Christmas Memories

Joyeux Noël! Merry Christmas, everyone!

General Christmas memories:
- Pillsbury cinnamon rolls Mom always made for breakfast, everyone fought over the middle one
- nativity scene at Grandma Reva's, each of us kids getting to unwrap one figurine each week during advent
- Christmas Eve church service, lighting candles and singing Silent Night
- Mom giving us an ornament each year, somehow I was only able to find three when I went through the ornament boxes from Juneau: a bear holding a 1992 sign (so that year's easy), a bear holding some playing cards, and a Belle from Beauty and the Beast; I also have a gold little girl ornament with my name engraved on it, the little girl is holding a bell that has 1980 engraved on it, I think this ornament was a gift from Kristen
- the generous-sized stockings made by Mom: I am happy to have been able to take three of them, along with the Christmas Tree skirt that is also an integral part of my childhood holiday memories
- trying to get Dad to share his chocolate-covered cherries
- boxes of Christmas cookies baked by Grandpa Ken
- making paper chains

Year specific memories (though I don't know the years):
- Christmas tree decorated with football helmets from Baskin Robbins sundaes
- homemade cabbage patch dolls
- homemade pound puppies
- the year Evan got a puppy and I stayed the night Christmas Eve with Kristen because the plan was for me to help her take care of the puppy that night, but the plan changed, unfortunately ...
- the year Evan and Roy got me the purple exercise pants and the bright orange fleece jacket (which I still have)
- making German Christmas stars as a fifth grade craft project (so that would have been December 1988?). I loved making them and totally went to town on the project. I think I made the most of anyone in the class! Grandma Tromble had two which I was able to get back and they are currently hanging on my tree in Lascours
- one year we spent Christmas in Bellevue at Grandma Reva's, was that 2000? I remember getting a Disney shirt from someone (Mom?) and an L.L. Bean travel toiletries fold-up bag from Dana and Cece which I still have and use
- 1999 I spent Christmas in France with Angie and two of her friends. We had a hotel room out by the Paris airport and made a Christmas Tree out of a desk lamp. On Christmas Day we went to Disney Land and ate dinner at McDonald's.