The weather here is almost cold enough to be Christmas-y. Yesterday was in the 70s(!) and today, 30s. It even tried to snow! Nothing stuck, of course. Besides that, for several minutes, there were icy flakes falling from the sky. Thanks, weather! I appreciate the attempt to recreate the ideal Christmas atmosphere outside.

Did I ever mention how I LOVE this time of year? Let me list the ways:

1.No kids from 8-4:30

2. No getting up at 5:30 to get ready for work.

3. No work for two whole glorious weeks.

4. I love giving people gifts.

5. I love surprising people by doing nice things for them.

6. I have the time to do #4 and #5.

7. We get to celebrate one of the best events in human history.

8. There’s time set aside to appreciate family, friends, and our Savior.

As you can see, I could go on for quite awhile. I am grateful for my job and the opportunity I get to work with amazing young individuals on a near daily basis, but it is also nice to be able to have a restful break from the stress of such an important job.

I have been making goodies for people. I LOVE baking and cooking. As much as I enjoy eating what I made, I also want to share it too. (After all, eating a whole batch of cookies is not so friendly to the waist.) Some people were afraid I was bringing them goodies to get something in return, and that always makes me sad. When I was a child, I am sure that was part of the motivation behind it, but truly, I just like to show my appreciation for people.

In giving treats out, I finally met our nearest neighbors in our ward. I just meant to drop a plate of goodies by and then leave, but I ended up staying for almost two hours. I hadn’t met them previously because of the husband’s heart condition. It’s possible that they were one of the sweetest and funniest couples I have met in a long time. The poor wife was incredibly sad that she hadn’t met me sooner and tried to apologize about being overwhelmed with her husband being in and out of the hospital. I couldn’t say enough how I completely understood. She felt like she should be doing more service to others, when her husband of 55 years is severely ill with his congestive heart failure. I gave her my number and told her to call me if they ever needed anything. I also got to interact with her husband. For a man whose heart is running at 10% capacity, he’s a sharp as can be. I laughed pretty hard talking to him.

I truly enjoyed going over to meet them. However, I cannot imagine the pain they are going through. There would be so much sadness involved in losing your partner, your best friend, of 55 years, no matter what you believe may happen after death. Seeing them suffer must be almost as horrible. And this sweet woman felt bad that she hadn’t had the time to meet me yet, and welcome me. One of the worst feelings in the world for me is that feeling that you are being pulled apart with everything that is on your plate, and still feeling like you should be doing more. I could tell she was feeling that same way. It helps me understand when my mom says, “Sometimes, you just need to let people serve you.”

All of these things just remind me to enjoy this time of year more. I was able to spend all day with Jared, just relaxing, talking, and playing around with our dog.  We watched two versions of my favorite Christmas story, “The Christmas Carol” (The Disney version and a 1990(?) version with Patrick Stewart).

Jared has now banished me to the upstairs so he can wrap my presents for tomorrow. I can’t say enough how much I love him. He’s a wonderful man, and I am lucky to have him. I am happy to spend our THIRD Christmas together, and our first in our new home.

I hope everyone has a chance to spend time with the people they care about and love during this time of year, and can appreciate the joy that can come from it.