Christmas Celebrations

The start of the Christmas Posada at Aunt Anna's, with Joel as Joseph. The Holy Family goes from room to room searching for a place to stay but each Inn keeper (the aunts and uncles) give some flimsy excuse: "We have a wild dog in here." "I'm too busy reading the scriptures about the Messiah to help someone in need." "I have a growth on my head." "I'm not dressed (literally)." (photos by Chad, Text mostly by Sarah)

Cousin Katie as Mary and her "Donkey".

Will, a wise man was upgraded from shepherd to wise man. This is one of the first years the boys haven't been shepherds.

Finally some nice inn keepers who will let the holy family stay.

Most of the nativity costumes used in both families are a collection gathered over multiple trips to the Holy Land (red kaffiyeh), a trip to Morocco (blue and lavender robes) and even a few batik bathrobes from Indonesia (maroon and black above)

Grandma and Grandpa Tueller as the Kind innkeepers.

The nativity scene complete with a very holy angel choir.

The Holy Family

Reading Luke 2

The Angel dance, which was initiated as a family tradition last year, was not as sophisticated as last year, due to a lack of "angelic" music. This years performance was to rockin' around the Christmas tree"

The wave

Grandma Jean rockin.

Dancing Aunts

These guys weren't as enthusiastic about feliz navidad

Will at the gift exchange

Uncle Paul was dually abused this year, playing both a donkey and Samuel the Lamanite

Tracking Santa with cousins

Reading the Christmas story.

Christmas Eve advent candles. We enjoyed reading advent scriptures and singing Christmas carols for each of the four Sunday nights before Christmas. We used Eric Huntsman's new book "Good Tidings of Great Joy" as our guide and inspiration. Many of the photos in the book are from Chad Emmett's holy land journeys.

Marie with the latest addition to her angel choir.

Sarah looking through her two-volume Jerusalem blog-to-book book, which includes all of the Jerusalem blogs and additional photos.

Christmas morning

Will and his new watch

Joel checking out his stocking

Joel's new BYU poster, he's trying to cover up his whole wall.

Aebelskivers

Traditional Christmas breakfast: sliced oranges with powder sugar and Aebelskivers with homemade chokecherry syrup, raspberry jam, and strawberry jam or lemon and powder sugar. 

Sarah participating in the Christmas night Extravaganza, she also sang 3 songs

Mother daughter duet

At Grandma Emmett's house: Cousin Michael as Samuel the Lamanite take 2 (prophesying in the Americas about the coming birth of Jesus), he only got straws thrown at him instead of Nerf Footballs

Will as a wiseman with his cousins

Mary and the Angel Gabriel

Joel posing as a donkey with the rest of the Nativity.

Sarah performing "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." Grandma Veara Fife hand tatted all of the snowflakes on the trees.

Watching cousins Emily and Jamie (draped in black) sing upside down. Notice the 50 plus ski boot Christmas stockings for every member of the John and Norda Emmett family.

Joel performing "Jingle Bell Rock" which he has memorized.