AZ Mikesells: Ghosts of Christmas Past

Now that the Christmas boxes are finally back into the garage, I can reward myself with a nostalgic stroll through old photos... This unhappy Christmas baby is Bethany - although at this age every one of our children feared Santa (and despised Santa hats - actually all hats). A sighting of Santa caused terrified shrieks followed by tears - even across the gymnasium.Kenna is our Christmas interior/exterior designer. We are too boring (exterior) and too cluttered (interior) for her taste. She began the ledge tradition. First, as access for more exterior lights, then as a late night escape (some things a mom never wants to know). Marah later made it her reading retreat and 'hang out with Kelsey' spot.

The hated Christmas Sunday family photo shoot... It still creates lots of whining.

Now that we share Meg, Jon & Seth, Thanksgiving becomes family photo day every other year - 2008 was a Thanksgiving year!

Christmas pageants... I have the best collection of blackmail photos! When the girls were young, Megan gathered her sisters and any willing neighborhood children to create Christmas programs filled with singing and dancing and humor (at least for the audience).

Frosty was Meg's all-time favorite song/story/stuffed animal (we sang it year round), but how did she convinced Kenna to wear that costume???

Of course, the program always ended with an reenactment of the nativity - which despite great efforts at reverence also become somewhat of a comedy...

In the teen years, we added a walk through Winterhaven to our Christmas Eve festivities:

Christmas Eve ends with the opening of one gift, sprinkling reindeer feed on the back lawn, leaving milk, cookies (oreos, of course) and thank you notes for Santa. Just before bedtime, we read Luke 2, then goodnight kisses and sweet dreams! Gratefully, they slept until 7am - unless Aunt Pam was around... She's worse than a kid!

That, of course, adapted through the later teen years. No one goes to bed now - they head off to do Christmas service - folding newspapers until 3am so the carriers can spend Christmas morning with their families. Now the dogs are the first to wake up!