So it's on my Top 100 list to help plan a Palmer Christmas reunion ... and then Mindy very conveniently scheduled her wedding for Christmas! Yay! So what are the ideas that we have to celebrate Christmas ALL together for the first time since ... 1993? I think that's the last time all 8 of us were in Oregon for Christmas, because then missions started and then Eric and Jared got married ... and now it's 16 years later. SIXTEEN!!! That is way the heck TOO LONG!!!!
1. Christmas caroling. Because we always went Christmas caroling when we were kids ... although I don't think we'll all fit in the same van anymore. Har har. Poor Dave and Dolly Huber, if they still live around the corner - that would be A LOT of people on their front porch!
2. Baking cookies to give to the caroling families.
3. The Nativity "pageant" on Christmas Eve. It will be really cute to have the kids do it this year.
4. Mindy has family portraits scheduled for the day after Christmas - thanks, Mindy! Those will be fun to have with everyone in their Christmas/wedding finery!
5. A temple session? It would be the first time all 8 of us kids would be in the temple together. That would be COOL. Mom and Dad, start getting enough family names for us to take through, and don't forget to plan for Laurel, Michelle, Amanda, Adam, and Aaron! (Huh. That's a lot of A names.)
6. Because many of us will have to pay a lot of money to get to Oregon in the first place (4 plane tickets each for me, Eric, and Jared) plus Mindy's wedding and all, I would suggest keeping the gifts to a minimum - just the exchange like we've done for the last 2 years. If spouses want to give each other stuff, that's their deal. I likely would NOT pack gifts to Oregon for Adam and the girls, only to have to pack them back and risk something getting lost. We would just do that here in Vicksburg before we left or something.
7. For stockings, we could have the spouses fill each other's stockings and take care of their kids themselves, and maybe have Tawnia, Emily, and Clarissa do something with each other's stockings.
8. I'd like to do the book exchange with the kids. I don't know how the other families feel about it - if they're just going along with it because I want to, or if you think it's actually going to have the effect of helping our kids be closer even though we live all over the country. I really like it. What do you guys think? Even if this year, we exchange a book we already own so no one has to buy anything - I still like the concept behind it.
9. Mom and Dad, are you going to do your own thing for gifts for everyone, or do you want in on the exchange?
10. Mindy wants cupcakes for her wedding cake - I think it would be fun if we did that together. And yesterday at church, I found out about a little cake decorating class that's this week. So I'll see what ideas I get! And all the other girls (all NINE of us), see what you can figure out about cake decorating and experiment around with things. You have six months!
That's my start. Discuss.
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6 comments:
1-4. Heck yes! And we have "The Forgotten Carols" on DVD. I'd love to watch that as a family. (And it wouldn't take as long as reading the book.) It's a great show.
5. Yes, temple. Yes, yes, yes. When is Aaron going through?
6-9. Gifts. The one that most relates to me concerns stockings. Tawnia, Clarissa, I'd be willing to consider doing something for stockings. I have more fun buying little things than I do with big presents. :) We'd have to decide on a budget, I think, as well as who is doing what? For example, would I fill Tawnia's stocking, or would I get stocking stuffers for both Tawnia and Clarissa?
10. Sure, I'll help decorate cupcakes. I know Mindy's talked about different flavors on her blog. We could get two or three different cake mixes -- unless someone has any idea how to make cake from scratch and we decide to do it that way.
It all sounds great to me. If we do decide to go Christmas caroling we'll have to have a very precise list, but it would be a lot of fun.
I'm not sure when we would have time to do a temple day with everyone - Aaron won't be there until possibly Christmas Eve (since his classes don't get out until the 23rd) but then he won't offically be part of the family at that point either :P I'm not sure when exactly he's going to go through - but it will be before he comes to Oregon. Possibly in September, or maybe November (so I can be up there for my Thanksgiving break).
I also like the gift exchange idea. I'll do that, even after giving the family portrait for everyone.
And hooray for cupcakes! I'm totally okay with cake mixes .. and we can have fun flavoring frostings. Too bad I won't be taking cake decorating until next year!
Random side note, since I'm thinking about it: Aaron completes our birthday collection - he's our September! September 11th. (I know, another holiday.)
Mindy, I can tell you already (and maybe you remember this from with Jason) that when you schedule your sealing at the temple, they recommend that you also do a session. I think it would be fine to do one all together between Christmas and the wedding, whichever day works best (the 26th, 27th, or 28th). Aaron "offically" being part of the family for the temple is silly, since it's part of your WEDDING celebration. It's not like when Clarissa was engaged and didn't even have a date set yet (that I knew of anyway).
It doesn't matter to me what Tawnia, Emily, and Clarissa do with their stockings - you decide between the 3 of you how you want to work it.
I have a cake cookbook that uses cake mixes but you add other stuff to it to make it more yummy, rather than just following the directions on the box. For example, I made a chocolate cake for a friend's birthday that had sour cream in it, and it was SO fluffy and yummy! I'll bring that and we'll see what we come up with, besides the rainbow chip, of course.
Thanks for giving us Aaron's birthday - I was just getting my calendar updated with Henry and Kennedy (the new Caudle cousin).
They may have suggested doing a session, but I don't remember and we didn't do it. I want to keep the day simple - sealing, pictures, luncheon, honeymoon. The only other day to do it would be Saturday the 26th, because the temple is closed Sunday and Monday and then the wedding is Tuesday.
I do love the idea of us all being there together though. It's just going to be a very very busy week. And good luck finding all the babysitters!
I think an even bigger planning challenge will be where everyone will sleep and what everyone will eat (plus cooking, etc.).
As far as presents go, I think we can figure that out for ourselves. If someone doesn't get me anything, that's fine. If you would rather not have to haul presents back and forth in your luggage, that's fine too - just let us all know and we can take that into consideration. I just think we can figure that out on our own.
That said, I like the idea of the cousins' book exchange, even if it is mostly the parents' thing right now.
And the last time we were all together was 1997. So 12 years. Jared, Laurel, and I came home from BYU. And in 1993 YOU (Trina) were in the MTC, and I was in Hong Kong. So there. ;)
1. Logistically I don't know how caroling will work. I hate to be the reality police but pulling my kids in and out of their car seats every five to ten minutes makes them frustrated as well as me.
2. I like eating cookies that others bake. but of course I can help bake them too.
3. sounds good.
4. sounds good.
5. Again not sure how this will work. There are lots of kids still in diapers and in a foreign place. Lets take their parents away now?
6. I suggest busting your bank accounts to buy Henry awesome stuff. It is his first Christmas.
7. Feel free to get me a stocking and fill it with coal. I feel that I am playing scrooge right now.
8. sounds good.
9. mom? dad? we're waiting.
10. again I can help eat. decorating is not my forte.
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