12 Days of Christmas: A Joy-Full Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Special Box Full of JOY

Our 2015 Twelve Days of Christmas will be a JOY-Full one!  Celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is a happy time.  We will spend the next 12 days doing joyful things.  Let the contents of this little box remind you of the “good tidings of comfort and joy” of our Savior’s birth.  Today we will SHARE JOY with the Eastman family as we decorate Grandma’s Christmas tree, have dinner together, and surprise G&G with a live nativity by the grandkids.  

On the second day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Family Home Evening 

Tonight we will learn together how to LIVE JOYFULLY in this life.  “Men are that they might have joy.” We are to discover ways to enjoy our mortal journey.  Being in a loving family will help us to do just that.  So, “Come on everybody, It’s family night!  You better take the phone off the hook.  Come on everybody, It’s family night!  I’ve already got the family night book!”

On the third day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Ornaments For The Tree

These ornaments were chosen with you in mind.  Each member of our family is special and unique.  We love each one of you!  You BRING JOY to our lives every day!  Even your name makes us smile, so your initials were chosen to be this year’s ornaments.

On the fourth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Inside Out Dvd

This cute movie deals with the emotions that we feel each day.  All of our emotions are normal and guide us through our lives.  It can be a struggle to balance them out and to figure out how to allow joy be the underlying emotion everyday.   Let’s WATCH JOY together tonight (or when we all have time).

On the fifth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Homemade Hot Fudge and Ice Cream

Since mom’s other plan for tonight was messed up, we are going to TASTE JOY by making some homemade hot fudge and pour it over some yummy peppermint ice cream.  Our taste buds will burst with happiness!

On the sixth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Secret Act of Kindness

When we do kind things for other people, we SPREAD JOY.  So throughout today, find ways to help other people feel a little more joy in their hearts.  What gift is better than that? Come home tonight and share your feelings of how it went  for you.  You don’t have to tell what you did, just how it made you feel. 

(No pictures for this day.  All acts of kindness were done anonymously.)

On the seventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Tonight we will FIND JOY as we spend time together hunting for various Christmas objects around town.  Maybe we can stop for some hot chocolate along the way.

On the eighth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Trip to Temple Square

Today we will SEE JOY as we walk around our beautiful Salt Lake Temple and enJOY all of the sparkling lights around Temple Square.  The joy of Christ’s birth is certainly evident there!

On the ninth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Comfort Kits for the Homeless

For family home evening, we are headed to the store to buy items to put into comfort kits that we can give to some homeless people that we see on the streets.  It’s a small way that we can GIVE JOY to individuals who are struggling right now.  

On the tenth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Homemade Almond JOY Bars

It’s treat making night!  After dinner we will be trying out a new candy recipe.  Almond JOY bars.  If they turn out, let’s share them with the neighbors!  Let’s get busy and MAKE JOY! 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Waffle Love

Tonight’s the night to EAT JOY!  We are heading to the new Waffle Love location in Midvale (unless the truck is closer) for a yummy dinner of deliciousness!  Yeah, it doesn’t have much to do with Christmas, but we will be together, and that’s important to us year ‘round. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Our Annual Christmas Book

Here is our 2016 Christmas book.  It is a beautiful Nativity book that we will love to look at for years to come.  Let’s read it together and ReJOICE at the thought of our dear Savior’s birth.  It really did happen.  It’s not just a nice story to read.  He truly did live here on this earth.  He lived, suffered, died, and was resurrected for us.  He fulfilled His divine role in God’s Plan.  JOY to the World, the LORD is come! Let earth receive her King!