Christmas and New Years 2016

Nothing says Christmas like Christmas Kitty Mitty and a new Sam's Club minky robe. It's gonna be a most excellent holiday season.

All the kiddos were home for Christmas. We had a good time. We went to Fong's for dinner on Christmas Eve. Mom and dad joined us. Then we came back to our place to visit for a bit. We gave mom and dad their gift from the kids - Ancestry DNA Kits. Now we'll know if dad is 101% Swedish. Oh no, what if mom's more Swedish than dad? They were excited with their gifts, especially mom. She's wanted to do this for quite a while. Allie and Kamiko helped them figure them out, spit, and get the kits ready to mail. Now we just wait 4-6 weeks for the results. Drum roll, please....

We also filled out a questionnaire about our Christmas favorites. It was fun to see everyone's answers and to hear the stories behind the favorites. I listed "I'll Be Home for Christmas" as my favorite song because it reminds me of the ward Christmas parties of my youth. The kids who were home from college would sing that song every year at the ward party. Here's the table of our answers:

	Aarl	Ann	Keenan	Dana	Kamiko	Allie	Mel
Favorite Christmas Song	White Christmas/ Silent Night	O Holy Night	Silent Night	I’ll Be Home for Christmas	I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas (Home Alone)	Snow in California	What Christmas means to me
Least favorite Christmas song	Hark the Hair-lipped Angels Sing	Christmas Story	Feliz Navidad	12 Days of Christmas	Baby It’s Cold Outside	Little Drummer Boy	12 Days of Christmas
Favorite Christmas Decoration	Kissing Angels	Santa Suit	Poinsettias	Santa Suit	Tree	Tree	lights
Favorite Christmas Movie	White Christmas	White Christmas	Elf	Elf	A Christmas Story	Elf	Elf
Favorite Christmas memory	Watching kids open presents	1st Christmas in Pleasanton	Singing Carols to friends	Getting lots of mail in Bolivia 1988	Getting Gameboy color with pokemon	Getting mitty	Sleeping together in tent and listening to Santa tracker
Least favorite Christmas memory	Kids playing with boxes	6 years old. Dad drunk	Driving brother’s van to see parents and it broke down	When kids quit doing advent calendar	Christmas of 2012	Not having Kamiko here	Al wanting to stay at her apt on Christmas Eve
Favorite Christmas food	Rod Kol	everything	Chinese food	Cinnamon twists	ham	candy	All of the food
Least favorite traditional holiday food	Giblets	eggnog	Fruit cake	Raisin pie	Fruit cake	Fruit cake	Fruit cake
Favorite Christmas treat	candy	Peppar kakor	Applie pie	Sugar cookies	Sugar cookies	candy	Popcorn from the Larsons

Christmas morning we went to Church. A new brother in the ward, Shawn Stevens, who has worked in Hollywood, sang "O Holy Night" and it was beautiful. Very memorable. Definitely a highlight. After church, we came home and opened presents. The gifts for the kids were quite practical. The kids spoiled us with great stuff. It was a fun day. After naps, we went to mom and dad's for dinner. We took what Melia thought was the BEST Christmas present: a meat and cheese platter that Papaw sent. She has decided she wants one for her birthday. She's a funny girl.

Mel gave me a great Arvo watch. Kamiko and Al gave me a Michael Kors bag.

Just look at this. It reminds me of the platters dad would get from patients before there were a ton of online shopping options. Swiss Colony was where it was at! Still is, according to Mel.

Kamiko and Mel got jackets

Instagram tutorial on Christmas day

Keenan gave me this cute scarf

Mel loves making her gingerbread house

The kids gave dad a record player and some records

Well, since the kids were so good to us, we decided to make a trip to Disneyland happen. We left on Wednesday, January 4, and came back on Sunday, the 8th. I'll blog about that soon.

The kids really did give thoughtful gifts and enjoyed watching reactions. Sadly, they have outgrown the advent calendar and other traditions, but they're growing up and are enjoying other aspects of Christmas. Our Christmases are about to change. Sad, but good. I love who my kids are becoming.

New Years...nothing...nothing really. Walter Frank was in town, so that was fun. Keenan took all the kids to Cafe Rio for dinner. I stayed home because I wasn't feeling too great. I watched the Hallmark Channel offerings that night til about 11:00, then I went to bed. The girls went to the movie with Brooke. Kobi was working. Kamiko and Walter Frank went to a dance at UVU. They said it was ok, but nothing special. Happy 2017! Hahaha!