Christmas

"It's Christmas! It's Christmas!" We hear our kids voices bursting through the door and soon feel their bodies jumping up and down on our bed. We are already awake and have quietly gotten up to put in contacts and brush our hair, sneaking back into bed to be "woken up" by the excitement of of children. We take a few minutes to snuggle, read a Christmas book, and say a prayer before the bustle of Christmas Morning starts. Then it's pictures on the stairs with Mom while David goes downstairs to turn on the tree and start some Christmas music.

This may just be the perfect start to Christmas Morning. 

We knew that Christmas would be different this year and that it might be hard in a lot of ways. But, as if Sue was sending her magic and her love from heaven, it didn't feel heavy or even bittersweet. It just felt full. Full of love. Full of family. Full of kindness, generosity, and surprises. It felt full of the true meaning of Christmas - and that was a gift in of itself. 

Stockings were filled to the brim with treats and treasures! Then it was time to distribute gifts. This year our Secret Christmas Names are all things that Sue loved around Christmas: Sugar Cookie, Secret Christmas Name, Pinyon Pine Tree, Chocolate Crème Cookie, Beautiful Bow, Holiday Inn, Sees Candy, Potato Supreme, Cheese Chip Cupcake, Dickens Village, Christmas Roll. 

Some of the kids predictions were right: Lucy was beautiful bow like she thought. Caleb was confident that he was potato supreme (he was), and Austin wanted to be "See's Candy" SO badly and he wanted it to BE See's Candy - which necessitated a last minute See's trip to grab one of the last remaining boxes of Mint Chocolate Chip Truffles. It was worth it to see his face light up! 

We threw them for a loop though, because we also added secret Christmas names for Bruce, Amy, and Kevin! This was a fun Christmas surprise, Cal gave us the money to buy Christmas gifts for the three siblings to make sure that they had a magical Christmas morning, too. Amy- Holiday Inn, Bruce- Pinyon Pine Tree, Kevin- Chocolate Creme Cookie. 

Bruce, Amy, Kevin and Cal all stayed at our house on Christmas Eve and we loved having them there on Christmas Morning. It was fun to open up the stockings that we did together (everyone contributing something for everyone else) and be together to celebrate Christmas (even if it was earlier than they are used to).  I think that the decision to host Christmas at our house instead of Cal's was the right thing for everyone. 

When you look at the amount of presents that these kids got- it looks like SO many. In reality, our budget is pretty small, it's only about $70 per child plus $20 for stockings. But we found some really great things for each of them and we know they were excited and happy with what they got! Plus, when you add in gifts from aunts and uncles and grandparents - it makes for a wonderful Christmas morning. 

I think some of the favorite gifts this year were: 

David- Ski Ball Machine (from Shantel) or set of Tom Clancy books (one from each child that they picked from a library sale). 

Shantel- A pink "Utah" hat and matching gloves (from David) and a giant Utah cutting board (from my Utah History Coop kids/Oliver)

Lydia- A new kindle cover and remote control that clicks through the pages for you (from us)

Austin- A RC Airplane that really flies (from Cal) 

Caleb- A Marble Rush marble track (from Cal) 

Lucy- A giant gumball machine (from us) 

But truly, there were so many amazing and thoughtful gifts. 

We spent the day hanging out and playing with our new toys. Then we went to the Rencher's house for dinner. We gave them our presents, ate delicious food, and played games. Then, on our way home we drove by a bunch of houses with Christmas lights. The kids loved watching them change in tune to the music and I particularly loved driving through a neighborhood with over 40 giant inflatable santas. (I just love the idea that one person was like "hey, lets get giant santas" and then like 40 other families did. This is totally something that I would do, ha.) 

It was a wonderful Christmas for our family this year. 

Peaden Family Christmas Party

It was a little tender to have our Peaden Family Christmas Party at Cal and Sue's house. The tree and Christmas village have been up since last Christmas - we never took them down. Sue loved Christmas so much, and we certainly missed her this year. However, it was nice to gather with the family and feel of the love and connection that we have with each other. I am grateful for these good people and the way they love me, my husband, and our family. 

We have taken a picture in front of the Peaden Family Christmas tree every year since we got married. (I wonder if David and I took a picture the year that we were dating? I should look.) Christmas in this home is magical, and I have loved the many years celebrating here. 

Kevin and Amy were in charge of the party and we had a cookie decorating content (a favorite tradition), then we played some games, watched some sports (ha), and everyone got to pick a house from Sue's Dickens Village. 


Shantel's cookie (9)

Austin's Cookie (13) - Lydia's Cookie (7) - a Stable! 

David's Cookie (2) - Caleb's Cookie (6)

Lucy's Cookie (1) 

Sue loved her Dickens Village. 



Change is hard, but must be met with gratitude for the past and hope for the future. That's probably all that I'm capable of saying about this without getting too emotional. We were able to pick some pieces of this village to take home and in the years to come we will set them up with love and remember Sue and be grateful. 

Cal pulled out this picture of the year the kids gave Sue a new table for her kitchen for Christmas. I have loved doing so many things on this table: crafts, making cookies, sewing blankets, eating family dinner. I scanned it in so we have a copy of the picture and I'm going to add it to a story that I'm writing about Sue. In fact, maybe I'll put my draft of the picture book right here so that if it never gets turned into a book - at least it's here. It's not finished - but it's going to be one of my 2025 projects to make it happen. 

"Sue Loved Christmas", a picture book. 

Page 1 - There once was a little girl who loved Christmas. 

Page 2 - Her parents made her Christmases magical. 

Her father worked extra hours during the holidays, working all day plus an extra2-3 night a week refereeing at ball games. However, he always took time, to take the family down to the tree lot to pick out a tree. The family always searched for the perfect tree and it was allways a pinon pine. They would take it home and watch as her father place the tree in a bucket of sand and then help decorate it together. 

Her mother would bake all month long, filling their home and tummies with delicious Christmas goodies: sugar cookies, peanut butter fudge, donut balls, and all other kinds of good things to eat. On Christmas Eve she would make their traditional Christmas Roll and that evening the family would gather around to tell the Nativity Story. 

She loved it all. She loved the smell of the fresh cut pinion pine mixing with the warm scent of her mothers baked goods wafting through the house. She loved watching her mother roll the soft cinnamon-filled dough into a wreath and carefully topping it with walnuts and cherries. She loved listening to the story of the little baby Jesus before excitedly making her way to bed awaiting the special surprises Santa was sure to deliver that night. 

Page 3 - That little girl grew up, married, and started a family of her own. Even though they didn’t have a lot of money - she always made sure that her kids Christmases were magical. She filled their holiday with baked goods, unique traditions, and thoughtful gifts. 

As she wrapped presents, she came up with secret names to place on the nametags so her children wouldn’t be able to guess whose present was whose. She and her husband often took their children to see the lights at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. She filled their home with Christmas songs and by playing Christmas music on tape cassettes and CDs. She baked and baked, filling her children’s holiday with the same Christmas goodies her mother had made for her: sugar cookies, peanut butter fudge, donut balls, and all other kinds of good things to eat. On Christmas Eve she would follow the example of her mother and she would make their traditional Christmas Roll. That evening the family would gather around to act out the Nativity Story complete with costumes and enough children for all of the parts. 

She made Christmas magical. 

Page 4 - Her children learned to love Christmas, too. One year they decide to deliver their own Christmas surprise! They had long had an old table her husband had built our of plywood and  formica countertop. It was no secret that she’s always wanted a really nice table but didn’t have the funds to purchase one on her own. She was invited to come furniture shopping with her oldest son who had just purchased a home of his own. Casually, the conversation turned to which tables were the nicest. Secret notes were taken about which she preferred, and a secret order was placed mixing and matching her favorite table and chairs from a different set.

The surprise was set in motion and her children arranged to have it delivered to a neighbors house many weeks before Christmas. That neighbor agreed to store it until the night before Christmas. That  october and november to a neihbors house. Christmas Eve she had so much to do to get ready for Christmas and Cal was supposed to get her out of the house and she was so irritated. Stowed the stuff in the sewing room (mats bedroom) he told her “YOu can’t go in here!” Stored them in there. Wedny ended up staying. 5:00 in the morning. Got up quiet as could possibly be. Put the table together and put a big red bow on it. She started suspecting something but they wouldn’t let her out of her room. When they were ready they let her out and the kitchen table was all set up and ready - it was all set up with a big red bow. 

"I was just shocked. I had no idea. Just stunned. It made me feel incredibly loved."

Page 5 - Even after her kids were grown she loved Christmas. She loved surprises.  She would hear something that someone wanted or liked and would log it away to be a surprise Christmas gift. She made Christmas magical for all that came into her home and loved them like they were her own: her children's spouses and ESPECIALLY her grandchildren.

Page 6- (Something to wrap up how beautiful her Christmas Spirit was and how Christmas will always have a piece of there there.)