Ready for Christmas!

 All this extra time at home has allowed me to be more ready for Christmas than ever before! Not only did we get all the decorating done quickly (done over Thanksgiving weekend when we didn't have much else to do), but all the presents are bought, some are still on their way, but the ones I have are wrapped and under the tree, which is very unusual for me! We sent out our Christmas cards, are almost done delivering our friend gifts here, and the gifts to family far from us are on the way! Even better, I feel like all the gifts are meaningful, and not just a last-second buy. I really thought hard about the gifts we gave everyone. 

I'm proud of our Christmas card, even though I made a mistake on it and had to fix it (you'll know when you get it if you haven't yet) because it was simple and inexpensive, which allowed us to get 100 of them to send to family and friends far, and use them to give out with the soaps to friends and neighbors here.  We've had so much fun delivering the soaps and cards! The boys and I did our neighborhood friends last Friday when it was a crazy warm day and we could ride our bikes through the neighborhood. They ran up to the doorsteps and left the gifts with quick knocks on doors and then we would be on our bikes to the next stop. 

We've been delivering to our ward family throughout this week because we have to drive to those houses and can only do a few at a time. Last weekend we got to deliver three huge baskets of goodies that the Youth at church usually do, to three inactive families. That was the night we handed out a plate of cookies in the LighttheWorld challenge. We gave them to the young lady who lost her mother to cancer a few months ago. 

I was even able to make pillows for my students this year. I was planning on doing it anyhow because I only have 12 students and that's so much easier to manage a nice homemade gift for than 25+. Being off work for quarantine gave me the extra time to finish them off. 

Lastly, at the beginning of the month, we delivered gifts to an 8-year-old from Detroit who we sponsored from the Operation Cheer group that gives to foster children each Christmas. We give anonymously, so we didn't get to see him, but after reading about him, we know he would be good friends with Austin and Erik if they were to meet. 

All these moments of giving have allowed me to really feel ready for Christmas. Most years I feel like I missed someone or something because there just wasn't enough time or I ran out of steam, but this year it has been a good way to take my mind off the pandemic and the stress of Covid. 

I'm ready!

Soaps for everyone! (this is only a small portion of it) My boss thought it was the best gift he has ever received, just because it's so appropriate right now!

A few fancier soaps for the people I minister to and our closest neighbors.

Pillows for my students. I backstitched their initials in them and put a drop of evergreen oil in each one.

Wrapping gifts for our 8-year-old friend in Dertroit.

Erik went with me to deliver the gifts at the drop-off location.