A Lovely Christmas Vacation

I'm so thankful that we got such a great Christmas break this year. We came to Georgia on the 19th of December and didn't get back until this morning. Almost 2 whole weeks! I haven't spent that much time in Georgia for Christmas in over 5 years. We had tons planned to do, more than we could have done in that time, actually, but it was still a great time.

The Sunday before Christmas, we performed in the Stake Christmas Concert. On Monday, the Wilcox girls went off to Atlanta to see Jennifer's new apartment on the north side, go out for lunch, and shop at the Atlanta Apparel Mart (so much jewelry!!)

Sam and I also had several days to finish all our shopping, which way more relaxing than previous years when we would have to finish on Christmas Eve.

We also got to relive a Christmas tradition we haven't done in years: seeing the lights at Callaway Gardens! It was a very cold night, but we all bundled up on the Jolly Trolley to enjoy the sights and wander the Christmas Village.

Christmas Eve and Christmas were busy, as always, as we share the day with both families. But the bouncing back and forth is worth it as we get a full Christmas with both families!

We got some great kitchen stuff like a mini food processor, some gadgets from Williams Sonoma, several movies, and new clothes! The Sunday after Christmas we performed again, this time in Sacrament Meeting.
The week after Christmas gave us time to hang out, do more shopping, and even have lunch with the Houghtaling's!

So much pecan bark and good food, so many presents, so many games, so much family time! We were starting to feel very settled in Georgia and weren't thrilled to return back to daily life and its work, bills, early mornings, and winter weather. Thankfully, there's always next Christmas!