A Christmas story from Christmas Past, and a few pics from Christmas Current

This morning as I was hiding from the kids (in one of their rooms because I'm sneaky like that) I had time to reflect about the quilt laid out on the bed in front of me. This particular quilt was made by my mother, about 10 years ago, long before she got cancer and all that heart break. The quilt is a t-shirt quilt, rather garish in colors, being as it was made from my high school and college t-shirts. The story behind this one always brings a little smirk to my face, as I remember how coniving my kind, pure, "without guile" mother could be. Because you know how you surprise someone with a meaningful t-shirt quilt? You steal their meaningful t-shirts. While they are out of the country! I returned from my 18 month church mission in England, fully expecting to have my old wardrobe waiting for me, and of course it wasn't. When I asked Mom though, she first said, "Oh, it should be all in those bags." When I pressed her with specifics (what about my Dr. Seusse shirt, and Rolling Stones, vacation and soccer shirts?) she "had no idea! Maybe...they got donated?" I chalked it up to one of those sacrifices a missionary makes, a casualty to the cause, and assumed I'd never learn the ending of the missing shirts. But almost 2 years later, all came to light in the most surprising Christmas gift I've ever received: the gift of a stolen t-shirt quilt. Mom can churn out quilts like nobodies business, in a matter of weeks even, but this one took so long because...SHE CONTINUED STEALING MY SHIRTS! A Jamba Juice work shirt I brought home over break that never made it back to work, as well as the Salt Lake City marathon t-shirt, silky, sweat-wicking fabric notwithstanding, were the final additions on this diabolical masterpiece, this elaborate heist. And gosh, how I love it.
It reminds me that Mom and I are more alike than I once thought.

I always wax a little nostalgic during the Christmas season. It's a bitter-sweet magic, sometimes. But still, magic.

Here is a little more of that Christmas magic, from 2018:

 Santa's workshop. Aka Home Depot, where they do free crafts for the kids on the first Saturday of every month. Not pictured: free popcorn, as part of their "get your furnace serviced" promotion. Christmas magic, I tell you!

 Yard decorating, and then Rudolf getting blown over in the short blizzard we had December first.

Ward Christmas party and Primary performance. Always wonderful.

 And two little handwritten signs created during the Christmas devotional last night. The first, by Joe, was taped to a rocket and sling-shot into my lap while I was sitting by Dave. The second, by Riley, is a sort of instruction sheet on how to use the mistletoe. Although Joe has adapted the rule to allow for hugging if you're not a big kisser. I must say, that mistletoe has already gotten a lot of mileage this season. I rarely can walk into the kitchen without having to stop and give some little person a kiss or cuddle first.

So yes, we are deep in it, my friends, and be warned, if we see you in the next 3 weeks, we will probably hug you and wish you a Merry Christmas.  And then a happy New Years. And then, a...tolerable January? Haha! I need to find something to look forward to about January. I saw on Facebook a 100 mile January challenge. Like, running 100 miles in January to start your New Year off strong. I'm still mulling over that one. I run about half that at the moment - 3 miles a day, 4 or 5 days a week. I haven't been in a running phase for a good...7 years, so maybe it's time. But if you have any, less tiring ways to be excited about January, do send them my way. I'm open. :)