Anticipating Christmas - It's going to be a great one!!

I have been so incredibly excited for the Christmas season this year!!  It seems like there are years that time seems to slow down and I am able to enjoy every moment of the holidays and really feel the spirit of Christmas.  Then there are other years that seem disappointing because Christmas seems to come and go before I really FEEL anything.

Nolan's art:

I am sure that the reason that I am so excited this year is because of the anticipation of something that our ward is doing.  Shawn said that they have been discussing this idea in ward council since June: we are having an Art Display and Nativity on the 5th, 6th and 7th. This will include any form of art that focuses on our testimonies of the Savior.  Then, on the 7th, we will have a family orchestra and choir concert of Christmas music to culminate the event.

Isabelle's art:

Kami's art - I have managed to make it out of proportion by photographing it at a bad angle, but you get the idea:)

This is something that we have been asked to invite our friends and neighbors to.  As a ward, we have also invited other denominations to come and participate in our "Celebration of Christ".  We have had a lot of miraculous things happen and it has really strengthened my testimony and made me even more excited to do missionary work!  It is neat to make friends with the people from the other churches, and share our talents and testimonies of the Savior with each other.  Many of the churches declined participation, but we DO have the Presbyterian Bell Choir coming, and even though the Lutheran Church couldn't come, they have invited the ladies in our Relief Society to come watch their choir perform on a different day, and will be serving us a luncheon afterwards.  That will be great too!!

 Our family has been asked to be a live nativity for half an hour Thursday evening - I think there will be a lot of families doing this for half-hour segments throughout the Open House.  Kami, Isabelle and Nolan have all done some art work to contribute.  Kami is going to participate in the family orchestra.  She and Caden have both signed up, for half-hour increments, to play live Christmas music during the open house. Kami has invited two friends to attend the event with her, and the rest of us need to get with it and invite our friends that have come to mind as we have pondered about it.

This is just such a great way to bring the spirit of Christmas into our homes and lives a little earlier in the season, and also the lives and homes of our neighbors!