The Best Christmas Gift

I got some really awesome swag this year. For sure.

Season 5 of LOST to (nearly) complete the collection.

Glenn Beck's book Arguing With Idiots.

Michael Bublé and the 2nd Glee soundtrack.

Disney trading pins and a gift card.

An iPod Nano.

Yeah, I have finally joined the rest of the free world and am now the proud owner of a BEAUTIFUL bright pink iPod Nano. I seriously love it.

But the best gift I got this year is one that couldn't be wrapped in paper and displayed beneath the tree.

On the night before Christmas Eve, Katie and I decided to go to Disneyland one last time for 2009. Our passes are blocked out until January now and I really wanted to enjoy the festive decorations once more. We were surprised by how busy it wasn't that night and showed up around 8:30.



For a few months, my favorite Fantasy Land ride was closed off: The Storybook Land Ride. I love this little boat trip through the miniature world of some of the best fairytale characters: Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin and Jasmine, Pinocchio, Cinderella, Ariel. The ride was closed while they made "tiny" improvements, which always made me giggle since everything on the ride is miniaturized.

It opened in time for Christmas, but I had yet to ride and dragged Katie suggested we go there first.

We got in line and, almost immediately, a girl of about 8 stopped me, her eyes wide as she saw the pins on my pin trading lanyard.

"Wow! You have a lot!" she said.

"Do you trade pins?" I asked.

"No, we don't," she said. Then she turned to her mother. "Mom! Can they get in line with us?"

Katie and I smiled and I told her we were going to the end of the line, but that perhaps we would see her again.

And we did. As the line crossed back and forth, we kept spotting the family and chatting with them. And along the way, we learned they were visiting from Arizona for the week because Dad had passed away several months earlier and two of his favorite things were Christmas and Disneyland. What better way to remember him than to celebrate his favorite holiday at his favorite place?

We lost track of them eventually, but Katie and I just knew we had to invite them to our house for breakfast Christmas morning. She did a mental run through the contents of our refrigerator and pantry and we had plenty of food to throw together a nice meal. We agreed that if we saw them again, we would extend the invitation.

Skipping a few minor details, we ended up on the same boat and Katie immediately invited the mom, whose name is Kristine, for Christmas breakfast. She asked her oldest daughter if she was interested, and got a nod back. Katie and I were excited.

As soon as we got to the end and exited, we stopped and I gave Kristine my phone number. After a bit more chatting, Katie and I and Kristine and four of her daughters (2 sons and another daughter were elsewhere) made our way to the Haunted Mansion/Nightmare Before Christmas. The two youngest girls took to me and Katie in a way that shocked their mom. It was very sweet.

As we walked, one of the girls talked about her sister's boyfriend being away on a mission.

"Where's his mission?" I asked.

"Minneapolis."

"So, if he's on a mission...you wouldn't happen to be LDS, would you?"

Tiana, the oldest daughter and girlfriend of aforementioned missionary, said yes. I laughed and told them I was, too, and that I had also served a mission.

"MOM!" the younger daughter screamed. "MOM! They're members! They're LDS!"

That sealed the deal. We were friends for life.

We went on the Haunted Mansion ride, took the train back to the end of Main Street, and again expressed our hope that they would come to our house on Christmas morning. Kristine said she'd call and after about three dozen hugs from the youngest girls, we bid them good night and parted company.

Katie and I were so excited that night as we went back home and told David all about it. We were still excited the next morning, Christmas Eve, even though we hadn't heard from them yet and thought they might decide not to join us after all.

I finally left for my mom's house to spend Christmas Eve night with Marc and Kristi, The Nephew, Mom and her hubby. As I sat in bumper-to-bumper on the freeway, my phone rang. It was Kristine!

She apologized that they wouldn't be able to make it because she had spent most of the day feeling very sick, but she thanked us again. I asked if she needed anything and she said they didn't, but I insisted that she call me immediately if she needed us to help her.

About two hours later, just as we were sitting down to the beautiful turkey dinner my mom had prepared, my phone rang again. Tiana, the older daughter, had also fallen ill and really wanted a blessing. I assured her I'd get someone there as soon as possible, and called upon Katie to recruit her husband and brother-in-law.

When I got home that night, Katie bounced with excitement as she told me all about their visit with the family and that, even though they weren't coming over in the morning, we were going to make breakfast and take it to them.

Which is what we did. Along with a really cute gift Katie had found.

We spent a bit more time with the family, the girls thrilled to show us what Santa had brought, and saying our good byes. They were heading home the next day and we wouldn't get to see them again on this trip. But Kristine did insist that we come and see them on our next trip to Arizona.

I know I will.

This Christmas has been a little bit hard for me. The year really didn't end the way I hoped it would and I've spent a lot of time thinking about how happy I was last Christmas compared to this year.

I wanted the holiday to have some meaning, to be special. I thought of volunteering in a soup kitchen or something, but somehow time got away from me and I never made the calls to find out where to go or what to do.

That's why meeting this family was such a great gift. I know we did something to help them out, but, really, I felt like this was for me. I felt like my Heavenly Father was letting me know that he is mindful of me and he gave me the chance to see how blessed I am and how much I have been given.

This year may not have gone the way I wanted it to or hoped it would, but I know that He is watching out for me and that He knows what I need.

And that is the best Christmas gift I could have possibly been given.



But now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to download songs to that iPod...