Between selling our house, a trip to Hawaii, a trip to California, and a trip to Washington State, we have had an unconventional Christmas! It was the first Christmas that Koala Bear has ever had not in our Eagle Mountain home.
We moved out of our home a few weeks before Christmas because we were told we were going to close earlier, but then it ended up that we closed a week later (BRRMMP...totally a long story that made me really irritated...so we will avoid that for this happy post). So we were hanging out in a hotel.
We have learned all about the staff and clearly are regulars throughout the week! HAHA. Our room is PACKED with stuff--and that includes 2 Christmas trees and 4 other small 2foot trees spread around the room. The main trees were a white fiber glass tree and a rainbow tree. The kids loved that they got to decorate. Lucky Dragon took it upon himself to string the room with lights. Lady Hiva and I were loving his creativity.
Koala Bear learned to play "Jeep Punch" from her cousins in Hawaii. The idea of the game is if you see a Jeep you punch someone near you. She decided that since we have a room facing a freeway she was going to watch out the window for Jeeps so she can punch people HAHAHA.
Keeping some traditions alive, we went to the #LighttheWorld Giving Machines. Every year we let the kids choose what they want to give to others. It is part of our effort to help them learn Christmas is about giving and service, not getting and selfishness. It is fun to see them want to help others. They make it very serious as they decide and often can remember what they gave the last several years. Our conversation usually ends up with us all trying to imagine the family that "received our chickens last year" or if "we think the family that received our goat ate the goat or kept it for milk."
Proving how COVID-19 has changed our lives, this year Lucky Dragon did not choose an animal like he normally would and opted for vaccines for children. (Proud parent moment). Koala Bear chose a goat this year.
We had fun shopping for each other. The last few years we have done something that we each get 3 gifts--one from the other three members of the family. It makes it simple and thoughtful. It also helps us focus on loving others instead of worrying about what we are going to receive.
Wrapping gifts was an adventure of its own this year. Kind of hard to wrap gifts when you are all staying in a hotel room. There is no place to go and hide while you wrap. So we had to strategically plan when to wrap when people were showering! HAHA.
Both kids had their Christmas sings. Because of snow days, it ended up that Lucky Dragon was able to see Koala Bear and visa-versa. I loved seeing the two of them in their element with their friends and teachers.
Throughout the last week we have found ways to be with family. We had dinner with cousins, bowled with a whole bunch of family, built Ginger Bread Houses, played games, exchanged gifts, and laughed. It has been a busy season, but I am thankful we have people in our lives willing to let us enjoy time with them.
We went down and did the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork again this year. This is something we have done every years since we arrived in Utah. I am glad that we have been able to keep some of the traditions alive even if it is different than what we usually do during Christmas.
So, yes, this year was a bit different than other years, but we were still able to do things that we love. We spent time with people we care about and gave gifts to bring joy!
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