Merry Christmas from the Windy City

This Christmas has been the greatest Christmas I can remember since the Christmas I got a baby, a plastic blue chair and a dresser that "Santa" made in his workshop, just for me...which still sits in my bedroom and my nightstand.

This Christmas was going to be a humble one, moving to Chicago where rent is 3x's as much as in Iowa and our income is the same, will do that to you.  We were going to be happy though, Ellie was going to get an old baby that she had forgotten about and calvy was going to get a Pirate ship that had sat in our basement for 3 years and Caleb was going to get a ball.  Things were going to be small and quite humble, but very good, we were just happy to be in our beautiful home together.  BUT, the Lord had greater plans for us.

 Things had been stressful, Alan was working a lot and I was trying to organize/cram all of our belongings into our very tiny home with no storage, and Christmas was coming and I was beginning to feel sad that it wasn't feeling like Christmas.  With boxes all over and no pictures on the walls and kids asking to move back to our old house it was more just sad.  I was missing family and friends and the hustle and bustle of shopping and baking and just what I thought made Christmas, Christmas.

Alan walked into our bedroom about 6am and woke me up.  He said that when he went out to start his car  he found a box full of toys and a not that said,

 "To the Barnes Family:  We hope the children enjoy the toys.  Merry Christmas.  
-Santa's Helpers"


I didn't know what to think.  I suddenly felt so embarrassed that I had told someone in the ward that I was worried about Christmas, because "we didn't have any money" and they were getting old toys, just washed up like new.  I felt so guilty that we got those toys, when "we were fine", "we could take care of ourselves" and their were so many others that needed it more than us, after all we had food, we had money we had a warm home with nice furniture, why did we deserve this.  I was suddenly aware of all the times I had complained about not having any money and had told others my fears, and thought "is this what you wanted?"  "What were you thinking was going to happen?"  I could not go back to sleep after Alan left for work.  I just lay in bed mulling over everything that had just happened.  Someone had spent all that money on toys, new toys, still in packages, with receipts.  One of the first things Alan said to me was, "These are new toys, no like really new, they have receipts."  We have not bought a new toy in a very long time.  In the next few hours I went through all the emotions, fear, shame, overwhelmed, grateful, sad, sorry,  to just extreme gratitude for these people who saw a need and filled it.  We were set, we were in Seventh Heaven, we were going to be able to give our kids a great Christmas.  Then the night before Christmas Eve we got another knock at the door, the kids ran to the door, yelling "is it a caroler?!"  We opened the door to 2 large garbage bags filled with wrapped Christmas present for us and the children.  My heart wanted to explode.  I didn't know what to say or even feel, till the feeling of anticipation and excitement for Christmas day filled my heart to the brim, the breath caught in my throat and I just felt grateful.  It finally felt like Christmas.


 We decided that Christmas Eve would be a day filled with baking and singing and nothing but fun, and it was.  We baked all day long!  When we finally finished we headed out to carol to different families and hand out treats and Christmas cheer.  It was a great night, after hours of caroling, and everyone inviting us in afterward for a quick chat out of the cold, we headed home to our Tortilla soup simmering in the crock-pot.  We ate dinner, opened our jambes from Grandma and Grandpa, set cookies out for Santa and sent the kids to bed.  Alan and I stayed up to clean-up our baking and cooking mess, and then to set up all the cool toys our children would get from Santa and his helpers.  It was a very long day that didn't end until 3am Christmas morning, but it was one of the greatest.  

Making Ornaments.

Yes, I am crazy, for more than one reason.

Caleb being his cute grown-up self.

Ellie, our beautiful young lady."It's taking too long for me to be a mommy and chew gum."

Blowing raspberries on the floor, Caleb's favorite past time.

Cookies for Santa

Painting Oriments

Traditional Christmas Jammie Photo

Kitchen for Ellie and trucks for Caleb, Calvy got his hotwheels he'd been asking for.

I woke up 6am Christmas morning and could not go back to sleep, I was so excited for the kids to see their toys.  They FINALLY woke up at 8 and we enjoyed Skyping with family and playing with all the toys Santa left and we read Santa's note he left.  He thanked the children for the cookies and carrots, and told them about Christ and why he gave them presents and bore his testimony about the Savior and Him being the reason for the season.  Then we got to my favorite part, church on Christmas Day.  I think we should have church every Christmas Day, it was such a wonderful spirit, I didn't know how I should act, I knew whoever had left us those gifts would be there.  We were very anxious to get home too, to eat and open the other presents.  

This Christmas I learned that it is truly great to receive, to receive of the spirit and service and love.  We were able to be on the receiving end of so much love and service, and I know it is because of many things, I am sure it is in repayment for all the homeless people that have been served by my sweet and overly kind father, who had never hesitated to give  helping hand or show a little extra love.  I am sure it is repayment for all the service my extremely giving mother has preformed over the years all the sewing projects and cleaning and surprise gifts she has left on doorsteps just like mine.  I am sure it is from my Grandma Passey who taught us how to serve and love.  I am SURE it is the loving example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his selfless love and sacrifice, for his perfect life of service and love.  May we all remember our Savior this year, may we remember to help another, to lift each other up.  May we make it our goal to live more Christlike this year.  


Merry Christmas, and a very Happy New Year.


-Keara