Last night we kicked off the Christmas season with a wonderful FHE. By wonderful, I mean, Jeremy only fell asleep for part of the lesson, Jake and Abby only did a few near summersaults on the floor, Hannah only interepted a couple of times with questions and I only yelled at the family once or twice.
I was in charge of the lesson. I stole a story, The Last Straw, that I had heard in primary the day before and read it to my family. It's a tear-jerker about a family that learns to serve one another to bring the spirit of Christmas into their home. Then I extended the same challenge to our family. We drew names to see who we'd secretly serve this week. I imagined it would be a flawless hit, but we had to re-draw a bunch of times because people would keep drawing their own names, then I heard the moans. My family is apparently also a bit competitive because I heard things like, "I already put 3 pieces of straw in the manger" or "I've done more than you." In the end, the family was okay and we are all working to serve each other without advertising it.
Jake was in charge of the activity, so we decorated the tree. It is always fun and exciting when the kids see old ornaments they made years ago and the quick reminiscence that follows.
(This year was Hannah's year to help Jeremy with the Angel)
We finished the night with Abby's treat - hot chocolate made with milk (not water), with marshmallows and way too many dollops of cool whip and candy canes. Talk about a rich and delicious treat.
As we sat around sipping, I realized how really blessed I am. I have a super cool family that I love with all my heart, a home to shelter us from the worries of the world, the gospel, and especially The Savior. It's moments like that, that I want to bottle up and hang on to forever.
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