Christmastime is HERE!

Merry Christmas from the Hall family!  It was a WONDERFUL Christmas and I'm so thankful to have my family all together...having Reagan home has been such a treat, and her long extended break (thanks to her not taking a class over J term) has made me so happy!  We had a little job snafu, with her job falling through at the last minute, and we tried to recover with some other applications, but to no avail.  We are treasuring the time together and know she will find a new job for the summer and save up then for her next year of school!

It was definitely weird having Christmas Eve on a Sunday, so we went to church Sunday morning and then headed home.  A last minute change of plans took us to our Christmas Eve service at the large church we left when we planted our current church.  It was a wonderful service and a great opportunity to say hi to so many people we haven't seen.  We've been gone 5 years, so I was processing that Bryce was Bennett's age when we left, so think about how much Bryce (and everyone) has grown since then.  

Came back home and the girls help me put out a wonderful charcuterie spread for our quiet Christmas Eve home all together.

And...Christmas morning did NOT disappoint...the kids humored me with matching pajamas (Bryce was the most excited, let me just tell you...ha!).  We were able to get the kids so many big things on their list and manage to keep it under wraps, so we had many surprised faces on the morning.  Of note would be Ruthie getting her phone number, it's been tradition for the kids to get their own number at Christmas of 8th grade, and we held out for kid #3...needless to say, she's thrilled!

I always have a hard time knowing what to ask for, and I told Jason I wanted a necklace to wear for everyday...and boy, did he deliver.  He presented me with the most beautiful necklace, and I'm so overwhelmed.  I cried, of course, and thankful to feel well cared for and loved.  It was a very Merry Christmas.

We tried something different this year and got a brisket from a local bbq place, and it was DELISH!!  

Green Bean Casserole and Cheesy Potatoes, and we had a feast!  It was a nice quiet day, joined later by Jason's parents and sister/nephew...thankful for the time at home and for my kids to be here to enjoy their gifts!!  

This year I gave myself a pass on the Christmas Cards.  It all started because I didn't have a good photo to use, and the time/money I put into it gets overwhelming.  I send over 150 of them, and I don't just stuff and send, almost every person gets a personal note from me, which is amazing, but also incredibly time consuming.  It made me feel a tinge of guilt every card I did receive, but it was just something I needed to let go so I could truly enjoy the season.  So, consider this our Merry Christmas from the Hall family, we love you all!!