Z and I had hot cocoa and cookies at Scarlet's Bakery on Christmas Eve (& brought some to Jonas at work). I found a new dress from one of my favorite boutiques and then we took a nap together. We made the house sparkle. & had such a fun dinner with the sister missionaries from church. We have a Raclette grill which is such a great way to eat. I had it several times when I lived in Germany. You chop up a bunch of fresh veggies, meat and Raclette cheese. It takes a long time for everyone to eat because you create your own dish and wait for it to cook, but that is why it is so awesome! We sang and laughed on our joyous Christmas Eve!
We open gifts Christmas Eve- Jonas gave me the most thoughtful gifts and I loved giving Zara her books we picked out.
I also shared this quote, but wanted to again because reading about the story, The Mansion, really put me in the Christmas spirit::
what is it that counts here?” ::: “Only that which is truly given. … Only that good which is done for the love of doing it. Only those plans in which the welfare of others is the master thought. Only those labors in which the sacrifice is greater than the reward. Only those gifts in which the giver forgets himself.”
On Christmas day we went to church and sang lots of Christmas hymns! It was the foggiest Christmas day I can remember, but it was beautiful to drive through to see our family. Zara had a blast visiting everyone (and their dogs) and opening gifts. When we drove home, we continued a tradition we started last year- to talk about what Christmas means to us.
This is a hard time for Jonas to be away from Germany. I love him for his sacrifice of living in the U.S. We are lucky to have him.
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