One of my favorite parts of Christmas

So there are lots of different parts of Christmas I like, some I don't. We all have those things. Well one of my most favorite parts is Christmas cards. After spending every day of the year avoiding getting my mail as it's likely junk mail or bills, come December, I'm out there checking it every single day. I love it. I love to open a stack of cards and see my friends and family, how they've changed and such. I love to read letters people send. So many of those letters are just focusing on the accomplishments and blessings each family has accomplished that year. I know, and we all know that for every amazing letter, we all have those things we don't want to focus on and leave out and try to focus on what we are grateful for. I love that about Christmas letters. Though, a letter lighthearted telling of some of the things kids say and do to make you laugh are fun too. I even LOVE the letters where some might feel a little too much info was shared. But I love it. They all show so much of what is going on in the family. And though the letters and pictures are probably the most fun to open, I still love, love, love all the Christmas cards that just say Merry Christmas and are signed. They are such a sign of love. In today's day and age it's not cheap or easy to mail Christmas cards. Though some take many hours to put together just what they want and those are fun to get, every single card takes time and thought from the giver to me. I love that I'm worth their time and money to send a card. Even the simple cards still cost and postage isn't cheap, we all know that. So the time so many spent to send me a note to brighten my holiday season is totally working!!!

This year I wondered how different it would be without my Brooke to sit and open cards with at the park. We loved to look at each others cards. Share stories we read and memories of how we knew such people and how they became important to our lives. And I was right, it is so different. I've never had a friend "get" christmas cards the exact same way I do as she did. So, after the first few arrived and I didn't have her to share them with, I knew I needed to do something different this year. Typically I have a cute basket by the front door where they all sit so they can be sifted through and read. I wanted to showcase the love I was being shown by so many. To show, if even to just myself and my family how much I really, really appreicated the acts of kindness those Christmas cards are.

So I decided to copy what my friend Daphne said she did and take them to the door. Brooke also did this but to her kitchen pantry door. I wanted them out for all to see this year. So they are taped to my front door. Well, until we ran out of room on the door, now we are working our way around our door. I don't know that my family ever realized just how many people thought of our family this time of year. They are so much more a part of the cards this year. They want to get the mail and open the cards. They want to stop at the door and look at the cards and pictures. John found several people that we exchange cards with that he didn't realized we did since he never really opened the cards or took the time to look through the basket like I did.

So the kids counted and as of today we have over 80 cards from every place John or I have lived. We have some from people in our childhood, John's school principal and Accounting teacher in High school, people he grew up with, family from his side, all my sides, aunts and uncles who we never get to see anymore, my grandpa's brother who with shaking hand signs his own cards in nice block letters each year, pictures from people I grew up with, people who were great friends of my mom's as I was a kid, a friend from my army days, friends from High School, multiple people who took care of John on his mission, an old mission companion of his, people from our BYU days, people from when we lived in California, people from here in Arizona who live by us now, or who once did, people from soccer, people from church, people from dance, people from the neighborhood. I have received 4 cards where I took the pictures, that is fun to see. Cards from cousins who due to facebook and such I have recently gotten back in touch with after not having seen them since we were kids. My dad and step dad's family who I'm as close with as I should be, and my siblings and relatives who I am really close to and see every chance I can.

When you have a "wall of love" like this how can you not feel loved and feel the Christmas spirit? So here is a big THANK YOU to all of you who have brightened my holiday season so much with your love.