Chapter 6 - Christmas

Before I knew it Christmas was here. For what has happened during Thanksgiving, I am surprised time is passing so quickly.

Two weeks for Christmas break was already here and two days until Christmas. All I want from Santa this year is a journal and for nothing else to happen so that my family and I can just be happy. I seem to use my journals really fast and always seeming to buy new ones or asking for some new ones.

It was Christmas Eve morning and I woke up and it was snowing! I am so happy we are going to have a white Christmas this year because the last couple of years have just been rain! I took Rose out to build a snowman. She was so happy to play in the snow! It more turned out to be snow angels and throwing snow but we made a little tiny one that was probably about two feet high with twigs as arms and rocks as the buttons.

Later that day dad took us up to the mountains to get winter photos. We do this every year and we are lucky if we get a deer in the background of one of the photos. It doesn’t happen all the time but we were lucky two different years to have that happen.

Then that night we have a tradition that we get new pajamas each year that we get to open. My parents always try to do something different or crazy but yet try to do the same for each person in the family. Like last year it was Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Daffy Duck.

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I was in a perfectly good dream and then I heard, “SHAYNA!!! SHAYNA!!! Get up, it’s Christmas! Santa came with lots and lots and lots of presents!”

I just barely got a glance at the time and she already had me pulled out of my bed! It was five in the morning. All I could think about was how tired I was while she was practically pulling a sleepy person up the stairs.

When we got up stairs I saw Ty, mom and dad were already up there waiting on me. I must have been the last person she got up.

“Mommy, Shay’s upstairs, now can we start opening presents now PLEASE!!!” said Rose.

“We can after we read the Christmas story, Rose.”

“Ohh okay mom.”

We read the Christmas story. My dad loves doing that. He does it a fun and special way. Since he teaches seminary, and he really knows the story, he will sit down on the floor with the nativity scene and use certain voices. He’s done it since I was little and he said he will do it till Grace is old enough to sit and listen to the story in the scriptures. I still love how he acts it out because it is really fun to watch but it brings a great spirit in the house also!

After my dad acted out the nativity scene and how Christ was born we were going to open presents! He always lets Rose get under the tree and grab out all the presents and lay them out in piles to which they belong. She always put the presents by the couch or chair to where Santa put his gifts for us. In my family it is always a tradition to start with the youngest and work to the oldest. Also we start with the smallest present and work to the biggest present. Grace got a bunch of Barbie dolls, Ty got a bunch of electronic games, and I got what I wanted with also a Camera. I never asked for it because it was a lot of money and I knew mom and dad didn’t have that kind of money. But why?

I paused a minute and just looked at it. I looked up at mom and dad and ran to them and said thanks!

“Mom! Dad! How did you know I wanted one? I’ve never said anything about wanting one.”

“We see you always looking and taking pictures with ours, so we decided to get you one!”

“Thank you so much mom and dad! This means so much to me thank you”

After we finished opening presents my dad made a Christmas breakfast which always contains ham and eggs and French toast! It is always the best.

We just spent the rest of the day playing with our new toys. I spent the day just taking pictures of my family and writing in my new journal.

December 25, 2005
Dear Journal,
My Christmas wish came true. My family is truly happy right now and it is as if nothing has ever happened, yet we all still fill the pain of losing all of our family and I am sure we will for a while. This has been such a good Christmas and I am so glad we were able to have it the way we did. I have felt the Lord’s hand with us the whole day. That is one reason why I think we weren’t as sad as we have been and we were able to enjoy this time to celebrate Christ’s birth but also be as a family.
P.S. It snowed! We were able to have a white Christmas!