A Christmas Angel Came and Visited ME!!!

So I came home yesterday to find this!

Isn’t it beautiful?! My “Best Good friend” Becky Giles came into my apartment while I was at work and created this beautiful masterpiece for ME!!! I could hardly believe it. After a long day at work I opened the door to my apartment and was greeted with twinkling Christmas lights, and one of my all time favorite Christmas songs “Christmas in Dixie” by Alabama filling the air and a beautiful arrangement with not one but THREE Christmas trees!

I felt like rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. So many different feelings washed over me and I felt so loved. So of course I bawled my eyes out. I didn’t realize that I was missing this real feeling of Christmas. I felt like I did when I was a little kid and you woke up Christmas morning…everything felt so magical as gifts seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

My mom and dad created some wonderful Christmas traditions….yes I totally believed in Santa for my whole childhood. My mom and dad would leave our “big” gifts unwrapped and set out for us to discover on Christmas morning. One year they left a partially eaten cookie on our plate of cookies for santa and we kept it for weeks when finally it mysteriously disappeared. I think I was pretty devastated when I found out he wasn’t real- although it kinda freaked me out that I was being “watched” all year long!

I felt just like I did when I was a kid on Christmas morning when I discovered Becky’s surprise. She even had REAL Christmas Presents under the tree! I HATE it when people wrap up empty boxes- it makes me nuts to think that if you were to open one there wouldn’t be anything inside. My mom claims (and the family apparently confirms) that when I was a little girl I opened up all the presents under the Christmas Tree. When my parents asked me why I did that I told them that I HAD to open them because I couldn’t sleep anymore. It reminds me of the marshmallow story told in  Conference recently, where kids were given a marshmallow and promised if they waited they could have another one. The kids who couldn’t wait turned out to be impatient adults. I think I pretty much would’ve eaten the marshmallow and then probably would’ve stolen everyone elses too! I usually can’t wait for things.

I was so excited I couldn’t sleep and stayed up until 1:30 am! I played Christmas music and made Scotty watch Beauty and the Beast Enchanted Christmas with me- yeah, he was bored to death but was a good sport. I even hunted down a few decorations I had packed away with my South West Chili lights my mom gave me, ribbon angels made at a Relief Society activity, and a nativity set I made with a friend a few years ago using wooden spoons. I love how they have little personalities. I think I might need to make a little pillow for poor Baby Jesus.

I took TONS of pictures- I wanted to capture every second. I think I admired the decorations for a few hours. I feel so loved and special. The evening ended with a perfect Christmas Storm- Hawaiian style- we watched the water in the pool rise and rise and we were hoping to see it overflow but it never did. It also hailed in some parts of the island! And we had to close our storm shutters. If you squinted your eyes it kinda looked like a Blizzard- but I’m glad I don’t have to fight the snow. I also loved seeing the trees in the apartments across our lanai- isn’t the white tree with the red bow beautiful?

Scotty and I had decided to not do decorations this year to save a little money for gifts we’re giving and we always seem to toss our decorations since we don’t have much place to store stuff in our small apartment. I didn’t realize how much I needed to have a little Christmas in my home. Thanks so much Becky! You made my whole year!