Dresses.

It's hard not to take a picture (or dozens) when your only little girl is all dressed up in frills.  So, without further ado, here is Little Miss Maylie, donned in her holiday best on two Sunday occasions...

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day.

Both were magical.  But I guess they always are.  And even though the feasts and the presents and the activities are all glorious, when all is said and done, it's the time spent together, and the sweet smiles and laughter shared that is truly remembered.

At least it's always been so for us.

This is my little family--the ones I love more dearly than anything else on earth--all gathered for our Christmas Eve devotional.

New Christmas PJ's...

Christmas Morning at our Home:

Then Christmas Afternoon with my family:

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time."  ~Laura Ingalls Wilder

It felt like this yesterday as we gathered and reminisced.  My dad read to us memories we had written down when in Portugal...memories about our childhood, about Christmas, and most of all, about family.

And as we listened and cried and laughed together, we all noticed a common thread running through each of our excerpts--that of how much we loved spending time together as a family.  My mom wrote in hers that it didn't matter what we were doing, as long as we were together.  And interestingly, after hearing all of the childhood memories we wrote about, it wasn't Disneyland we remembered best, or any other exotic place or thing.  We wrote about family home evening, family prayer, scripture study, and a host of little small and simple activities we did together, like going on drives, for walks, hikes, picnics...etc.  And the Christmas memories we had written were not of a specific gift we had received, but the small things we did together, like our gifts of the heart to each other and to the Savior, and the service we did together with the 12 Days of Christmas.   A light was glowing in my heart as I was given a good dose of hope for my own little family's future.  We just have to keep pressing on in the consistency of Celestial traditions, knowing that in the end, this will be what we all remember, and what truly matters the very most.

Thank you dear Mother and Father for giving me the perspective I so desperately needed at this time in my life.

When we got home, Easton was so sad that Christmas was over.  He cried, and I felt like crying too.  It's always such a nostalgic feeling when Christmas ends.  We talked and laughed about what it would be like if Christmas were to be every day.  But then today, with the dawning of another morn, I realized that we can keep Christmas and Christ alive in our hearts all year long.

What a blessing.  What hope.  What joy.  May we keep Christmas this whole year long, I hope with all my heart.

Merry Christmas!

Johnson Christmas Parties.

We loved this idea, that of getting together a few days before Christmas to celebrate.  Dad wanted everything to be kept simple, and it was--simply wonderful.

We ate, and bowled, played basketball and red-light-green-light.  We hunted for our stockings (which is always the highlight of the year) and watched The Nativity (formerly Luke II) before parting.

And then Christmas Eve brought our family again, this time to our house.  We absolutely loved the visit, and I know the boys did as well.

We opened presents, watched our homemade Superman movie, and ate warm vegetable stew and homemade bread.

And the best way I ever have to describe my deepest sentiments, are usually found in the words of others.  So to sum up our Christmas Eve, are the words from Burton Hillis:

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree:  the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."

Playing in the Snow.

Just a few days before Christmas, we finally had a real snowfall.  It didn't last too long, but the boys, who had been begging and pleading to play outside for the whole week, were thrilled with the little bit we received.