Merry Christmas!!

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It's snowing this morning and Christmas is right around the corner.  Are you ready? 

Perhaps somebody is feeling how I am.  I've found myself struggling to get into the Christmas spirit. This year is different for me, I'm newly married and we will be staying home this year instead of visiting family due to work schedules.  So trying to make the best of my situation, I've tried doing some fun Christmas things at home, decorating our little home, and working on Christmas gifts for my husband.  I've attended a Christmas concert and drank lots of hot coco.  But alas, my little Christmas heart just hasn't gotten the holiday spirit memo.  Instead, I find myself just going through the motions and even being a little depressed about the whole holiday season.

So I asked myself, "What makes Christmas for you? What does Christmas really mean?"

I've truly found myself having to define what the holiday means to me personally.  Before now, I participated in holiday events my parents planned, but now I am the one in charge of any holiday traditions...and I don't know what to do.  I've explored the religious aspect, googled "Christmas traditions", and tried to pin down exactly what the "Christmas Spirit" meant.  

I've come to realize that Christmas isn't necessarily about the gifts given or received.  It's not about the lights or the holiday food.  It's about being happy.  It's about family and loved ones.  A wise friend told me yesterday, "Christmas is about children, it's about helping them see the magic and then basking in their complete delight." I believe that!

For those of you you who do have children, spend just a few minutes today enjoying the excitement that radiates from your cute little ones.  Make sure to squeeze them extra long and give them lots of loves.  For those of you who don't have children yet, enjoy the love around you.  Whether that is your parents, siblings, husbands, aunts, cousin's, best friends, grandparents or neighbors, make sure to enjoy every minute.  

So to answer my question, I suppose I am ready for Christmas.  I'm ready to love those around me and enjoy the love the holiday season brings.

The Welcome Baby team wishes you a very Merry Christmas!  We'll be back to blogging in January, a new year and new interns.

Christmas Traditions

You probably don't remember what presents you got for Christmas but you probably remember the Christmas traditions you did as a family and how they brought you closer together as a family. Your children will look forward to their favorite traditions each year. Continue your traditions and add a few this holiday season.   

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• Decorate the Christmas Tree Together
• Have a family Christmas music sing-a-long
• Make homemade Christmas Cards
• On Christmas Eve, have a camp-out in the same room
• Read a Christmas Story Together
• String popcorn and Cranberries for the Christmas Tree
• Make a special meal every year
• Make Christmas cookies together and deliver them to neighbor
• Make a calendar to countdown the days until Christmas
• Teach your children Christmas songs.  Go caroling in your neighborhood or at care centers
• Draw names and give a secret service to a family memeber
• Put on a play with your family members using your favorite Christmas story
• Go for a drive in the mountains and see the snow
• Have a friend take a picture of your whole family by the Christmas tree or take your child to have her picture taken with Santa--you'll be creating a wonderful pictorial family history
• Make a gingerbread house.  Graham crackers make a great substitute for the walls
• Make or choose ornaments with meaning 
• Make construction paper chains
• Have a potluck dinner with extended family
• Watch Christmas videos or television specials
• Pop popcorn.  Drink cocoa. Bundle up together
• Serve your family's favorite breakfast for Christmas morning 
• Write a personalized letter to each of your children that they can cherish for years to come.  You can sign it from Santa, if you like.
• Tell your children a story about your favorite childhood Christmas
• Ring a bell outside your children's bedroom window on Christmas Eve so they will think it is Santa Claus
• Take the family on a winter wonderland walk in the snow
• Have a sledding party, roast marshmallows and take along some pre-made hot chocolate to drink

A Visitor For Bear By: Bonny Becker

Bear wanted to be alone so he could do what he wanted, how he wanted and where he wanted.  A persistent and clever mouse had something else in mind.  Bear found that everything was more fun and special when shared with a friend.  This is a wonderful book about the importance of friendships and how sometimes our friends and loved ones know what we need better then we do.  Teach your children about helping others by visiting a friend or neighbor that lives alone this Holiday Season.

Volunteer Spotlight

Our wonderful Welcome Baby volunteers never cease to amaze us!  We have wonderful people volunteer their time, expertise, and love to so many families in Utah County.  The more I work with our volunteers, the more I am impressed with their abilities. I really feel so lucky to have such a great team!

I know I've said this before, but our program WOULD NOT run without our volunteers.  They are the ones who visit our families, report back to us concerns, and support the individual families.  It's easy to get focused on numbers and office tasks, but when you stop and think about the combine hours these volunteers contribute to our program, it is overwhelming.

Recently, the Volunteer Recognition Program provided by the Utah Commission of Volunteers contacted us asking for a nomination of one of our great volunteers.  It was a difficult decision, but we nominated Tedi Palmer for her outstanding service to our community.

Tedi has been volunteering with us for over a year and does a wonderful job with our long term families. She is aware of each families needs, visits them monthly, and is so good to send volunteer reports.  Above all, she is so great to work with and truly has a love for helping families.

Thank you Tedi, we are so grateful for her help and support!


If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please email us at baby1@unitedwayuc.org

Did you know?

Did you know that vitamin A is important for your babies vision development and helps promote healthy cells, tissue and organs such as eyes, lungs, urinary and intestinal track as well as immune system?  Vitamin A is found in liver, whole milk, egg yolk, fortified dairy products as well as richly colored fruits and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, spinach, sweet peppers and papaya.

Find other helpful tips and guidelines at www.earthsbest.com 

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*Information found here