Our Christmas of 2008

Just to keep tabs as to what we did for our 2008 Christmas. It seems good for me to think back on it...not that it was so long ago, but that the week seemed to fly by!
The Sunday of our Christmas week was spent watching it snow...digging our way out of the blizzard! Then on Tuesday, Derrick & I joined Jeff & Ruthanne to go see Trans Siberian Orchestra. We had never gone to one of their concerts before...what an amazing show that was!We had a couple of their CDs that we've been listening to, but we determined that after we had been to the show, the volume couldn't go high enough on the system whenever one of the songs were playing!
Christmas Eve was spent with the Huizenga family. Instead of trading names with each other for gifts, we wanted to be a blessing to another family who wouldn't necessarily have anything to celebrate Christmas with. Even though we weren't able to join the gang in bringing the gifts we had bought each member of the family, the mom had written us a very nice letter of thanks. Hearing that simple letter of thanks and appreciation made us all realize that we were quite possibly blessed more by being able to help this family than just being able to go shopping for them. It really seemed to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas!
Well, we needed something to do at our family Christmas party since we weren't going to be exchanging gifts, so the idea came up to do a Murder Mystery dinner! Only mom & dad Huizenga had been to one of these parties, so it was all new for everyone else. What fun it was to see everyone "out of their normal characters"! Everyone put in great time and effort to dress up and act like the character they were assigned!
Since we didn't make it to our own church's Christmas Eve service on Wednesday, we decided to hear our friend Steve preach at his church on Christmas morning. After the service ended, he and his wife Emily asked us what we were doing for lunch. We hadn't planned anything, so they invited us to join them for Christmas lunch. I wasn't 100% sure of showing up at their family dinner, but we were treated just like family! After lunch, I got to spend the afternoon hours wrapping presents!! I love to wrap presents! Sadly, I had been busy for the week/days leading up the Christmas that they all sat in the bags in their hiding places. But, while Derrick relaxed and washed our car on Christmas afternoon (2 of his favorite things to do), and I got to do one of my favorite things to do...wrap!!
Christmas night was spent with my Kleinheksel family. My brother and his family were up from North Carolina for the week, so we got to enjoy Christmas with the whole family! There was good food, many presents that were opened, and great conversations and memories shared! Even though we had the whole family at my Dad & step-mom's house, there were a few faces that were missing. We were expecting to have a new baby at Christmas...but little Emma Grace spent it in Heaven with her cousin Morgan. There were definitely remembered because each had their own special pink ornament on the tree!
Before we went to bed Christmas night, I gave Derrick his Christmas presents. I had visions of that movie, "The Christmas Story" when he opened his gift. He had wanted a new BBgun so he could more accurately shoot the squirrels outside our house (another one of his favorite pass times). So, that's what I got him....yes, I got my 26-year-old husband a BBgun for Christmas. But, he was so happy...just like a little kid! I love him!!Our final Christmas party was the night after Christmas. We got together with my Mom's side of the family. It had the typical traditions of the Gruppen Christmas: Grandma's Christmas jello that she's made for Christmas ever since I can remember, talk of what everyone's been up to lately, and catching up with our younger cousins. Instead of exchanging gifts between everyone, we twisted it up and played "Bad Santa". This was a little different for our little family (everyone's so nice), but it was entertaining once people started to steal gifts from others!It's at this party each year that I really notice that someone important to me is missing in these years. Since the Gruppens are my Mom's side of the family, it's pretty evident that the one who kinda ties us to this family isn't with us anymore. But, that's all the more reason to me for still getting together with them. Sometimes I don't remember as often as I do other times that she's not here anymore. And, maybe that's a good thing. I mean, looking back to our week of Christmas this year, there are so many instances where "family" meant more than just blood-relatives: doing Christmas with the family we adopted for the season, joining friends and their families for Christmas lunch, looking at "step-siblings & families" and considering them your family...family extends and includes more than Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, Husband, Wife, Daughter, Son. It's those who are a part of your lives, and who are your brothers and sisters in Christ.
We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!