Christmas traditions

• Temple lights were replaced with Zoo lights this year.

I thought BYU and the U had an intense rivalry until I met Alabama and Auburn fans...
 

• On Christmas Eve Eve, we had a "choice" dinner with the Carlsons. Hunter's family tradition is that every family member gets to choose whatever meal they want for Christmas Eve. There are 8 kids in his family, so his mom made ten different meals on Christmas Eve!!! What a saint. Luckily, Jack and Spencer chose the same easy thing (Pizza Hut pizza) and I chose my favorite fatty appetizers and Christmas dessert (jalapeno artichoke dip, chipped beef french bread dip, and peppermint ice cream with oreo crust). Kana and Hunter made ribs, pizza bites, fruit, and marinated cheese. It was quite the feast! 

• Christmas Eve day was spent at the movies watching Frozen. We loved it! Last month of pregnancy = chubby Asian face. 

• Every Christmas Eve, we get new Christmas jammies, a new ornament, and a new Christmas book. One of my favorite Christmas gifts I received the first year I was married was the collection of all of my ornaments I had received throughout the years. This year my mom gave us an ornament of our new temple come May - the Nauvoo Temple! I gave Jack and Spencer Alabama football ornaments.  

This year, we gave Jack his third Christmas book and my mom sent me my first one to keep from my Grandma and Papa back in 1989. (It says in the note that I was perfect and I think they still think I am perfect because I am still the only grandchild that has attended Utah State University)

• We started a new tradition this year - each year, we are each going to paint a Christmas scene and eventually compile them into a book that will be worth millions one day. No need to compliment us, we know we are amazingly talented. 

Spencer's:
 

Mine:
 

Jack's:

• Christmas Jammie Dance Party! It was very short lived this year due to my extreme pregnant body, due to Spencer only dancing because I force him to, and due to the fact that last year's dance party was pretty impossible to beat. Our dance party was so awesome last year that James' investigators in Mexico found it on youtube. James even warned us in an email about Christmas dancing this year: "Love you all so much but don´t let the Christmas Eve dancing get too wild or my converts are going to think my family is nuts. Or at least don't put it on YouTube. haha."

• Nativity reading/watching.
• We listened to a voice recording of my Great Grandpa Smith telling the story about when he was a little boy and got a pony for Christmas. I have never met my Great Grandpa Smith but I know his voice pretty well now because I have listened to it every Christmas Eve of my life. 
• Christmas morning we had Spencer's family's tradition of breakfast casserole, orange rolls, and fruit for breakfast. I know, I am such a good photographer and should become a foodie blogger. 

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Jack was still too young to really understand that Santa was coming, but I think he has a sixth sense about holidays because he woke up at 3:45 am Christmas morning and wouldn't go back to bed! The last time he did this was on his birthday. 

Christmas morning:

For the past three years, I have made it VERY CLEAR that the first gift I want once Spencer has a salary is a Garmin 10 GPS running watch. He somehow justified getting me one now and I'm glad he did because I'm SO excited to go running with it... in about 11 weeks!

We had a happy Christmas day relaxing, napping, Skyping family, and talking to James in Mexico. This was the first year we stayed home for Christmas and we were a little worried that it wasn't going to feel like Christmas because we were so far away from family. We kept old traditions alive and started some new ones and I am happy to report that we had a wonderful Christmas in Alabama! 

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Christmas outtake: