Christmas Memories

I thought I had a few minutes to sit here at my computer and blog for a minute, but I am feeling the guilt...Jeff is now cleaning my kitchen.
Which I would have done, and I know i should do, but how often to I blog. I will help him when I am done.
My kitchen is a mess, because I made home made rolls and cookies yesterday for a fun family activity and a Christmas memory for my family. One, I hope the boys will remember forever.
Last night we went to Santa Clara for "Night in Bethlehem" with some of the Scoville Clan.
It was wonderful.
(I tried to take pictures, but my camera is lame)
They had taken this church parking lot and turned it into Bethlehem.
With a census table when you first walk in, soldiers in full authentic uniform. (that was cool) They were in full character too. Shoving people out of the way and looking very grumpy.
They had a few Inn's for Mary and Joseph to travel to, by donkey. A real donkey.
They were turned away.
Just outside the City of Bethlehem they had Shepard's watching over real sheep.
They also had shops, hut like structure, like you have seen in any movie, selling things and letting the kids, my kids, make things at each shop. they had wool making, and coin making, and bead making, and all kinds of other shops, probably like 20 different places to do and look at things from the time of Christs birth.
It was sooo cool.
They also covered the entire ground with sand. It had been pressed down so much it was packed, but it looked so real.
Mary and Joesph moved from one Inn to the next and was given the "barn" as they called it.
They keep the doors closed for the first minute or so and opened the doors to see Mary and Joesph looking over a (real) baby. They talked for a minute and Mary sang a song. Then across the "town" the Angel appeared and shouted to the Shepard's that "Christ Child was born". They then ran across the "town" to the barn to see Baby Jesus. And then come the Kings, the 3 wise men....with their entourage...One came in on Camel, one came in on a bed being carried in by 4 strong men, and ..I cant remember how the last one came in....but they all had belly dancers and there was fire twirlers..
Which I think is my favorite part. I love how they really thought about it. the kings would not have traveled alone, they would have had their entourage to care of them, I am sure they did not cook their own meals. They were kings, right?
It ended very much like the story they have told for centuries. Then the program started over again. It took about 10 minutes to run the program, and then they started over. It was very well organized.
My mom went 2 years ago and it was different. The way they had told the story was different.
But, it was still great.
Now, the fact that there was a 15 minute long line just to get in, it was so crowded, that we could not take strollers, I still can't carry a kid around for long with my toe, my Mom had to carry Emma in fear of her being trampled by the "very in character" soldier.
I have to go back...
We, my family, traveled by caravan, accidentally meeting up with my sister Sarah and her husband on the road. Meeting my other sister, Aimee, there with family and her in-laws, we had a tail gate party with soups and homemade bread and corn bread.
Then we got in line. We decided that the older kids needs a buddy. They could not go off alone.
They did great, they stuck together, just not with us.
Which was really hard for me, but I need to let go. I need to let them go a little now, so I can really let go later. It is a work in progress.
We lost a few kids and towards the end, it got very confusing as to where to meet. I told my kids a different place, and each of my older kids were paired up with one of my sisters kids.
We found them all in the end. We had another tailgate party with cookies and water and packed up.
We had to stop for a "pee on the fence" break. (just to clarify, it was the boys who peed, and not me) We had to squeeze one of my kids back into our 7 passenger van, so we didn't have to drive all the way back to my parents house, just to get him.
I made a Christmas music CD for the van before we left, and I think we listened to it about 6 times.
My Christmas memories are different. We never did anything like that, but we did do other things.
Top 3 in my mind....
Seeing the Christmas lights at the Oakland temple in Oakland.
Doing a Progressive dinner with the Astle Clan.
Going to cut down our own Christmas tree at a Christmas tree farm in Slough house and that it took hours...for my mom to decide which one, us kids singing a Christmas song to my mom at the top of our lungs just to drive her crazy and coming home to have Hot chocolate and toast.
I just hope that I am creating wonderful Christmas memories for my boys and my sweet baby girl.
I challenge any and all who read my blog....if any...to share a favorite Christmas memory on your blog if you have one. If not, share it with your family.

Oh I forgot to mention, that was the last year and night the church in Santa Clara was doing the "Night in Bethlehem"....
Soooo glad I didn't miss it.