Christmas Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

Another year gone. I can't believe how time flies. It has been a pretty good year for us.

Zak is in 7th grade and has many girls swooning over him. He played grid kid football again this year his team did better than in years past and had 4-3 record. He starts school sports this year and has basketball tryouts next week. We are very excited for him to play for a real team this year and have the experience of traveling to the different schools. Zak took home-ec. this year and really liked it. He likes to cook and offers to help at home often.

Cheyenne is in 6th grade. She started band this year and is playing the saxophone. She really enjoys band and is learning a lot. She played volleyball for the first time this year and liked it a lot. She is looking forward to playing this spring. Chey does very well in school. We often tease her about having anything less than 100% on her work. Chey will be playing Jazz basketball in January, we are hoping my brother JT will be her coach and she can contine to learn and improve on her athletic ability. Chey is a big help and we are very proud of her.

Kassidy is in third grade and her teacher describes her as the tortoise from the book the tortoise and the hare. She is slow and steady. Kassidy is our sweet, quiet, little angle. She is learning to raise her voice to more than a whisper when she wants to be heard. She can get really loud especially when she is yelling at Aspen. She is excited for basketball to start in January.

Aspen is in first grade. She likes school a lot but doesn't like homework. She loves recess and playing with her friends. She had her first sleep over a few weeks ago and had a great time.

Brian is still a shift sergeant at the Bonneville County Jail and he is also a fire arms instructor. He enjoys his job and the people he works with. He also enjoys his days off and being able to sleep in when we are all gone.

I am in my last year at ISU and will graduat in May with my social work degree. I am hoping to find a job soon. After graduation I am hoping I will be able to attend the advandced standing masters of social work program through Boise State. The classes are offered in Twin Falls 2 days a week. We will all be greatful when mom has a job and we can start looking for a bigger house.

We enjoyed having Jana and her kids here for a while this summer and into the beginning of the school year. Zak and Aspen loved having thier long lost cousins in class with them. We all miss them very much. The highlight of our year was going to Silver Falls Oregon (where Twilight was filmed) for a family reunion with Brian's family. It was fun seeing them all again. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins on that side of the family and we are hoping to be able to connect with them again soon.

We feel very blessed to have what we have and be where we are. We are close to family and would never make it with out them. We are thankful for the Christmas season and the reminder of Christ's sacrifice for us.

We hope all our loved ones are well and wish you all a very Blessed and Merry Christmas season.

All our love,

The Johnsons

Traditions

I love this time of the year. Mostly because of the meaning of Christmas and the family traditions that happen this time of year. As I have been trying to get in the mood for Christmas this year I have been feeling pretty nostalgic. So I decided to write about my favorite Christmas traditions and some of the things I miss since growing up.

Christmas traditions start with the making of Christmas countdowns the weekend of thanksgiving. We put chocolate on a ribbon one for each day from Dec. 1st to Dec. 24th.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is decorating Christmas cookies. We have done this ever since I can remember and now the kids look forward to it every year. My favorite cookie is the Santa Clause with chocolate chip eyes. I miss the little silver balls that we used to put on cookies but you can't buy any more. This year my mom bought some white balls and Kassidy made a snow globe. It is a fun tradition and would be even more enjoyable if all my brothers and sisters and their kids could be here to participate.

My next favorite family tradition is going to my Grandma Mechams on Christmas eve. Every year we would eat enchiladas and lasagna. Then we would have to act out the Nativity before we could open presents. I loved to act out the nativity and always felt the most special to be picked to play Mary. Afterwards we would open presents. We would all cram into the living room and Grandpa would wear the Santa hat, and we would wait for our turn to get a present. We exchanged names with our cousins and always got something from Grandma and Grandpa. I remember one year when Grandpa Mecham gave Matt a peanut. It was one that had already been opened and Grandpa put some money inside and taped it back togehter. I loved opening the presents from Grandma and Grandpa and having it be a box of cereal. After presents we would have root-beer floats and by then we were exhausted and so excited to go home and wait for Santa to come.

Waking up at 5 in the morning to a room filled with brand new toys and clothes is a magical feeling. It didn't matter that only a few of the toys were yours with 7 kids in the family the living room looked like a toy store. It took all morning to open presents and we would get dressed in our brand new clothes and take our new toys to Grandma and Grandpa Tuckers. I would always bring my new baby doll wrapped in a blanket. Grandma would make ham with twice baked potatoes and cherry cool aid with orange juice. It was a meal fit for a king. For dessert we didn't have pie or cake. Grandma made many different kinds of cookies. Thumb print cookies, sandies, frosted sugar cookies, and many others. They were delicious. I still miss being able to have Grandma and Grandpa with us on Christmas day. And I miss the cookies. Grandma usually sends some in the mail but it is quite the same.

Although some of my childhood traditions have gone and some have stayed similar, we are able to take peices of all of them and create new ones with our own kids. I miss the Mecham family Christmas eve and The afternoons with Grandpa Tucker attempting to cheat at every game. But I enjoy Christmas eve with my kids, reading the Story of our Saviors birth from the Bible by candle light and opening a new pair of pj's to wear to bed. I still can't sleep on Christmas eve, waiting for the excitement of the kids when they get up at 5 a.m. and find that Santa had come and left them a room full of toys. What a blessing it is to have the traditions and memories of the past to pass on to the future.