The Broadmoor’s White Lights Ceremony is the Christmas Spirit Exemplified! (Part II)

December 31, 2012 By

Read Part I here.

Though The Broadmoor’s holiday merriment extends all December long, attending the White Lights Ceremony over Thanksgiving weekend is an annual kick-off to Christmas my family will always cherish.

Upon check-in, we received a synopsis of activities so long it rivaled my children’s own list to Santa (a major undertaking, indeed). On Friday, there were two Christmas movies in the Little Theater, jewelry making and even silk scarf paining. Saturday’s holiday offerings were almost overwhelming. From Breakfast with Santa to story time with Mrs. Claus to family bingo to an entire ballroom filled with winter wonderland fun, we had a glorious, fun-filled day.

Cookies Galore

We’ve done plenty of sub-par cookie decorating but cookie painting? Colorado Springs-based Art & Style Baking headed up cookie painting with a variety of holiday-themed shapes and edible fondant, paint and glitter. They even provided each child with a “Cookie Artiste” certificate.
It should be duly noted the bar has been set WAY too high for future attempts.

Christmas House

There are gifts galore at the Christmas House, which is a must-visit during the holidays. The themed rooms are brimming with whimsical snowmen, ornaments and elegant décor. Santa has his very own house and greets families every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (photos with Santa are $14). During the White Lights Ceremony weekend live reindeer were present.

The only thing missing from this North Pole-esque experience: snow.

Winter Wonderland Fun

New this year, the resort wisely consolidated many of their most popular holiday activities into Winter Wonderland Family Fun at the Broadmoor Hall’s ballroom. Under a big top of glistening lights and ribbons, my kids built gingerbread houses.

Don’t they look peaceful? Gingerbread houses are our annual tradition and this was the first year we didn’t argue. Or, as Jamie diplomatically stated, “had artistic differences.”

The kids also decorated Santa cupcakes, indulged in the hot chocolate station, wrote letters to Santa, did holiday crafts and made their very own magical reindeer food. jumped in the bouncy castles and built their own Broadmoor bears.

Bear stuffing

Sounds exhausting? It was. But if those few hours we spent in Winter Wonderland Family Fun didn’t ignite our Christmas spirit, nothing could.

White Lights Ceremony

The climax of the weekend was, of course, the White Lights Ceremony on the West Terrace at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. An hour prior, my family purchased s’mores kits from the West Lobby Bar to roast on the outdoor terrace’s fire pit.

This was by far our most civilized s’mores roasting experience ever because we’re usually covered in camping grime.

As a live band exuberantly belted out Christmas classics on stage, my kids joined legions of their peers to dance, sing and whirl their green and red glow-stick necklaces.

All activity froze when Santa was spotted traversing the bridge. Without hesitation, my daughter darted away like a crazed Santa groupie to follow his arrival with Mrs. Claus and their band of merry elves.

Masters of Ceremony Santa and Mrs. Claus greeted their enthusiasts and started the countdown to flip the switch. And just like that, 250,000 flashes of light set the sky and Cheyenne Lake ablaze. As we marveled at this visual spectacle of The Broadmoor’s perfectly manicured grounds coming to life, we hugged one another and relished in the delighted squeals that filled the night air. And we knew The Broadmoor was one reason this would be one Christmas season we’d never forget.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, holidays, Humor, travel

Christmas 2012: WiiU, Touch, Spoons & Sing Offs!

December 28, 2012 By

With both sets of grandparents far away, our past Christmases have been on the road. In fact, Bode didn’t remember ever spending Christmas in Colorado so we’ve been long overdue to just stay and spend it together as a family. And it was so lovely and low-key.

Bode snugged up with us in bed at 6 a.m. I told him we had to wait until 6:30 a.m. to wake up Hadley but when he started counting down every minute, Jamie finally broke at 6:14 a.m.: “ALRIGHT, LET’S GO WAKE HER UP.”

My favorite Christmas memories as a kid are that first glimpse of the tree literally overflowing with presents. I hold off on putting most of the presents out until Christmas morning so our tree has the same shock value.

The past few years, Jamie and I have opted out of giving each other presents (besides our stockings) because we’d rather have our discretionary income go to our travels and date nights versus materialistic stuff we can buy ourselves. We had a few presents from grandparents and family and that left 95 percent of what was under the tree was for the kids.

It sure sucked for them. ((**please ignore the boxed formatting errors the rest of this post. No idea what’s going on and have no time to fix it)).Christmas morning is LAME without little kids’ exuberance and unbridled joy. Mine are the PERFECT age where the magic is still alive and they rejoiced over every present. And as you’ll note from the pictures, it was dark when we started and we finished in broad daylight. It even snowed a few inches to make the morning idyllic and a rock-star neighbor secretly shoveled everyone’s sidewalks.

Haddie asked for dresses and got five of them. She has fallen in love with knitting at school and that was her Santa request. As we neared the end of opening our gifts, she expressed disappointment he had forgotten. But then she grabbed The Present, pulled it out and said quizzically, “he gave me chopsticks?

Knitting needles, dear blonde girl. Knitting needles.

Bode asked Santa for an interactive globe and I’m sure he’ll have the countries, ecology and populations memorized by the end of the year.

Neither kids were expecting their main gifts. At an event earlier this month, I received a FREE iPod Touch (amazing, right?) but I hesitated to give it to Hadley. She has zero interest in technology and pop culture and I certainly don’t want to push her into growing up before she’s ready. But ultimately Jamie and I decided it was time and she was out-of-her gourd excited and kept squealing, “I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS FOR ME!”

Aunt Tammy gave her an iTunes card so we set her up with her first email address and iTunes account that we will closely monitor (talk about an out-of-body experience.) We downloaded her first-ever album: Taylor Swift’s Red, she grabbed her headphones and headed up to her room.

“We just lost our daughter,” Jamie joked.

Hopefully we won’t live to regret it.

As for Bode, his first love is his beloved Wii. I’ve been a “Brand Ambassador” for a few years (or rather, he has) and Nintendo will occasionally send us video games to check out. Of course, their big news is the release of the WiiU, a cutting-edge console with a GamePad controller that enables multiple viewing options, letting users view a movie or TV show streaming from Netflix on the TV while browsing for something to watch next on the GamePad. Their new online network Miiverse, features an activity feed that will eventually be accessed through web-enabled devices such as smartphones.

Pretty amazing technology.

Due to high demand, I didn’t think we’d receive one before Christmas but a few days prior, Nintendo delivered! We kept it a surprise and had the kids buy each other two of their favorite games: Super Mario Bros. U and Just Dance 4.  Jamie built up the suspense. As Bode FREAKED out re: Super Mario (his “favorite game ever”) Jamie deflated him. “But Bode, look at this. It is for the WiiU and we don’t have a WiiU!”

And then we presented him with his final gift.And spent some of the day playing it and karaoking to Sing Party.

We had a day full of food, fun, games, balloon animals with Uncle Chris, movies (Brave, Charlie Brown Christmas and A Christmas Story) and the capstone was when I introduced them to the Borowski family’s favorite tradition: Spoons. I don’t want to boast but I was the world champion with my lightning-fast reflexes but I found myself doing something I’ve never done in Spoons: I let the kids win. On purpose.  Oblivious of my efforts to keep the kids happy, I gave Jamie The Look across the table and to his credit, he ended up throwing the last game, thus cementing my kids’ love of Spoons for many years to come.

However, unlike my family’s Spoons marathons, there was no blood or broken tables.

Better luck next time.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Humor, Jamie

Loveland Ski Area: Santa Sightings and a Boy Converted

December 27, 2012 By

Jamie is a pretty low-maintenance guy so when he requests something, I really try and do it. And that request was to hit Loveland Ski Area on Christmas Eve day. Though I was crazy-busy trying to pull everything together for our party that evening, I loathe procrastination. I had shopped and wrapped presents weeks ago so had no problem doing my final food prep work the day prior. I rubbed it in just a little bit with this tweet:
And I’m so glad we did it. This is the second time we’ve skied Loveland on Christmas Eve and we have vowed to make it an annual tradition when we’re in Colorado. Not only is it a mere 40-minute drive from our house but the slopes are gloriously devoid of crowds.

This was our first ski day of the season so a half-day trip was perfect as we attempt to get our legs in shape. Bode was the big question mark. While Hadley has taken to skiing like a fish in water, Bode only decided he liked skiing on our final few days on the slopes last year. Our fingers were crossed he would maintain that same level of enthusiasm.

After getting their equipment in Loveland Valley (the beginner/intermediate area), we were about 20 minutes early for their lesson. I suggested  they take a quick run off Chair 7. Both kids were game but then Hadley realized the tech had set her bindings too small for her skis. Uncle Chris took her back inside and I looked dubiously at Bode.

“Do you want to wait for Sissy?”

“No, I can handle it.”

Stunned by his bravado (was this the same tepid kid from last season?) I ignored my doubts and let him go for it. He confidently waved at us from the lift and then bravely made his way down the slope by himself.He was hooked and we knew we were home-free. Jamie, Chris and I left them with their fabulous, fun and helpful instructors April and Rachel (seriously request them if you are there).And had a blast! Jamie and I recently bought ourselves new ski equipment from Powder7, which offers killer deals on all-things skiing and riding. We were excited to try them out for the first time and relieved we made some great choices.

Brothers

My favorite gift: skiing with this dude

Of course, a trip to Loveland on Christmas Eve is not complete without a visit from the Man in Red.On Bode’s first ski day ever on Christmas Eve three years ago at Loveland, I snapped this picture and had to put them side-by-side.
My, how they’ve grown.

And here’s to many more years of spending our Christmas Eve at Loveland.

Filed Under: Bode, Colorado, Family travel, Hadley, holidays, Humor, skiing, travel, Uncategorized

Rewriting the Nativity on Christmas Eve (Extortion, Anyone?)

December 26, 2012 By

Confession: I went a wee bit overboard with Christmas Eve. It’s just that the night before Christmas is traditionally my family’s big celebration and I was bummed to not be surrounded by family. And so I invited ward members and neighbors who didn’t have nearby relatives. And kept inviting. My final count was between 25-30 people.

Oh, and I kinda forgot to tell my husband about it. On our way to Loveland Ski Area on Christmas Eve morning:

“We have to hurry back so I can get everything ready.”

“Get what ready?”

“Christmas Eve. We have [listed off families] coming tonight.”

“WHAT?”

“I told you about it, didn’t I?”

“I think I’d remember something like that.”

I’d like to call it Jamie’s Christmas Eve Surprise Party.

But it all turned out splendidly and was a reminder that we have so many beloved friends who are like family. We had so much delicious food we were literally busting at the seams and ran out of table and counter space.And we played my favorite games that included the Christmas bells and the Left-Right Game (which always brings down the house). And for the first time ever, we reenacted the Nativity. In Young Women’s the previous Sunday, our wonderful president pulled together a very spiritual program with carols and scriptures. I grabbed a copy of the script and vowed we’d do the same on Christmas Eve, with assuredly the same result.

Yeah, right. With young kids, that ain’t possible. A couple of the young ones had meltdowns and our darling who was to hold the star got freaked out and refused to do it. (“Star light, star fright?”)

Hadley was thrilled when her peers selected her to be Mary but I couldn’t convince anyone to be her Joseph. I finally had to bribe Bryan, one of the boys with whom I carpool, to do it.

Though chaotic, the entire night was a shining reminder that the Christmas season is about celebrating Jesus’ birth surrounded by those we love.

And my greatest takeaway: The Lord’s wise methodology of having an angel appear to Joseph in a dream to tell him to take Mary as his wife was far more effective than bribery.

Filed Under: Family, holidays, Humor, LDS

When (and How) Our Christmas Came Alive

December 24, 2012 By

Many years ago, my mom gave me what I like to call a Book of Love. She compiled a collection of Christmas stories, songs and scriptures–one for every day in December leading up to Christmas. She sewed a beautiful Christmas cover for the binder and fastened it with an elaborate bow.

Our little family has made it a Christmas tradition to snuggle up at bedtime to read from this wonderful treasure every night.  Last night, our story was as follows:

The Gift of Love

On a cold winter’s night in 1951 there was a knock at the door of Bishop Thomas S. Monson. A German man from Ogden, Utah, said, “Are you Bishop Monson?”

“He began to weep and said, ‘My brother and his wife and family are coming here from Germany. They are going to live in your ward. Will you come with us to see the apartment we have rented for them?”‘ recalled President Monson in a 1980 general conference address. “On the way to the apartment, he told me … through the holocaust of World War II, his brother had been faithful to the Church, serving as a branch president before the war took him to the Russian front.”

Bishop Monson looked at the apartment. It was cold and dreary. The paint was peeling, the wallpaper soiled, the lighting and floor covering inadequate, the cupboards empty.

The man replied, “It isn’t much, but it’s better than they have in Germany.” With that, he gave the key to Bishop Monson and told him the family would arrive in three weeks, just two days before Christmas.

The next morning at a ward welfare committee meeting, Bishop Monson spoke of the details of the uninviting apartment. After a moment of silence members of the ward welfare committee spoke up. A man in the electrical business pledged to fix the lighting. Another offered to paint. A third determined to have donated carpet installed in the apartment, and yet another to get donated appliances. The women in the ward would see that the cupboards were filled with food.

“The next three weeks are ever to be remembered. It seemed that the entire ward joined in the project.”

When the family arrived, they were welcomed by a beautiful apartment with fresh paint, new carpet, adequate lighting, donated furniture and appliances and kitchen cupboards filled with food. A Christmas tree stood in the dining room with gifts beneath it. We spontaneously began singing, “Silent night! Holy night! All is calm: all is bright.” We sang in English; they sang in German. At the conclusion of the hymn, Hans Guertler threw his arms around my neck,  buried his head in my shoulder and repeated the words, ‘Mein Bruder, mein Bruder, mein Bruder.”‘

===

I was almost finished reading our story when the doorbell rang. It was dark and late and I joked, “That had better be food at door.”

It was that and so much more. When we swung open the door, a beloved, talented family from our ward broke into the most beautiful rendition of “Silent Night.” Hadley watched the carolers, awestruck at the timing. “Mommy, do you hear what they are singing? We just read about that!”

The spirit of the season resonated so strongly as we listened to their pitch-perfect, beautiful melodies. After saying our good-byes, we ran back upstairs to finish our story:

“As we walked down the stairs that night, all of us who had participated in making Christmas come alive in the lives of this German family, we reflected upon the words of the Master:

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40.

How thankful I am for dear friends who served as a reminder of this that night.

Merry Christmas!

Filed Under: holidays, LDS Tagged With:

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

December 23, 2012 By

For the first time in a few years, my family is staying in Colorado for the holidays! I’m saddened we won’t be surrounded by our extended family and I almost booked a last-minute trip to Canada when my mom’s health struggles took a turn for the worse. Though she is still really ill (please say an extra prayer for her), we are sticking it out here until further notice. I’m trying to look on the bright side of establishing our own traditions with our little clan.

I’ve traditionally shared my most memorable Christmas on this blog–and it wasn’t even Christmas! When I was at BYU I did a Study Abroad in the Holy Land and called Israel, Egypt and Jordan as my home. It was my privilege to study under some of the most renowned Jewish, Muslim and Christian leaders in all of Jerusalem.

One particular outing still resonates in my mind. We’d gone to Bethlehem and had toured the Church of the Nativity and other related sites. From there, it was onto Shepherd’s Field where I witnessed for the first time what the true meaning of Christmas was all about….

“I am sitting here at Shepherd’s Field, enjoying the view of Jerusalem today. Call me crazy, but whenever I’ve thought of ‘fields,’ I’ve always thought of green grass and rolling hills! The area we’re in forms kind of a valley, with rocks at every footstep. There is a scattering of small trees that appear to be scratching their fingernails on an ebony sky. This is the only form of life in this desolate, harsh terrain.

Shepherd’s Field. How many hours did the shepherds spend with their flocks here, just enjoying its quiet beauty? What a simple yet fulfilling life they must have lived. Yet they must have been such righteous men, so in control of their own world. What an honor to be witnesses of both angels on high, and then, the Messiah. What an incredible place this must have been to come back to! A place of divine manifestation, a choice place where the Son of God would begin his mortal existence. There is so much that has happened in this Holy Land. The ministering of angels, the footprints of the prophets, the touch of the Christ.

It’s 7:40 p.m. and the Muslim’s Call to Prayer echoes throughout the valley. It’s as if it is coming from two separate sides of Jerusalem and I am the central focal point where they both shall meet. In the moonlight, it appears as if everything around me is moving in slow motion. A subtle, heady perfume is in the night air. The darkened sky is pure, cluttered only by an eternity of stars.

I rarely recognize significant moments when they occur. Momentous things seem to happen without the clash of cymbals or the beating of drums. Usually they occur in the most innocuous and mundane moments, and we understand the impact only when we view it from the summit of the future. But tonight, I recognize. And appreciate. And will never forget….”

-Jerusalem Study Abroad
July 31, 1997
Merry Christmas to all!

Filed Under: holidays

Johnson Family Newsletter 2012!

December 22, 2012 By

After a two-year hiatus due to busyness, poverty and/or plain ol’ laziness, the infamous Johnson family newsletter is back. We love to play together and have had some epic trips in 2012. From going to Disneyland and Disney World to spending almost a month in Canada to skiing and hiking all over Colorado and Utah, we have been extremely blessed.

Magical Night at Fish Creek Provincial Park, Canada

Jamie

The Pumpkin Man had a pretty good year. With Denver’s record-breaking heat, the pumpkin season was long and slow but he still grew an 837-pound giant. His fourth-place finish cemented his status as a local celebrity and our city’s newspaper reported he was (horrors) “signing autographs” at the weigh-off. His web development business Pixo Web Design & Strategy continues to grow and he is juggling more clients than he can remember (we choose to attribute this to a burgeoning company vs. early-onset dementia). Jamie’s big news is after 41 long years, he went to Disneyland for the first time and has promised to drop his pending lawsuit against his parents for their negligence. Amber

Amber turned The Big 4-0 in February and celebrated by convincing her friends it is fun to go skating on a lake! In the mountains! In the winter! With the kids finally in school full-time, Amber is busier than ever and loves her almost-daily mountain adventures and freelancing from home. In addition to blogging about their family at TheMileHighMama.com, she still oversees the Denver Post’s social media efforts for moms and had a dream come true: she is writing a family humor column in the newspaper. She regularly appears on 9News as the resident “expert” on all-things motherhood–evidence the world really is coming to an end. Oh, and her memory is worse than Jamie’s. Pray for them.Hadley (8)

Hadley is a spitfire-of-a-third grader who loves swim team, skiing, crafts, piano and Fat Kitty. She is becoming a great cook, loves fine food and has a particular affinity for black truffle oil (heaven help her first date who ignorantly takes her out for fast food). She has had the biggest changes of anyone this year: she was baptized and then switched to a new Waldorf charter school. She enjoys her new arts-based academic setting and loves learning the violin in orchestra, the recorder, Spanish and even knitting. She had the time of her life with her class on a recent 3-day camping trip to Mesa Verde National Park which Amber generously offered to chaperone (read: vicarious living). Though thriving in the arts Hadley struggles in math, thereby solidifying she will never have a career as an accountant.Bode (6)

We are convinced it doesn’t get any better than first grade and Bode is illustrating this. He’s an easy-going, sweet dude who is beloved by everyone. He just finished off his third year in soccer, loves rocking the skate park on his bike, all-things Wii, is learning to play basketball, is obsessed with tennis and figured out how to swim without drowning (it was touch-and-go for a while). Bode and Hadley were models in a back-to-school fashion show on 9News and though they both did a great job, Bode’s cute and funny moves stole the show. He is smart as a whip and at the top of his first grade class. During a recent dinnertime prayer, he even thanked the good Lord for homework. Quite appropriately, Hadley later gave him a brown-noser hazing. Then made him do her math.

Gratitudes

In 2011, we joked we had a punch card at the hospital with two heart surgeries for Jamie, a broken wrist for Bode and ER visits for Amber. Thankfully, 2012 has been much more peaceful. At church, Jamie is still in our ward’s Bishopric while Amber works with the 12-13-year-old Young Women. This holiday season, we had the opportunity to help at our local food bank and were delighted to serve Thanksgiving dinner at a homeless women’s shelter for the second year in a row (a definite tradition!) Truly, we feel blessed and we wish you peace, joy and love of our Savior. One of my favorite quotes serves as an annual reminder of what it’s all about. Love,

The Johnsons

P.S. Fat Kitty is annoyed he was not included in our annual newsletter and wanted everyone to know he’s still alive.

Kind of.

Filed Under: Bode, Hadley, holidays, Jamie, travel

How you know you’re one heck of a party planner

December 14, 2012 By

And how you know you have one heck of a friend, as was evidenced from a conversation with my friend Lisa at last night’s Relief Society Christmas dinner.

Me: “So, what is everyone doing for New Year’s Eve?”

Her: “Should we do a party?”

Me: “A party sounds good. Let’s throw a big party.”

Her: “Yeah. Allegedly I’m throwing it. Someone–I can’t even remember who–said you were spreading the word about having a New Year’s Eve party at my house.”

Me: “Well, your house is a lot bigger than mine.”

Her. {Silence}

Me: “If it’s any comfort to you, I had my house as the contingency plan.”

 

 

 

Filed Under: holidays, Humor

Denver Post Holiday Feature!

November 26, 2012 By

I’ve been working like a madwoman compiling all my top picks for the holiday season and I was delighted when the Denver Post made it their feature story. I’ve included some of my favorite brands and a few new discoveries so be sure to scroll down to “What Mama Wants for Christmas.” Read the article here.

Denver Post print article, page 1

Denver Post, Page 3

I’ll also be doing a segment on 9News showcasing a few of these gifts next Monday. My column and the segment were supposed to run concurrently but the newspaper wanted to bump it up to today. Worked fine for me but not the kids who are bitter they haven’t appeared on 9News since their back-to-school special.

Next time, they’ll be demanding an agent.

Filed Under: 9News, holidays Tagged With:

Broadmoor Bode

November 25, 2012 By

We have just spent the most magical, whimsical weekend at The Broadmoor, Colorado Springs’ iconic AAA Five-Diamond resort. I will have many more details but between the White Lights Ceremony where 250,000 lights came to life, cookie painting, gingerbread house making, Build a Broadmoor Bear, real reindeer, Santa and so much more you could say our Christmas spirit has been ignited.

Bode’s canopy bed

You could also say Bode has adjusted rather well to his glimpse at the good life.

Filed Under: Bode, Family travel, holidays
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