive) someone could be! We have a working list of who we think it might have been, but as much as we want to know who it was, it's fun wondering who the mystery person is. 

I look at people in our complex with a little bit of loving suspicion... wondering if they were our Secret Santas. We see people in our congregation at church and wonder if it was them. We just don't know who showered us so thoughtfully. Thank you whoever you are!!