These are a few of my favorite things....

...other than the opportunity to be together as a family for 2 whole days (BJ didn't end up having to work Christmas Eve!!!) and the wonder and beauty and excitement that have filled up every corner of our home for the past month or so....

Oh, I just LOVE Christmas!

But then again, who doesn't? Right?

Ok, so here are a couple more of my favorite things this Christmas:

*drinking hot chocolate right before bed on Christmas Eve...

...in Christmas jammies!

*Our beautiful tree!
Bad picture but it was beautiful, full of homemade ornaments (some broken or injured or rearranged aka "hidden" to Cambree's delight) and not so perfectly spaced strands of multicolored lights. Oh, and I can't forget the BJ Angel on top. Sorry there's not a good picture of him. It's pretty cute.
*Reading Christmas stories at bed time,
*Again no picture, but also telling the Christmas story through the scriptures and with the Little People Nativity set (minus the Baby Jesus, we had to borrow one from another set) and primary songs mixed with the regular Christmas carols....

*Christmas morning!

*The biggest reactions for the seemingly small things like a pack of gum! or a clementine! or an Ariel toothbrush! or a shower spongy thingy (just like Mom's)!

*Ah, but here (below) are my all time favorite memories from Christmas this year.

These faces.

So happy.

It was indeed hard being away from all of our families. BJ and I kept thinking we should hop in the car and drive to Grandma's house. But, different as it was for us, we loved being home this year.