Making Christmas "cute"

I really struggle with making Christmas cute. I don't decorate. My idea of decorations is a little mini Christmas tree that comes with lights already on it. I suck at wrapping presents. Really, they're just going to rip off the paper and throw it in the garbage. What's the big idea behind trying to find the biggest bow on this continent to put on it? And don't even get me started on curling ribbon. The sound used to make me cry as a baby and I get pretty close sometimes as an adult. Well, gracing my family room right now is a lovely fake Christmas tree held up by a plasic stand. Last night we noticed it was leaning to the left ever so slightly. I stood up to straighten it and heard a loud "pop". It turns out that the stand had completely cracked, thus requiring me to hold the tree up. We were able to lift it and unhook the stand but the only option was to lean it up against the window. Blast these cute Christmases!! Maybe things will change once I'm married and have a house of my own but most likely I'll hire Jillian to do my decorating every year.

Ian and Dad's idea of fixed.

Taking a moment to brag...

I'm kind of excited about this story, I won't lie. In Ian's mission it's kind of a rule that missionaries don't baptize investigators. Either the bishop or the ward mission leader will do it because they want the new members to have some connection to their ward. That way, when the missionaries get transferred, they still have friends in their ward and a reason to go to church. The only way missionaries ever have the chance to baptize someone, is when they specifically request it. Such was the case with Lidia Ferreyra (don't ask me how to say that because I have no clue). She's 80 years old and, according to Ian, has been going to church longer than some of the members in the ward. Because he's been in his current area so long, he's had the opportunity to get to know her really well. She even threw a birthday party for him back in October. She wanted to wait until the summer to be baptised because she gets sick really easily so Ian got to baptize her last Saturday. I know, cool huh?! He's such a great missionary and I'm so proud and blessed to have such an amazing person in my life.

With his companion, Lidia, and her family.

This is just a picture I thought I'd add for kicks and giggles.

This is one of the only times he's smiling in a picture. Usually

he's making some weird face. It's a soccer field in his area that

they broke into (not really, someone left a door unlocked).

I think maybe I want to go to a game here sometime.