Bringing LIGHT Into the Christmas Season

Throughout the month of December we have been trying REALLY hard, to keep a focus on Christ and bringing more of His light into the world around us, and the lives of the people around us. It's been a really fun holiday with so many meaningful and rewarding feelings that have made it so special.

Here are some pictures with a few of the highlights...

Lighting our luminaries and trying to be mindful of serving each other in our home...

Taking Grandpa Trickett and Jill to the Beauty and the Beast play at the Hale Center Theater!

Decorating my 90 year old friend Anne's bookcase with her Christmas village!

(She loves how picky I am on the placement of everything and has me do this every year. )

I love the three hours we spend doing it and how happy she is when it's all done. :)

Attending the temple weekly.

I LOVE IT!

Visiting a friend and ministering to each other with conversation ...

...AND by having her do mu nails for me was the bonus! ;)

Bringing all of the trimmings to decorate a Christmas tree for our neighbor and friend Bryan who lives alone.

This was Maggi's idea, and we had so much fun doing it together!

Not only did it help Bryan feel happy, but Maggi too! When we lose ourselves in service we find peace and joy. 

Bryan is also taking the discussions right now, and so I've been able to join in on the lessons and feel so much love from our Heavenly Father too.

This has been one of my favorite things this Christmas!

Going on dates with my BEST friend!

(And this YUMMY homemade guacamole!)

Meeting up with family at the Christkindle market!

Kesslyn and Emmet

Finding a crepe Suzette at the market!!!!

WHAT???

We obviously HAD to try one, and I can honestly say that it was one of the BEST crepes I have ever had!

Dallin, Julia, Susette, and Clint

(and the GIANT pretzels!!!!)

It was so fun to enjoy this festive place with some of our people!
Cody, Laura, Emmet, Curt, Sara, me and Clint, Dallin, Julia, and Kesslyn

Watching the First Presidency Christmas devotional with our children that live close.

Visiting the Giving Machines on a family night in City Creek!

It  felt so good knowing that our little donation is going to make a world of difference for our brothers and sisters around the world.

Everyone chose something to give...

Kesslyn chose a baby goat

...this was Clint's pick...

...and I chose a Comfort Kit

I threw a end of the year Birthday Party for Kesslyn and her Activity Days friends!

They each got to decorate their own cake too!

They had so much fun and did such a good job!

They all wore matching pajamas, had lots of treats, and played some games.

We also talked about family traditions and how at Christmas time w eare celebrating Jesus' birthday too. ;)

Kesslyn had fun in the kitchen one night making some snickerdoodle cookies!

We wrapped them up on a pretty snowflake plate and took them to a friend...

Kacee, Charlie, and Annie Mickelson, one of Kesslyn's BEST friends!

We also took Annie with our family that night to go to dinner and then to go and see the movie the Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

We ate at the Pie Pizzeria

...and then delivered some to our friend Maggi who was sick that night, and so was her cat...

I went in for a minute and sat with them and MaryJane got right up and came and snuggled on my lap.

Maggi said she hadn't moved all day for anyone!

Maggi said she loves me the most. ;)

We made and delivered 30 jars of homemade syrup to our friends and neighbors!

We had Gifts of Time delivered by Santa!

We spent an afternoon at the cabin sledding and enjoying a wintery wonderland feeling since this year we haven't had much snow!

Everyone loved sledding down the driveway...

...and we even played a game of Bocci Ball in the snow!

We sent our favorite missionary some Christmas gifts, and although he hasn't received them all yet, he LOVED the ones that did make it there!

We had the Sister Missionaries ober!

Sister Couture and Sister Loulanting

We worked on family puzzles together...

(this one is Dallin and Julia's puzzle...)

Visited the Taylorsville temple for the first time, and it was BEAUTIFUL!!!

We went there with Tiffany and Colby, and had the best time together inside. we performed sealings, sat in the celestial room after, explored some of the most beautiful artwork that was hanging on the walls in the temple, and were even allowed to walk around after we were done to see some of the artwork in some of the other rooms that we had not seen. I felt like Heavenly Father was giving me a gift that night, One of peace and light and love for Christmas. Especially as we saw the most beautiful and unique painting of the Nativity hanging in the chapel. It almost felt like I was THERE.

It really felt like Christmas to me!

 

Gingerbread Houses

On Sunday December 1st, Kambriella, Xaxton, and Kesslyn all got to be together to build and decorate gingerbread houses!

These weren't just ordinary gingerbread houses. They were bakeries and a beach house! :)

This was a Gift of Time from Santa, and it was so fun to watch the houses come to life as they decorated and got to be creative.

Here are the finished products!

Kambriella's is on the left, and Kesslyn's is on the right.

After they were sone decorating, we watched the Polar Express movie with our families and enjoyed a cozy December night at home.

I love these Christmas traditions and the fond memories they bring!

 

Trickett Family Christmas Party - Gift of Time!

This year Clint and I are in charge of hosting the Trickett Family Christmas Party, and when we started brainstorming the things we wanted to do, it was apparent to me that this year was going to be different. It was going to be more than a party, but an ongoing event that would bring the spirit of Christ into the lives of everyone in our family. (At least if we had any part in it!)

I began planning a way that we could share our very favorite Christmas tradition with ALL of Clint's family, and so I began in the beginning of November planning and preparing a wonderful Gift of Time for everyone!

The theme is LIGHT.

16 individual families within the Trickett family, and a special gift bag full of gifts and letters complete with activities, traditions, and instructions for families to feel united, and for ALL of us to feel united no matter where anyone is in the world. Even if they couldn't be present at the actual Christmas party.

There was an introductory letter on the outside of the gift bag, which inside contained 5 gifts with 5 different letters, each one with a number one through five on it, 

and a letter to spell out light..."L - I - G - H - T - "

Each week between Thanksgiving and Christmas everyone would open a letter with the gift and follow the instructions to complete a certain task that week, that would hopefully bring an added measure of LIGHT into the family.

L-Luminary:

 Use these white paper sacks with snowflakes cut out and put a tealight candle in it. When you see someone doing something kind, put your luminary in their room and at the end of the night, tell what you saw done that day that brought light into your home.

I-Intentional Invitations and Including Others

Use your popcorn and Christmas light bulb necklaces to celebrate and invite someone to do something fun with your family - Go see Christmas Lights, Go to the Giving Machine, watch a Christmas movie etc.

G-Give Good Gifts

Use this beautiful plate, cookie mix and oven mit to bake some goodies and take them to a neighbor, sing someone a Christmas carol, or just visit someone in need. Just make your gift a good one. :)

H-Holiday traditions

Do this puzzle together! Grandma Trickett loved doing puzzles! Whatever you choose to do, do one of your favorite holiday traditions this week!

T-TRICKETT FAMILY PARTY!

This weekend we will be hosting the actual party at our house, and playing games, sharing our thoughts and lighting more luminaries, and having our favorite Christmas tradition continue on...spending the gift of precious TIME with the people we love so much.

I also created a Google photo album for everyone to share pictures of what they are doing as they celebrate this gift of time. We will be watching a slide show of all the pictures from everyone along with all of the other fun activities that we have planned for the party! (Along with the FINAL GIFT for the gift of time! It's a surprise so I'll share it later.;)

We took all the bags to Thanksgiving with us where we were able to hand out most of the gifts to everyone, and share with them what we would be doing for the Christmas party this year.

It's been really fun so far. :)

Along with the bags that were handed out at Thanksgiving, we gave one to Jill's daughters Kelsee and Kassidee, we mailed one to Cory and Melody in Tennessee, one to Chad and Mayumi in Korea, and one to Kierra and Riley in Hawaii.

I'll bring this family closer together one way or another! ;)

You just watch me!

I do believe that one of the best and most lasting gifts that we can share with others at Christmas is our time, AND our love. I hope that this Christmas party this year shows just a little bit of the love we have for our family, AND the love that the Savior has for each of us.