Meloncholy After Christmas

So I don't know if it is just me, but something happens about 8:30 PM on Christmas Day.

Let's just say that I LOVE Christmas. I love the music, the foods, the wrapping, the decorating, for all the obvious reasons. If Christmas were an orange, I would squeeze and twist and suck every last drop of Christmasy juice out of the season. Each day gets bigger and better until it's actually here and then. . TA DA! I get to savor in all the goodness that I have been anticipating, hoping and preparing for.

But then, something happens when it's time to go home and go to bed just because it's getting late. There are no more thoughts of what is yet to come. No more mental lists of what still needs to be done. Christmas music seems almost inferior, and snow is now just a burden rather than a backdrop to a glorious Christmas day. I actually get sad and uncomfortable, because I have built up for something so grand, and now it is well. . .gone.

I don't want to seem like a big downer here, but I do think this little process I go through is good for me. It helps me to evaluate what I truly loved about my Christmas for the year:

*It was not the amount of money, but the amount of time I spent on a gift
*I found that I didn't even notice if I had any gifts; I just loved giving them to my family and watching my children open
*I loved having a chance to remember my Savior, and what he means to me in a concentrated series of weeks
*I loved the lightness in the air, and the time we got to spend together, just for the sake of the holiday.

When I remember those things, I realize that it is Christmas that helps us get there. And so THAT is why I love Christmas so much, and perhaps that is why I feel so somber when the day comes to an end. I think it really helps me appreciate those little things in my life better, and so that is why. . .I am already looking forward to next year.

Happy Holidays 2010

This will be our official Christmas Card. We have never been one for printing and mailing out the actual version of this, so until that happens- we have the blog! I do love Christmas info cards like these. You get to learn the life and times of the people that you know and care to keep in touch with, even if it hasn't been since last Christmas. So without further delay, here is the Robins Family Christmas Card 2010!

Royal: Still (thankfully) has his job at his school. We are so grateful that he is able to be in a job that he truly enjoys, and that it provides for us to be happy and healthy. He is still the Elders Quorum President although our ward's EQ was split, so now he dutifully serves those with last names ending in I-Z. Each month he also surprises me with some new facial growth carved into creative design. He is truly a wonderful husband and a super-duper excellent dad!



Da'nelle: I quit my teaching job (see previous posts if you would like) in August and started doing some side jobs to help me stay at home with "the kids." (It's so fun to say it plurally!) I have learned the tremendous joys and struggles of being at home all day. I mean, honestly, where DOES the time go? But regardless of the trivial things there is absolutely NO place I would rather be than at home taking care and teaching and loving our two sweet children. P.S. Isn't this cow picture AWESOME! This is what motherhood is all about!

Lucy: Almost 3, and we know it. She took a turn this year when Grant came and she realized that she was no longer the center of the universe. She is sweet and precocious and capable of so much. It has been hard for me to see her as a little girl and no longer as my baby. She knows pretty much all her letters and can count to 12. She is adventurous and learning to be careful-we have had no concussions this year! We just love her!





Grant: Without argument the sweetest little guy, ever. He is 8 months, and trying to walk. He is also very tolerant of Lucy playing rough with him, giggling the whole way through. Love his laugh, his wide smile, his amazing gentle spirit, and that he is the bestest little baby in the world. He truly makes you feel lucky to be around him.

We have been exceptionally blessed this year and are so grateful for this time to remember our Savior and all that he has done for us. What a blessing he is to our lives, and we hope we can emulate his life throughout the year.

We hope all is fabulous for you and your family. Send us an email or call us with what is going on in your brood, and take care until next time.