A Busy Christmas!

by Kristin Baker Przybyla

I think by now just about everyone has seen the Christmas trees made out of books. This one is my favorite. I'm totally making one next year!

I'm counting down the days until we drive to Boise to spend Christmas at my mom's. It's a very special holiday for our family this year. She started dating the most wonderful guy over the summer. She'd known him for about 3 years, since she moved to Idaho. On Thanksgiving he gave her a beautiful wooden box he'd made, and in it was his mother's wedding ring.

My mom has waited all her life to be sealed in the temple with someone. A couple of things went wrong, as I'm sure many of us can understand. She'd finally given up hope of ever being sealed to anyone, and then Mac came along. Everyone loved him from the start (I did even before she started dating him, I just knew they'd end up together!), and his family treats her like one of theirs. It's so nice to see my mom this happy and treated like the amazing woman she is.

The Boise Temple is undergoing renovations and won't be open again until summer, so their original plan was to get sealed in Twin Falls in the spring. But then his landlady surprised him by telling him she wanted to move into her house by January 1st, so he found himself needing another place to live and quick. They talked to their bishop, who suggested they get married for time at the chapel, then get sealed in the temple when it's open.

So we have a very special, but busy, holiday week planned! The big day is December 27th. My mom is nervous, understandably, but holding up pretty well. They both got their answers when they prayed about it before Thanksgiving. And I'm just so excited I can hardly hold it all in!

I hope every one of you has a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Does anyone have any special plans or traditions? Are you traveling or enjoying the holiday at home? Stay safe everyone, and I'll see you next year!