54 - Merry Little Christmas

It's Christmastime, and I thought I'd share a little bit of my Christmas to all of you!

We've had this advent calendar ever since I can remember. Some of the pieces have been replaced, though...

This is my favorite Christmas decoration from my childhood. It's a little wind-up music box that has  a moving magnet so the bear looks like he's figure skating. 

Classic Christmas Village... 

Another decoration from my childhood. It's another wind-up one. 

This one and the Santa right above move when they're turned on. Also from my childhood.

My aunt cross-stitched stockings for all of my siblings when I was really little. Cool, right?

Christmas brings back so many fun memories. Our family has a lot of traditions: 

• Pajamas on Christmas Eve (a popular one, I know....)
• All the kids sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve
• Santa leaves the presents unwrapped so Christmas morning is like walking through Toyland
• My mom makes Christmas casserole (basically breakfast casserole -- eggs, sausage, cheese, etc...)
• My dad makes yakisoba 
• My dad always video tapes before we look and never fails to pretend that Santa missed our house that year
• In recent years, we've always watched some sort of Christmas movie before we go to bed on Christmas Eve. It's been Polar Express mostly. 
• There is a huge party on Christmas Eve at my Granny's house, complete with a live Nativity, a pinata, a talent show, the candy bar game, homemade eggnog, and a present exchange with all of my cousins 
• On Christmas morning, we line up youngest to oldest 
• Before our parents woke up, we would play board games to pass the time. As we've gotten older, though, that hasn't really happened because we don't wake up at 5 in the morning anymore haha
• We've recently started the tradition of a family and friend music sing-a-long where the kids perform their piano pieces and in between we sing Christmas carols. I missed that this year because I was at school :(

One of my favorite traditions around Christmastime was the luminaries around our neighborhood. Our old ward puts up white paper bags weighed down with sand and a lit tea candle around every house. It was so pretty. They have cool luminaries at Temple Square this year. 

Rachel and I went to Temple Square, too, but I'm gonna post those pictures later. 

Christmas always brings so much happiness. It reminds you how important family is and how much fun they can be. I'm gonna miss being here. I love it! 

Merry Christmas! I hope it brings you happiness and joy! 

53 - A Wonderful Life

Today I hung out at Sara's apartment with Tyler (her husband) and Nan (another sister). We ate dinner, drank hot cocoa, and watched It's a Wonderful Life.

I love Christmas.

I especially love the message of that particular movie. It got me to thinking about my life and how I affect people. I would like to think that I influence people for the better, and that if I had never been born their lives would be at least a little less happy than they are now. But it also makes me want to do better, to make myself better.

Christmas is a time for giving all of yourself. It means giving your time, and your love, and sometimes your money. Christmas is about celebrating everything that you love and cherishing it. For me, Christmas is about celebrating Christ and His greatest gift. But for those of you that believe differently, the stereotypical Christmas Spirit is a giving one.

I don't care what denomination you are or aren't. Christmas is a time for everyone. There is always someone that you have influenced for the better. There is always someone that has had life-changing experiences or feelings because of you. Maybe not in the "I just saved your life" kind of way - like when George saved his brother from drowning - but in a special way that only you could have made happen. You might not know who it is or what you did, but does that really matter? It's when you try to do things for the attention that you are doing it for the wrong reasons.

I have a challenge. Do something nice for someone, only anonymously. It doesn't have to be big. Here are some ideas:

• Write a compliment on a sticky note and stick it to the car of someone who usually annoys you 
• Scrape the windshield of your sister's car without her knowing (something I should consider...)
• If you're buying fast food, pay for the car behind you 
• Shovel your neighbor's walks after a snowstorm
• Make dinner for someone you know is having a hard time and leave it on their doorstep
• Write inspirational quotes and stick them to random doors 

There is one thing that everyone can do all the time that can always remain anonymous. And I think it helps the most.

• Pray for people you love, and people you don't. Pray to love everyone. 

I don't care if you believe in God, or not. I do. So if you trust me, do it for me. Even if you don't think it'll help, do it for me. I believe a prayer goes a long way. I've seen lives change by them, countless times over.

There is a reason it's called the most wonderful time of the year. Christmas is the one time of year that people band together and feel the same thing. They all feel that giving spirit. Christmas is about love and happiness. Christmas is about family and friends.

Christmas is realizing how wonderful your life is, and wanting to make life wonderful for everyone else.

52 - The DVD

I need to move out.

Molly already is. And tonight, things have gone too far.

A few weeks ago, Molly and I took our DVDs and put them back in our room because SOMEBODY *coughWhitneycough* had been leaving them out of their cases every single time she watched them. Today, one of my DVDs was in the DVD player. And the case was still in my room, where I left it.

She went into my room, took my DVD out of the case, and put the case back so I wouldn't notice. Then left it in the DVD player.

My DVD player, by the way. And she watched it on my TV.

I also need to mention that this same DVD was missing from my library when I moved the DVDs, and it was left on the entertainment center the next day. Which means she took it into out of the common room and into her room.

All of this without asking me. Not one word.

I'm furious. But I can't talk to her right now, because I would just do my scary yelling. That makes people cry.

I NEED to move out.

Aforementioned DVD

51 - Love Revealed

In my opinion, love is a very personal and private emotion. It's not something to be taken lightly, or to be misused. 

It's difficult for me say "I love you." That doesn't mean that I don't feel love, it's just hard for me to say because I think those words hold more power than any other phrase in existence. 

My mother used to tell me that there is always room for more love in your heart, and I find that to be true. Sometimes you don't even know there is love for something until a test of that love reveals itself. I'm here to testify that you love more people than you think. 

There are always people you love the most, and you can feel that love every time you look at them. And then there are the people you know you care about, but you're not sure if that feeling is love or simply fondness. Sometimes, those feelings don't have to separate. 

Trials come, and love is revealed. Maybe not earth-shattering, I'd die for you, 'imprinting' love. But love nonetheless. You love more people than you think. And more people love you than you know. 

Love is a very personal and private emotion. So personal and private that sometimes it takes death to show itself. 

If you get anything out of this blog post, understand this one thing: love is a gift. Love is what makes us different. Love is what connects us to other people. 

You love more people than you think.