For a number of years, we counted down to Christmas with this, which I love and I thought we would do it every year until death do us part and then into the great beyond.
But, on a whim, I thought we would try something different this year.
For the first time in history, I was ready to start counting down on the first of Christmas. (I'm never that organized!) I didn't want to wait until December 13th! But I also knew that some nights (with basketball and YW and holiday parties) would be busy and late--we wouldn't have time do to much more than read a verse from Luke 2. But, with the sun going down at 4:30, other nights we would be itching for lots of quiet Christmas-y things to do.
So we used this:
Hidden behind each door could be any number of things in any combination: a scripture to read, candy to eat, or instructions to open one of the new Christmas books wrapped under the tree or sing Christmas carols or light the candelabra or adjust the Italian presepe or read the pop-up book. It was a surprise every night! (By the way, I didn't place the items in the compartment until moments before the door was to be opened. My kids have some self-control, but not that much!)
David and Mary LOVED it!! They gleefully looked forward to finding what would be behind the door. They enjoyed the anticipation and the variety. It never got old! And Greg and I loved how it joyfully brought our family together each night.
The only problem was that it included a big, fat door for December 25th. What the heck?? We debated about what to put behind that door. I mean, what isn't a let down after Christmas Eve and Santa and all of the gifts under the tree?
The solution would seem obvious, to use the door to bring Christmas Day back to its true meaning: the contents could focus on service, love, and the divine. But I guess this family leaves the true meaning of Christmas behind on the 24th, because we went full speed ahead with the commercial and material. So, no, this is not the year that we get to write into the Ensign about how our family discovered the true meaning of Christmas by [fill in the blank].
But we did have a lot of fun!
Greg put together a treasure hunt, with the first clue behind door # 25.
And the search began!
And continued in the bedrooms...
And downstairs, where the treasure was discovered!
That is a big treasure!
Really big!
What could be in there???
And now I leave you in suspense. I would say that the contents of the box mean hell is frozen over, but that happened when I joined Facebook.
So let's just say that hell has reached absolute zero.
