Holidays

A pastor once told Matt and me that one of the best things we could do as a couple, is to pre-plan our holidays. By doing this, we ease the stress on ourselves and avoid overbooking. Last year was a little short of a fiasco for us, but this year we really tried making an attempt to pre-plan our holiday season - success!

Last year we tried to make it to 3 consecutive Thanksgivings, all in different areas of California. San Diego one night, Glendora the next, and Porterville last. Needless to say... Matt and I were pretty stretched thin by the end of it all.

Thanksgiving this year was calm, relaxing, and so enjoyable! We spent Thanksgiving day with my side of the family in Glendora, and the following day drove to Porterville to spend another Thanksgiving with Matt's Aunt and Uncle. They were very gracious and let us stay the night and relax the entire next day. This made for a very relaxed holiday weekend.

Christmas Eve Matt and I spent a relaxing day together. Later in the day we picked up Matt's brother Dave, and his girlfriend Lauren, for a Christmas Eve dinner. Usually, this day would have been spent visiting Matt's grandma in San Diego, but due to a broken hip, she didn't want visitors and needed to rest. The four of us had a good time, and afterward, Matt and I went to the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at the church we were married in. We spent the night at my parent's house, and the whole next day we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family.

There are still kinks to work out for next year's holidays... but I must say that it has made such a difference to pre-plan where we go, and settle on it. Trying to make it to everything, and squeeze it all in 2-3 days, is just too much!

As for New Years, we spent a fun night at a friend's party. It was probably my favorite New Year's yet - hopefully a good sign for the year to come!

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season as well!

Love,
Candace