Santa Came To Visit in 2014

As busy as our Decembers get, the last few days before Christmas are usually pretty quiet. The "deep breath before the plunge," if you will. I really enjoy these final pre-Christmas days; it's usually a good time for me to rest a little, recover from the stress of the preceding weeks, and reflect a little on more spiritual things.

But we can't forget Santa either! In years past, we have traveled to the mall or to a local event to visit the "big guy." This year, I noticed a sign at our local grocery store, Fry's, announcing that Santa would be visiting them just before Christmas. The convenience was too hard to pass up! We decided to drop by and check it out.

Our Santa encounter was very lucky indeed. Santa was already there...he was shopping for candy canes, in fact. He wasn't pinned down in an easy chair with a long line of kids stretching away from him. In fact, there was no line at all! All my girls were able to approach him, hug him, and have a short conversation with him about what they wanted for Christmas. There was no time contraint. So what if I didn't get a staged picture of them sitting in his lap? It was a great chance for them to get a little personal time with Santa.

Just a day or two later, "Santa" paid our actual home a visit...this time in secret, as is his usual way come Christmas-time.

Nathan and I found this huge package on our front porch early in the morning on December 23rd. It was a brand-new trampoline. There was a note on the box, informing us that the trampoline was indeed for the "Barrett Family"...but there was no clue as to who had brought it. Nathan and I were by turns stunned, confused, humbled, grateful, and joyful. We hurriedly scooted the box around to the back of the house, hoping to reveal it to the kids on Christmas morning (unfortunately, they discovered it soon afterwards, but the surprise factor was still pretty high).

 Nathan and I have our suspicions as to who sent us this large, thoughtful gift. Only a few people knew our old trampoline had broken down. Only a few people knew we weren't planning on getting a new trampoline any time soon. However, I suspect these people would deny involvement if we were to ask them directly. I've already asked a few of our "suspects," and they've all denied it.

In the past, our family has been the recipient of a few "Christmas miracles." This trampoline was definitely another "miracle." We have been really worried about our budget and our debt in recent months, and we'd tried to keep our Christmas small. This gift was a total surprise and very sweet, and a reminder to us of how many kind, loving people we know. We are truly blessed beyond all deserving of it. We are not a big "Santa" family...Nathan and I haven't really done anything to encourage our kids' belief in Santa Claus. However, when we insisted to our girls that we had no idea who sent us this trampoline, I could tell that their belief in Santa will survive for at least another year. And maybe my belief in "Santa" grew a little this year, too!

Christmas was almost here! But before that, it was time for my girls to start having their one-on-one "slumber parties" with Grandma Barrett. Sandy came up with this idea as a way for her to have some additional company during the holiday season, as well as build a deeper bond with the girls. Aurora was the first one up, and she spent the night at Grandma's house on December 23rd.

 

By all accounts, a great time was had. Aurora had dinner at Burger King with Grandma, then had a luxurious bath in Grandma's tub. After that, they ate popcorn together and watched a Tinkerbell movie on TV. The next morning, after eating some of Grandma's famous French toast, Aurora went on a golf-cart ride with Grandma Barrett. I suspect this was the highlight of her trip. Soon after that, Aurora asked to return home (maybe because she had never been away from the family for so long?). Either way, it was lots of fun for both Aurora and Grandma. The other girls would get their "slumber parties" after Christmas.

On Christmas Eve Day, while Nathan was finishing his half-day at work, the girls and I made some cookies and delivered them to our local library, police station, and fire stations. It was a really fun, easy service project to do just before the holiday hit. Most of the police officers & fire fighters were "stuck at the office" for the holidays, so we hope the cookies brightened their spirits a little bit.

Plus, the firefighters gave the girls a tour of the fire truck as a thank-you for the cookies. It totally made their day.

After that, it was time to get ready for Christmas! After a "sleep-over" at her house just the night before, Grandma Barrett came over for a "sleep-over" at our house for Christmas Eve. We had pizza for dinner with the missionaries, and they helped us set up our trampoline too; bonus!

 

After the girls went to bed, it was time to put our breakfast casserole into the Crock-Pot and reach out all the presents.

The next morning brought the kind of wonderful chaos you come to expect on Christmas morning. Here are a few pictures of it all:

This was the weirdest gift of the day. Lorelai stole a book from off our bookshelf, wrapped it, put it under our tree, then unwrapped it. Nathan and I had been really worried about this book and didn't know where it was! Little stinker!

Grandma Barrett showing off her new golf hat

 

Aurora got the Ever After High doll she wanted...

...and Lorelai got the Studio C shirt she wanted!

Don't worry, Mormon friends...this box was full of golf supplies for Nathan

Celeste's gift to Daddy...a hot sauce collection!

Aurora got Lorelai a basketball...her most-desired item this year!

She was a little excited about it.

Aurora got Hungry Hungry Hippos...a game we all approved of.

We also had fun with this basketball playset.

I desperately needed new kitchen knives...thankfully, "Santa" provided many of them!

Hooray! I needed a new Crock Pot.

When all was said and done, our girls were happy with their gifts. Everyone played, read, and relaxed all day. A lot of unhealthy but delicious food was consumed as well.

That evening we had some friends from church, the Valles, over for our ham dinner. It was delicious and their company was very welcome. A good time was had by all!

Nom nom...ham dinner.

There was one black cloud hanging over my head this Christmas: my father's health. Late on Christmas Eve, my mother called me from a hospital in Denver to tell me that my dad, Ray Nash, had been hospitalized for the flu (there has been a particularly bad strain going around this year). No sooner had I hung up the phone then I heard the song "I'll Be Home For Christmas" on our radio. I broke down crying and spent the rest of the night consumed with worry. This was the second night in two months that my father spent the night in a hospital. After losing Nathan's dad earlier in the year, we have both been super-sensitive about the health of our remaining parents.

On Christmas night, I was able to call my parents. Although my dad was still in the hospital (he wasn't released until the following day), his health was much improved and he sounded happy and content. It was a relief to hear his voice and hear his sense of humor through the phone. It was not the ideal Christmas for my parents, but luckily they were able to spend it together. Just a few weeks later, Grandma and Grandpa Nash were able to travel to Sahuarita to visit us, and it was great to see them (mostly) recovered and more vigorous than we've seen them in a while (more on that visit in a later post).

I am thankful for my family, both near and far. I am thankful for the joy on my children's faces every Christmas morning. I am thankful for our possessions; even though they aren't very fancy, they are more than enough. I am thankful for kind friends and Christmas miracles. I am thankful for this glorious holiday season. It is always one of the happiest days of the year for me; in spite of any other bad things that may be happening, Christmas always boosts my spirits. This year was no exception.