Finding Christmas

Burke and I have discovered that it does not feel very much like Christmas time when it is 70 degrees outside.  We grew up with snow in the Mountains, Lights on Temple Square and Stephens hot cocoa.  In New England Christmas came with icicle trimmed colonial houses with fresh evergreen wreaths on their doors and candles lit in every window.  We miss the days when sledding, snowmen building and ice fishing left you with numb fingers and noses but warm hearts.   However we are determined that no matter the weather that special Christmas feeling can be found anywhere. . . so we set out to find it. 

We started at home.  We decorated and lit our house then drank copious amounts of Hot Chocolate even though we didn’t need to.  Burke came home every night and lit a fire just so we could hear the crackle and enjoy the scent of burning oak.  We kept the candles lit and the Christmas music playing.  The girls enjoyed curling up on the couch and reading Christmas books to one another.  I found the energy to bake enough treats to fill the house with those yummy Christmas smells and host my 5th annual Christmas singing party.

 

We made an effort to attend every Christmas function we could find.  We went to the tree lighting ceremony at the Air Force base and cut down our own Charlie Brown tree at the Christmas tree farm.  The girls had a pancake breakfast with Santa, the Grinch, and Frosty the Snowman were they danced the limbo and colored Christmas pictures to send to the soldiers. We rode a real Christmas train at the  Texas Transportation Museum and drove through the neighborhoods famous for their Christmas light displays.  We even did some Christmas shopping at the mall where we braved the line to see Santa.

 

To top it all of we planned a day trip to the small towns of Fredericksburg and Johnson City were Christmas is celebrated the old fashioned way.  We invited a family newly arrived to Texas to come with us so they could feel the Christmas Spirit too. 

 

Fredericksburg is an old German town an hour from San Antonio that has become a local tourist trap.  It is full of the charm and character that we loved in New England.  We embraced the local culture by eating dinner at the Auslander, a traditional German restaurant.  We ate fried mushrooms, corn dogs, amazing German fries, Opa’s sausage, potato pancakes, and Rouledan- a traditional German dish where onion, pickles and bacon are wrapped up in thin slices of roast beef and covered in gravy.  It was so yummy.  We strolled along the brightly lit streets to the town square where the girls were delighted to find a beautifully lit Christmas Tree, a Giant German Christmas Pyramid, and a Christmas themed playground. 

Johnson City was a half hour down the road and is famous for it’s lighted Christmas tree display.  It is worth the drive to see the huge oak trees lit up in a spectacular fashion. The temperature dropped and we got to don our gloves and hats for the first time this year. The girls made “grass” angels, danced and sang Christmas carols under the lighted branches of the trees.  We sipped hot coca as we walked to City Hall which I was also covered with thousands of lights.

 

It may have taken a little more effort to bring that magical Christmas feeling into our lives this year but it was worth it.  We truly felt the joy and happiness that celebrating the birth of  Jesus Christ can bring.  I hope my girls made memories that they will treasure for the years to come. 

 

Photo of Auslander http://www.fredericksburgtexas-online.com/ftomenu-auslander.html

Photo of city hall http://www.davidsietsema.com/archives/txlights.html

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

JJ and Zana had a lot fun helping me decorate the house this year.  I was lacking in energy so I really appreciated their enthusiasm. 

The most exciting decoration this year is Grandpa Leo’s Christmas Train.  Burke grew up with his Dad’s Lionel train chugging it’s way around the Christmas tree every year.  It is a tradition he has wanted to pass down to his girls.  Burke has looked for a train like his Dad’s for years but never found just the right one. When Burke’s dad got sick he was unable to take care of the train and it fell into disrepair. After he passed away it went into a box and was given to Burke’s younger brother were it has stayed for the last eight years.  This summer I convinced Burke to ask his Brother if he would pass the train on to us.  He agreed that he was not really interested in investing the money to fix it up and if we would get it running again we could have it.  Burke was so excited.  We took the engines into a train shop and had them repaired. The girls and I went with Burke to our very first train show this fall and got a new freight car and a train station to start our own little town.  The girls helped their Dad set up the train under the Christmas tree and as it took it’s first turn around the track I couldn’t help but feel that Grandpa Leo was smiling down at the sight.

A Thanksgiving to Remember . . .

November weather in Texas is absolutely gorgeous.  70 degree days and crisp cool nights. Perfect weather to spend the weekend in the hill country at the lake.  I enlisted some friends to come  spend Thanksgiving weekend with us in three bedroom condos at Canyon Lake.    We divided up Thanksgiving dinner by family (burke was in charge of deep frying the turkey) and we made everything a day in advance so we could enjoy our vacation at the lake.   The kids were so excited and I was too.  Until Biddy started throwing up.

Now Burke and I have experienced a family vacation where the stomach bug got introduced while 20 people were living together in a cabin and it was not a pretty sight.  We were left with no choice but to cancel our reservation the day before Thanksgiving.  The manager felt so sorry for us she waved the one night fee for canceling and that made it a little bit easier to stomach.  Of coarse I got sick that night. 

Thanksgiving morning our friends showed up to divide up the dinner with us.  It was so nice.  It turned out that we were not the only ones with sick kids so no one ended up going to the lake. It was such a disappointment.  I was determined to still have a nice day and spent all my energy fussing over the food and table that by the time we sat down to eat I had no appetite at all.  Burke still had an appetite for turkey and then as fate would have it he threw it all up later that night.  JJ and Zana were great sports.  They gobbled up their dinner with a cheerfulness that made the day turn out all right in the end. 

  Yep we will never forget this thanksgiving!!

Girls are Silly!

Achievement Day Girl

Now that JJ is eight she gets to attend twice monthly activities at church with other girls ages 8-11.  Her first achievement activity was a trip to the local food bank.  JJ has always taken an interest in our efforts as a family to help others.  She loves to participate in scout food drives, penny drives at school and is always eager to help gather clothes and toys for our trips to the good will.  She was very excited to go to the food bank and eagerly helped me gather canned food items that she could personally donate.  It was a great experience for her.

She also had the opportunity to participate in her first fast Sunday in November. As members (and she is now an official member of the church) we fast two meals the first Sunday of the month and donate what we would have spent on the food to feed those in need.  She started small, just fasting breakfast,  and she did really well.  When she began to complain I reminded her that every time she felt hungry she could remember those that were hungry all the time and that she was fasting to help them.  That made her smile and kept her spirits up.  I am so proud of her and what an amazing eight year old she is.