The Sights and Sounds of Christmas 2015

 We had a wonderful Christmas Season here in Nova Scotia!

We are so blessed to be surrounded by such amazing, loving, kind people. 

Brother Grant is a wonderful man that we have come to really love and appreciate! Right before he left for Christmas we went out to visit him. 

What a fun time we had!! 

He put up his tree with all of the decor etc. What fun images and memories!

He had a fun Christmas gift for his squirrels! 

Our Fun Decorations!

Our sweet neighbor Trudy made this for our door for Christmas. 

She truly does spoil us!!

We got these adorable ornaments from Annella. She made them for us!

 It's true, I do have an amazingly talented sister!! 

One evening after the temple closed there was a German Christkindlmarket 

at Alderney Landing on the Harbour in Dartmouth. 

This fun tree is actually not a tree. 

It is pine boughs placed to look like a tree and decorated with lights. 

Our friend Trudy went with us. We always enjoy Trudy's company. 

She is such a good friend!

This is Trudy with the Christmas tree she purchased for me and the man who cut it. 

There wasn't a lot there, but we surely had a fun dinner and fun times. 

The Stake here (a stake is a group of wards of our church), traditionally does a live nativity.

 We went on Monday evening with our Family Home Evening group. 
Our friend Trudy went with us as well. 

They do such a nice job and the community really supports it! 

 They have the nativity, with angels singing etc. 

 Afterward they have cookies and punch in the cultural hall of the church. 
It is free and is hugely attended! 

No Christmas is complete without a Christmas tree. 

We were fortunate to find a Christmas tree and some ornaments in our storage locker. 

Trudy gave us the icicle ornaments, Annella gave us the two quilted ornaments,
 and a family in our church made several wooden ornaments with the Nova Scotia tartan on them. 

For Christmas we gave our neighbors bags of Christmas Popcorn. 

This recipe I got from an old college neighbor in 1989. 

We have made countless batches of it since then. 

I think we made more this year than we ever have in a given year. 

Christmas Day Arrived

We made a haul!! 

I got pearl and yogo sapphire earrings from Laurence and Aisling. 
Love them!! 

Lots of gifts from people we work with in the temple and neighbors.  
We feel so, so loved here! 

 This is a picture frame I made for Aisling. 
It has a picture of Black Brook Beach in it. 
We took the picture when we were in Cape Breton in August. 

One of the ladies from the temple brought me these pieces of sea glass and pottery from her trip to Lunenburg. 
When she told the people at the store about me, 
they gave her these pieces of sea glass from their display. 
How sweet!! 

We are so grateful to serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ 
here in Nova Scotia. 
We are blessed beyond words. 
We are so blessed to have the birth, atonement and resurrection of the Son of God in our lives.