Sundays have been extra busy lately. This week we had a primary singing time on Zoom after church. It was so fun to see the kids and sing some fun primary Christmas songs. In the afternoon Mark and I delivered a bunch of wooden angels my counselor’s husband made for the primary children. A few weeks ago we sent each child a story and invited them to find ways to be angels to those around them.
I helped initiate and host a Zoom party with my dad’s extended family that evening. I am grateful I grew up close to such loving and kind people. All of my aunts and uncles came and most of my cousins. We each gave a life update and then shared a favorite Christmas tradition. Many of the memories turned to my Grandma and Grandpa Murray. It was so wonderful to connect with everyone when we can’t meet in person. We even had two full time missionaries hop on to say hello!
We didn’t visit Mark’s family because COVID numbers are still very high, but luckily his sister was driving through Logan on Monday and she helped us exchange gifts with Mark’s parents!
I worked my USU job Monday through Wednesday. Things are a little slow during the holidays, but there was still enough to do. I was grateful for the slower week so I could begin organizing for 2021.
Mark had so much work to do that he even worked on Christmas Eve day. He’s still putting together a research article to publish. I kept myself busy when he was gone preparing a fancy Christmas Eve dinner. I had been planning it for weeks and it was so fun to see it come together!
We made caprese appetizers, roasted beets, rolls, salad in the shape of a wreath, and honey mustard ham. My mom made extra “funeral potatoes” and shared some of those with us too! Then I made our traditional pistachio pudding dessert.
Poor Flynn really wanted the yummy food on the table! We gave him his own special dish with unseasoned chicken, bell peppers, and cheese.
We had a lovely dinner, listening to Christmas music, and then read Luke 2 by the Christmas tree. We each picked one present to open and drove to look at Christmas lights. We also drove by the temple and enjoyed its beauty.
Then we ate dessert while watching Muppet Christmas Carol. We did a Christmas movie bracket this year and decided that Muppet Christmas Carol and The Grinch (2018) tied for first place, with Arthur’s perfect Christmas earning honorable mention.
Christmas morning we were excited to see what was in our stockings.
After checking out Santa’s surprises, we made a Cherry breakfast bake and put it in the oven. It’s a recipe I got from a member on my mission and it was our first time making it. It was delicious and so festive with the bright red color! It baked while we opened presents.
We really enjoyed giving and receiving presents this year. Gifts is my love language, so I always put a lot of thought and time into choosing just the right gift for someone. It makes me so happy when they like what I gave. This year we made family tree charts for our parents. It took a long time to enter all the names and dates but they turned out beautiful and I think everyone enjoyed them!
I was especially excited to give Mark his ham radio. I had really wanted to surprise him with it, but was quickly overwhelmed by the options and realized I didn’t know what type of radio he wanted. So a month ago I told him to choose a radio and I used my Christmas budget to pay for it.
The other present I really enjoyed giving him was a Mario kart wallet. He had one as a child and it was a prized possession, but it got lost when he was older. I found an identical one on eBay and knew he would be excited. He was 🙂
Mark surprised me with a bow and arrow set! We tried it out in my parents’ yard that afternoon. It was so fun!! I’m going to have to strengthen my muscles to be able to use it better. I also got some books, clothes, jewelry, a scarf from Mark’s parents and an immersion blender from my parents.
Flynn got some toys (which needed repair after about five minutes) and a new collar and harness. He was SO happy on Christmas. He was really good at ripping the paper off our presents.
We FaceTimed Mark’s parents and were able to exchange presents with my parents (while wearing masks). We chatted with our niece who is on a mission in San Antonio. The rest of the day we enjoyed watching movies and munching on holiday treats. We went for a few walks and just enjoyed being together.
I’m always sad when Christmas is over. It’s truly my favorite time of the year and there’s a magical feeling that just can’t be recreated any other time. But we’re looking forward to the future. We’re hopeful a vaccine will become available to us soon so we can travel and gather a bit more!!
Our Story: The Bell Family 