We had a quiet, laid back Christmas. We decided to stay home by ourselves this year. We were given Christmas dinner which was very easy to prepare and the girls helped me decorate the pavlova. It was a nice mix of American and New Zealand fare. I wanted to make Christmas crackers but ran out of time, maybe next year. The kids were given loads of presents and we enjoyed watching them open them all. Mariah delighted us with taking her first real steps by herself. She is so adorable and cute right now. The only downer was that we were all sick except for Levi. I started a new thing this year called a “Jesus Christmas tree”. It was a real hit with the kids, they enjoyed making the various symbols that remind us of Jesus. Some of the things we made were a dove for peace, a rainbow to show Jesus is a promisekeeper, a heart to show Jesus is love, along with many other things. I’m grateful to my friends who sent me this idea which is something they did with their kids when they were growing up. Jesus is the reason for the season.
Merry Christmas from the Dean Hess family
Dean, Trudy, Carissa, Veronica, Levi, and Mariah
“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11