Weekend

 Saturday Adam and I had a great experience going to the temple for the first time with a woman in our ward who is in her 80s.  A lot of people from our ward were there too and why is it so wonderful to see people you know at the temple?  I don't know, but it is.

I saw Jamie, who was there as an ordinance worker, and we hugged and greeted each other like we hadn't just seen each other the day before.

Time in the temple always feels worth it.

In the chapel, before the session, I was thinking about my grandma.  I feel close to her at the temple and I love wearing her pearl earrings whenever I go.  I thought, I miss her! Quickly on the heels of that thought, I looked up and saw a picture of Jesus.  Christmas music was being played by the organist.  I thought for the millionth time how devastating it would be when someone we love dies if we did not know that we could see them again.  I felt grateful for temple covenants and grateful for the Savior of the world.  I'm grateful for everything He did so that I can someday be reunited with people I love.

Joy to the world!

We met up with Mark for lunch and went to Trader Joe's and Winco and toured Mark's office (he's been wanting to show us).

We parted ways and Adam and I stopped by at the PG library for the holiday book sale.  I was grateful to have Adam there to carry books.  I filled a box paper comes in (they had empty ones stashed under the tables for people like me) and then some.  Holiday library book sales are my love language.

It was great to have Emma and Mark Saturday night.  We see them at least weekly, but it felt different for them to be staying.  

We had a weird dinner of whatever was in the fridge and some random food Emma brought that needed to be eaten.  Mark heated up some gluten free mac and cheese from Trader Joe's.  We talked over each other and laughed a lot and then Emma and I watched a movie.

Every year, we decide on the worst sounding Christmas movie on Netflix to watch.  This year's was so bad.  I tried to get Adam and Mark to watch it with us, but they politely and firmly declined.

We watched Hot Frosty.

Let me sum it up for you (believe me, you don't want to watch it unless you have someone like Emma to watch it with).

A young widowed woman, Kathy, lived in a broken down little house.  A few days before Christmas, her friend gave her a scarf which she immediately (like right outside the door of her friend's shop, which felt kind of ungrateful/rude) put on a snowman.  The town was having an ice sculpture contest and this particular snowman was a lifelike very muscular man.

Overnight he came to life, broke a huge plate glassed window in the friend's shop and stole some clothes.  The clothes were these overalls that were sleeveless (to better show off his muscles) with the name Jack embroidered on them.  So that became his name.

He knew nothing about life and had zero memory of anything.  Kathy took him in (of course she did) and he watched TV all day at her house while she was at work.

In the space of a few days, because he'd watched TV, he learned how to cook and learned how to repair her roof (complete with repairing the drywall where water was leaking).  She had a broken stair that he also flawlessly repaired.  (Emma noticed she had two different sets of stairs in this tiny house because they kept showing them from different angles--she said there must be servants quarters.) He went around fixing electrical work for older women in town who were gaga over how handsome he (apparently?) was.  Then he got a job as a maintenance man at the middle school and created this amazing scene for the school dance and befriended all the middle schoolers.

Again, in the space of a few days.

He asked Kathy to the middle school dance (because that is what adults do, obviously) and they had a romantic dance scene until he had to go outside because he was too hot.  (He is a snowman after all.)

I am not making this up!

He ended up getting arrested by the overzealous sheriff for streaking (before he found clothes) and breaking the window.

The store owner said it was Christmas so she didn't mind the broken window (?!?), but the sheriff persisted.

The town's people rallied and passed around a hat to raise the bail to get Jack out of jail. (It was Christmas Eve!)  The sheriff wouldn't budge because they were $10 short, until his son (one of the middle school kids Jack had befriended and had even encouraged to ask a girl to dance) convinced him.

The sheriff was so overcome with sudden Christmas spirit, he gave everyone back their money.  

Except Jack died (?) in the jail cell because it was too hot for him.

They hauled him out and lay him in the snow and Kathy kissed him and said she loved him. Then they all walked away, leaving the apparent snowman carcass just lying there in the middle of the town square.

BUT, Jack came alive and for the first time in his life, he was cold which meant he was an actual man.

A Christmas miracle!

We are also having a holiday film festival with actual good Christmas movies.  Everyone gets to pick one and Covid rules apply.  Just like during Covid, everyone has to watch the movie.

Which won't be a problem, because we like all the Christmas movies everyone else will pick.

I loved church.  I think the Sunday before Christmas is my favorite Sunday of the year.  I love the music and festive clothes and grown children home.  Everyone is cheery and wishing each other Merry Christmas.  

Our doorbell rang intermittently all afternoon with people dropping by treats.  I had reciprocal treats beribboned and ready to go, which I handed over at our doorstep.  A lazy girl's way to deliver neighborhood Christmas gifts.

The youth came over for a fireside Sunday evening.  It was fun to have their laughter and chatter fill our home.

Today I'm home from school on vacation and was awake earlier than my alarm usually goes off.  I think I'm afraid of success on some level....