December 2010

So, here starts the craziness.

We decorate.


We hang the stockings, not quite "by the chimney with care", but on the stair case carefully with ribbons. Is that poetic?


We find the best deal on a live tree, buy it--no chopping this year--bring it home and trim it.


The kitties especially like the tree.



We begin our "12 Days of Christmas" on the 14th. On each of the 12 days leading up to Christmas we do something as a family.

We mark Cliff's custom-made scripture chain in our scriptures and pop Christmas crackers. We agree that the crowns are the best part!


Years ago we decided to try and make our Christmases more meaningful. This is when we started our "12 Days of Christmas". Another of our decisions at this time was to have fewer gifts--only 3 modest gifts for each person. And we decided to spread the gifts out so we could have time to enjoy each one. So 2 of our "12 Days" preceding Christmas are gift days. Our final gift day is Christmas day itself. Here is Isaiah on one of our gift days. He gets a few more cacti to add to his collection.



One peaceful evening I tried to catch this magnificent sunset with my camera. It was breathtaking.




For one of our "12 Days", we made the trip to Temple Hill to watch my mom and dad perform in the Nutcracker. Our good friend Rachel Tan spearheaded this amazing project: a free performance of the Nutcracker. She runs a dance school and her students were to be the performers, so we were all prepared for an amateur performance. But this Nutcracker was absolutely beautiful. It was an incredible treat. THANK YOU, Rachel. My Mom and Dad were the Grandparents of Clara. Here's a video (very small cuz it's off my phone--sorry!) of Dad doing the Grandfather Dance. Love it!




We made gingerbread houses with all the local cousins. I don't make a house myself anymore, I just sneak candy out of the candy bowls and end up feeling a little queasy by the end of the afternoon. Here is Ally and Zay's house.


Here's the cook. For the last 6 or 7 years, he's made actual gingerbread cookie houses. Well, he bakes the walls and the roof (not too soft, but not too hard either) and the kids glue them together with white chocolate (YUM) and decorate them with candy. This year I bought a gingerbread house cake mold and he baked delicious gingerbread cake houses. I think they look great and taste even better than the gingerbread cookie houses did.


Rayne works like crazy to top off her savings in preparation to supporting herself AND her new car at school. She also buys great gifts for everyone since she has such a generous budget! Very nice! (p.s. She knows JUST what I like!!) I'm indebted to my good husband, whose family traditions included the kids buying gifts for their parents and for each other with money they saved up themselves. He passed that tradition down to our children. My kids are very good at this. They save for months beforehand and choose carefully in order to please everyone. I love this!


And, oh gosh. Is that cat sucking on someone again? On his EAR? Weird.


Some other of our 12 days that aren't pictured:
Bethlehem dinner (headdresses mandatory, eating utensils NOT), baking day, nativity day.... So many traditions, so little time. Sigh.

Christmas morning dawned beautifully foggy.

I love the fog. It makes me feel so cozy, so enclosed in my warm, safe house.

As usual, we waited for Rayne....then opened our presents, then looked in our stockings, then played with our presents. All in the quiet before the chaos of our Galbraith family Christmas was to descend....

And before they come, the fog begins quietly to lift.


We also got to talk to Chase on the phone.


That was really fun. He was very careful about not going over his time. He and his companion are very committed to being as obedient as possible--wonderful! I was worried I might feel sad after talking to him, but after we hung up, I felt a only little lump of tears in my throat which quickly melted. He's right where he should be.

It was a wonderful Christmas.

I ended the season doing something that was a real challenge for me. I was invited to join a piano performance group. 4 of us play on 2 grand pianos. We're called "8 Hands, 2 Grands of Pleasanton". Of course my first reaction to this invitation was "Who ME???" I was very excited. And hopeful that I could actually DO it! After many weeks of practice, both with the group and MANY hours of practice at home, we performed on Temple Hill on the 26th. I must confess that for many years I have been petrified of playing the piano in front of people. I have played in public many times, mostly accompanying singers or other musicians. Sometimes I can play flawlessly, sometimes my nerves grip me so hard that it seems I cannot play anything right! For the past 2 years when I play for the Temple Hill Quartet at Christmas time, I have felt this terrible paralysis. After last year's performances, I set a goal to overcome this. I prayed regularly about it. I wrote down, posted and repeated positive affirmations about my competence and confidence on the piano. I studied piano technique and theory books. I practiced so many hours. I hoped I was putting in my best effort at getting better and that the Lord would make up the rest for me. "Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief." (Mark 9:24) On the night of the performance, my husband gave me a Priesthood blessing. He blessed me not to feel nervous. The time of the performance came. I felt no nervousness. I certainly did not play flawlessly, none of us did--we sounded great all the same, I think. And I felt so JOYFUL! It was so much fun! I was so grateful for absence of that terrible paralyzing fear that has caused me so much trouble over the years. What a blessing that was. I hope I've left that fear behind me forever. I find such happiness in playing the piano--whether I'm performing in a group like this one or whether I'm accompanying children singing, it doesn't matter! Finally I felt like I was able to feel that happiness actually DURING a performance. A personal milestone. And really, so much fun too! It was a beautiful way for me to close this season during which we pay special attention to our Savior.


Allison, Andy, Kathy and me--8 Hands, 2 Grands (of Pleasanton)!

So much stuff packed into one short month. It's been a bit of a marathon. I've loved almost all of it. And I'm looking forward to the new year ahead of us. What a beautiful life.