Holiday Wrap-up

And just like that, the holidays are gone.

Booo Hooo!  Now it's time to play a little holiday wrap-up.

We've enjoyed planning new holiday traditions here in North Carolina, 

but I'm not going to lie, I've felt a little melancholy too. 

 I've missed "my people" around me.

This is the first year since our New Jersey days that we haven't had family

 around for any holidays, and I've missed their faces!

Travelling for the holidays is expensive and exhausting, 

so we made the most out of staying home and hygge-ing it out!

I did my best to make the house warm and cozy as the 

Christmas lights glowed 24 hours a day.

I lit candles daily from 4:00 in the afternoon to midnight.
We went through about 100 + candles (at least!) over the break!

 We had hot chocolate almost every night with an endless supply 

of marshmallows and whipped cream.

I made Hygge-pudding (Risalamande) at least twice a week, 

and with the mattresses blown up in the living room next to the TV, 

we were always close to each other and entertained with Christmas flicks.

In fact, turns out we never wanted to leave the house.

Here are a few favorite holiday traditions, plus a few new ones:

-Movies at the theater:  Nutcracker, Mary Poppins,

 and the Grinch are a few of the ones we saw.  

I think I'm getting old because I fell asleep through every single movie.  

Nowadays, I go for the popcorn.

-Our sister missionaries come for dinner and
share a beautiful Christmas message:

-This year Jane made dynamite gingerbread cookies and everyone
joined in the fun (even Ollie!):

-Visiting the firemen on Christmas Eve to drop off chips and salsa

 and share our love and thanksgiving for their sacrifice:

This is one of our favorite traditions.  

This year the Chatham Country FD let us check out their trucks and gear!

-The girls attend the much dreaded youth New Years Eve dance:

and bring (sing) Christmas cheer to a local rest home:
-New Years Eve hat making:

-New Years Eve dinner out.
This year we went to Carolina Brewery
 (with Julian-Milo, Lottie's lemur)

for some amazing fish tacos:

-Family New Years Sunday dinner complete with a '19 roll creation.

We drank bubblie, and ate dinner under candlelight:

-Snow:

-Crowns at Christmas dinner:

Christmas PJ's:

Homemade Advent candle:


.......The End.......

Happy Weekend!
Spiritual Enlightenment: One in Christ