I have absolutely loved having everyone under one roof this week. We have had the opportunity to share with my daughter’s new husband some fun Alaska winter activities, the most adventurous one being a snow machine ride into the Alaska wilderness, kind-of. They were going to a remote cabin to help a friend rescue a snow machine, but it was not rescuable at that time. It was a fun trip for everyone, and a great way to begin experiencing winter in Alaska.

Last night was especially fun. Because my daughter and son-in-law are leaving very early on Christmas morning, we have bumped up some of our regular activities. We had our Christmas dinner on Saturday evening, and it turned into a super fun story telling experience. My son-in-law probably learned all sorts of things about our family, some he probably found interesting, some funny, some he probably would really rather not have known! We sat for over an hour after we finished eating. It was a great evening.

Today we have Church, which I love when Christmas Eve or Christmas Day fall on Sunday, just because it’s a great little reminder of the reason for the season. This evening we will be having our annual Christmas Eve party with lots of food and visitors stopping by throughout the evening, spending time, visiting, playing games, and enjoying company. This is one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season.

At some point today we will also be opening presents as Santa came early so we could unwrap presents together. This has been an exciting week, and has gone by way too fast! But memories have been made and will continue to be made, and we will take as much time as we possibly can to spend with our family.