Twas the Night Before Christmas....

This is all of us in our Christmas pajamas. We are all cozy and warm. Our Christmas Eve wasn't really this calm or without chaos but this is how I choose to remember it. And since it snowed all day Christmas Day, we just stayed in our jammies and played with our new toys. .

A Tale of Two Christmas Cards

Christmas Letter 2008:

Dear Family & Friends, 12/15/2008

Christmas cards mean a lot to our family. Each night in December when Ed or I check the mail, the kids huddle around to see which family’s yearly update and picture was delivered. Some of you have even developed somewhat of a reputation for being funny, clever and creative- which just adds more fun and anticipation to the activity.

Consequently, our own anxious behavior has caused me to be a bit obsessive when preparing our family’s Christmas Card. Every year the pressure of choosing just the right combination of pictures has me lying awake at night planning and rearranging. This year, the self-inflicted pressure has been even worse since I re-connected with my college newspaper friends.

So after hours on the computer, I created the Perfect Christmas Card. It was beautiful. The picture of Ed and I made us look like we were Parents of the Year. The boys looked like little GQ angels right out of a catalog. The girls’ picture was absolutely stunning. Everyone was so perfectly posed that we looked like the Perfect Family. I felt happy and proud that I had accomplished what I set out to do.

However, as I carried the file around on my flash drive, it seemed to haunt me. I never could make the time to get it printed.

And then I realized that the card that I had painstakingly created to be absolutely perfect was not a true reflection of our family at all. And that I had gotten lost. I realized that I spent so much time worrying about how the card looked that I didn’t remember to worry about the message it carried. Families aren’t perfect- least of all ours. Despite our many shortcomings and weaknesses, we love each other. We serve one another. We laugh and have fun together. We pray together and we pray for one another.

During this time of year when we celebrate our Savior’s birth- that’s what I want you to know about our family. I want LOVE to jump right off this Christmas Card and give you a big hug. If you’re struggling, I want our SMILES to buoy you up and encourage you to keep on going. If you are sick or otherwise afflicted, I want you to know that we will be here to HELP you.

So I headed back to the drawing board to create a new Christmas Card. This time I didn’t worry about the pictures being perfectly posed or perfectly groomed (obviously I didn’t worry too much about appearances since I’m not even wearing make-up in one of them). I used pictures from our October California vacation with the Grovers, instead of our posed family pictures (which I love but are better suited for our living room wall). I created the card with love and care to represent how we feel about each other. And most of all, to represent how we feel about you- our family and friends who have all shaped who we once were, who we are and who we will become.

We hope that this letter and “imperfect” card finds you enjoying this Christmas season. We know that our Savior lives and loves us. We hope that during these uncertain times that you too will feel comforted and uplifted by this knowledge.

Love,

The Huhtalas

First Draft, the "Perfect Card":

Elf This!

The kids and I made an Elf Yourself video but I'm too cheap to pay for the download so go to these links to see the kids disco:

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/8FeTaWMJ7Kfj1X6D

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Ta Da!

Thanks to Amberlyn, I have "one of those" trees.

When I say "one of those", I'm referring to the trees that don't look like they belong in a house full of 5 roudy children and 1 horse (I mean dog). You know, the ones that look like they should be on the cover of a Martha Stewart Magazine. Amberlyn calls them "Ta Da!" trees.

I have been rebelling against the "Ta Da!" tree for quite some time. With 5 little ones, I thought, "What's the point?" And, why? since everyone else does it? Why should I try to keep up with the Joneses? (Let's face it, put my decorating skills against anyones and I pail in comparison....)

Well, 2 years ago, like 4 days before Christmas, our Charlie Brown tree (the opposite of Ta Da!) broke. One leg of the stand completely busted off and the tree fell down. Refusing to go buy a new tree and re-decorate it so close to Christmas, we duct taped it to the wall. Don't I wish I had a picture of that for my blog!

So last year, we bought a new 12-foot, pre-lit tree at Sams Club. Brigette accompanied me to Taipan Trading and assisted me in picking out some ornaments. She informed me (I had to put this advice to use on my pot shelves and fake walls that I displayed last month as well) that I shouldn't be all "matchy-matchy"- that I should change up my textures and colors. This is after I had filled my cart with mostly Americana-type ornaments. She recommended the red jewels and said I should buy a ton of them. Going against my better judgement, I listened to her. And WOW!- even last year, pre-Amberlyn- the tree looked pretty good!

Today, Amberlyn and I hit the 60% off sale at Shopko to add some more sparkle. It turned out fabulous! I'm glad Brigette and Amberlyn know what they are talking about.... I would have completely ruined this gorgeous tree. In fact, it would have looked better right out of the box with just the lights on it than with my choice of ornaments.

I'm so glad that there are people out there that can help me learn how to decorate! Thanks Brigette and Amberlyn for your wonderful work.

Without further ado, here is (drum roll please....) Amberlyn and the Amazing Christmas Tree!

(I should write a cartoon screen play for that title- the Charlie Brown Christmas, while a classic... needs some competition! Plus, I'm living proof that the Ta Da! trees are much more in fashion!)