A Christmas to remember, 2020
The lights, the music, the yummy treats, there is so much to love about this special time of year. The Christmas season is always a favorite for us, and getting to experience it now, as parents, has been even more of a treat.
Our Christmas loving girl was ready for Santa to come back in October! (we keep her santa photos on the fridge year round) As the season grew nearer we were nervous about how she would get to visit her very favorite person, while keeping it special, despite the 2020 limitations. When the opportunity presented itself for Santa to make a house call, we JUMPED on it! Ou dear friends from church have a photography business and happen to be related to Santa! I wish I could share the video of Cora waking up from her nap to find Santa in our living room, it was too sweet.
Santa let Cora know that when Daddies are super heroes that work on Christmas he makes special trips early to bring presents. A few days later, we made and decorated some yummy Christmas cookies.. Abby says we were a little messy, but we had so much fun!
That night, after the cookies were laid out, and bedtime routines were complete, Santa made his early appearance and Daniel and I got to just sit and soak up the season together.
The next morning we were woken up by a very excited little girl who saw a few treasures under the tree! (We had to keep presents away, because Molly was very enthusaiastic about opening them early! #puppyprobs) Cora got everything she asked for, but her most favorite was her pink Baby Jesus! She rocked and sang to him all day.
Christmas Eve, we attended the candlelight service that has been a favorite tradition for both of us, since we were tiny. the evening was filled with Christmas carols, the nativity put on by our children’s ministry and Mexican food once we got home!
Christmas day, Daniel went on shift. We normally would spend a holiday on shift with our fire family, all the wives cooking, and kids playing on the trucks with their daddies, followed by dinner with my (Bethany) parents. 2020 made everything different. We did get to go visit daddy at the station for a little bit and then headed to my parents for a socially distanced Christmas present opening.
When Daniel got on shift, we all loaded up and headed to the country to do Christmas with Yaya & Papa and to celebrate Yaya & Aunt Lara’s birthday!
We did so many fun things over our Christmas break. It was truly a time we will cherish. Despite all the craziness, we know the season is truly about the most precious gift of all, a baby, in a manger. It is such a gift to know Cora already loves Christmas as much as we do. It is such a special time of year that even the stuggles of 2020 couldn’t steal.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name is will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6