Favorite Christmas Events from 2014

Today I had planned to post about several events leading up to Christmas, but also wanted to participate in the first Friday Favorites of 2015 so the following post was created! Enjoy!

It's hard to believe that another Christmas season has come and gone!  We definitely enjoyed every minute of it, and tried to make the most of all of the events we were involved in.  I told myself at the beginning of the Christmas season I wanted to stay mindful of being present in the moment instead of worrying with all of the presents that needed to be bought, wrapped, delivered, etc.  I think I did a pretty good job, but can always improve in this area. :)

1- Landrum Christmas Parade

The Landrum Christmas Parade always signals the beginning of the Christmas season for me.  It is held every year on the first Thursday after Thanksgiving.  We love being able to gather together at the top of my parent's street with family and life-long friends to watch the parade.  Yes, in true Lana fashion, I cried this year too! There is just something about the sense of community that always gets to me.  It's crazy!

2- Bucket Group Christmas Party

Our last Bucket Group until January was held early in December.  We had already finished our study so we decided to just get together for fellowship and fun.  I decided it would be entertaining to try a few Minute to Win It Christmas Games.  I set stations up throughout the house for families to compete in.  This night was full of lots of laughter (and a little frustration!) It was a great way to end our first semester together.

3- Christmas Tree 2014

One tradition that we started a a few years ago that we all enjoy is going to the Christmas Tree Farm and picking out our Christmas tree.  We have an artificial tree upstairs, but this year we wanted a real tree down in the living room.  We didn't get to the mountains for this event until late in the season, but we still found the perfect tree.  The girls love walking up the mountainside and measuring various trees even with the cold temperature and muddy ground! We finally found one that we all agreed on, tagged it, and then watched the guys chop it down and haul it back to the entrance for us.  It was a very fun and memorable morning for us all!

4- Gatlinburg Winter Escapade

When school let out for Christmas Break we headed up the mountains of Tennessee!  Mickey saves his vacation days so that he can use them when we are out for Christmas and we all love it.  We decided that this would probably be our last opportunity to vacation as a family of 4 so we planned to take the girls to Gatlinburg to kick-off the days leading up to Christmas.  Boy, did we have a great time! The girls loved swimming in the pool, we went to Shadracks Winter Wonderland where we got to view the lights and the girls were able to ride a pony (for Mac it was a donkey) and a camel, and then enjoy the inflatables.  We also went to Dixie Stampede, did a little shopping, and enjoyed the sites of the Great Smoky Mountains.  I can't imagine a better way to begin our countdown to Christmas!

5- Bagwell Christmas 

This year we hosted Bagwell Christmas at our house.  This event is always held on the 23rd of December and is always full of laughter,  delicious food, and fun!  As all of our families continue to grow the excitement and thrill of Christmas builds.  There's just nothing like experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a child! The kids love playing with each other (and their new toys), and the adults love having the time to sit and share stories from the past with those we love most!  I think the only thing that would make this event even more special would be to have all of our family in Ohio here with us too.  Now that would be a Christmas to remember!  

I hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas!  I will post pictures of our actual Christmas Day events very soon!  I want to get 2014 wrapped up so that I can get our book printed and then get on with 2015.  Happy New Year!