Christmas and Around the World in Eighty Days!

I finished my book! Around the World in Eighty Days is a very good read. Adventure, suspense, mystery, attachment, and it's very informative -I recommend it to anyone. I think I'm going to read Death on the Nile by Agatha Christy next; or Anne of Green Gables...
As for the holiday:
For Christmas Eve, we went to the In-law Family Christmas Party. It was nice. I brought pumpkin bread and there were many kinds of enchiladas, and beans, and salad and chips to eat. There was pecan pie or cherry pie and ice cream for dessert. Afterward was the white elephant gift exchange, a reading of the Christmas story, and we sang Christmas hymns. Before my husband and I left, our Aunt gave us a gift of a couple of pretty glass mugs with poinsettias on them, and some hot chocolate, which we enjoyed that weekend. How thoughtful! That night we built a fire and my mother-in-law, her oldest son, my husband and I watched The Christmas Story before bed.
Christmas was fun this year. We had breakfast at my brother-in-law's house Christmas morning. They made bacon and sausage and pancakes and orange juice. It was very nice. My husband and I bought our first Christmas ornaments this year. They are little picture frames and we put a wedding picture in one for our first Christmas together and my brother took a picture of us to put in the other for our REAL first Christmas together. ;) We liked the idea and gave my husband's younger sister's family a picture frame ornament also for their first Christmas with their new baby and a free night out. My brother-in-law and his wife had us this year so they gave us new socks, trouser socks for my husband and festive socks for me, and a gift card to Charleston's restaurant. My mother-in-law gave us an audio of the Oct. 2008 General Conference and a DVD of the life of President Thomas S. Monson. She also gave my husband a new set of scriptures he wanted, and she gave me some new scibbies. ;) We gave my mother-in-law a new rack for her wood burning fireplace. I can't tell you what we are giving my brother this year because we haven't given it to him yet, but I'll add it later. :)
Christmas dinner was at Mom-in-Law's house. Her youngest daughter and I helped her prepare the meal. It was delicious! We had turkey, glazed ham, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, dressing, raspberry cranberry cherry jello (which was great on the ham and turkey!), dinner rolls, mixed vegetables, acorn squash and pumpkin pie with whipped cream. UmmHmm. So Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year!

~*Our First Anniversary*~

My husband's and my first anniversary was great. We slept late and went to IHOP for brunch, then we went out together to buy anniversary gifts. We bought for my husband a magazine subscription and for me a Wallace and Gromit Calendar (the paper tradition).
Later that afternoon we went to my husband's Grandparents' house and Grandma taught us, as we helped her, how to make her famous Carmel Popcorn. My husband was so cute helping his Grandma and running errands for his Grandfather. His Grandparents really are sweet people.

We went Christmas shopping after our cooking lesson and went to dinner at Streets of New York. (If you haven't been there, I recommend it, the New York cheese steak sandwich is so buttery yummy!) I love trying new restaurants! That night my husband built a fire and we watched a movie. We ate our cake, which was still delicious (Hooray for Cathy's Rum Cake), and drank sparkling apple juice from large wine glasses. It was fun. :) My husband is so sweet; I'm so glad I married such a kind hearted, forgiving, creative, brave, dignified, and talented worthy man. He's so foxy-scrumdidly-umpcious too! I'm the luckiest girl ever!

~Christmas Trees and Gingerbread Houses~

This afternoon my husband and I got out the Christmas tree and put it together; we are a great team! Later that afternoon Jon, his mother, and I went shopping and bought Christmas decorations. We put them up right away and they are so great! My husband put up lights in the windows while I decorated the tree and then my husband put the Angel on top of the tree. Our first tree! Yay!
Monday night for Family Home Evening I made gingerbread and cement icing and my husband and I built a gingerbread house together. A real gingerbread house! (It's my first so I'm very excited.) It's beautiful! I took pictures but I will have to post them later. My husband is so creative -he built the structure and made the snow on top of the house look so awesome! I decorated it with snowy windows, fence, and door with a Christmas wreath. It was pretty laborious, but when my husband and I were done I felt like we had really accomplished something. :) My brother came over and built a house too. Then we decorated gingerbread men -they are so delicious with Gummy Life Savers or DOTS for buttons!

Christmas is on it's way..

So on December first, as per my family tradition, I made donuts. My brother came over and helped me during the last half. We listened to White Christmas as we worked and talked about old times when we'd made them with our mother and at college together. It was fun. We just glazed them all instead of doing the different frostings and sugars.
I'm so excited to be starting family traditions in my own family. I also put up my Christmas decorations last week and I'm feeling pretty festive. We just need some lights and a tree. (Oh, and some tree decorations since mine are very limited right now. :) Although, we'll probably just put up my mother-in-law's tree this year.

My phone isn't working right now, so if you try to call me, sorry. It will probably be working again later this month or next. Happy holiday making to everyone!