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The First Snow Fall of the Season in Seattle Washington Jan 15, 2012

The Phil Leng Team, Bank Owned  Property Experts 206-409-6600: Real Estate Agent in Kirkland, WA
The First Snow Fall of the Season in Seattle Washington Jan 15, 2012

The First Snow Fall of the Season in Seattle Washington Jan 15, 2012

It finally came!

A little on Friday night. By Saturday morning it was very thin and i thought it would be the Seattle normal - here today, gone later today!

But Sunday morning it really snowed! We came back from church and it was coming down in tiny little flakes.

Here is my video of the first snowfall of the season.

Christmas 2011 Part 7 - Supper and The Running Game

The Phil Leng Team, Bank Owned  Property Experts 206-409-6600: Real Estate Agent in Kirkland, WA
Christmas 2011 Part 7 - Supper and The Running Game

What is the perfect ending of a perfect day?

Well, a supper consisting entirely of dessert is a great idea. Those who were still hungry later had some “healthy food” as well.

And, after the evening time routine is begun, after jammies are on, what could be a better conclusion than the Running Game?

For you who are uninitiated, it consists of running down the hall at full speed, crashing into grandpa who is sitting cross legged in front of the fireplace, and ending up knocking him over! It is called the Running Game, and it can go on 20 times or more in a row...

The videographer is the victim of the crash, so the video is not TV quality. But the hugs and laughter definitely are...

Christmas 2011 Part 6 - The Walk and Bike Ride

The Phil Leng Team, Bank Owned  Property Experts 206-409-6600: Real Estate Agent in Kirkland, WA
Christmas 2011 Part 6 - The Walk and Bike Ride

Christmas 2011 Part 6 - The Walk and Bike Ride

The presents are opened, and the wrapping paper is all picked up and put in bags.

The meal is eaten and the dishes are all put away.

It is early afternoon. The TV is on, but the football game is disappointing!

What comes next? It is light out still. It is not raining.

Of course! A walk and bike ride!!

Enjoy the video...

Christmas 2011 Part 5 - The Feast

The Phil Leng Team, Bank Owned  Property Experts 206-409-6600: Real Estate Agent in Kirkland, WA
Christmas 2011 Part 5 - The Feast

Christmas 2011 Part 5 - The Feast

When it is time to celebrate, it is time to eat together!

This Christmas we had ham. My son in law gave him a name, but then kept it quite in case the little ones heard and got too attached to the giver of the ham.

And yes - mashed potatoes and gravy, and Patti’s wonderful cranberry jello salad! Some corn and bread rolls completed the meal. No one went hungry!

One of my buyer’s agents was busy with his wife feeding homeless teenagers. Pretty amazing! A reminder to us of the needy right around us. And gratefulness for their generous and giving spirit.

Here is the video of our Christmas Feast:

Christmas 2011 Part 4 - The Presents

The Phil Leng Team, Bank Owned  Property Experts 206-409-6600: Real Estate Agent in Kirkland, WA
Christmas 2011 Part 4 - The Presents

Christmas 2011 Part 4 - The Presents

Our family has some very clear traditions around the opening of the presents.

First, we have the Christmas story about the Great Present (Jesus coming to earth), then some singing, and only then do we start opening presents.

Our tradition is that the youngest one present gets to hand out the presents. When all 26 of my family used to celebrate Christmas together, the children would take turns handing out presents, starting with the youngest, the the next youngest and so on, down the line.

Here there are only 2 children, one who can read and one who cannot. So a clever collaboration was established. The older one would read who it was to and from, the younger would deliver the present.

Another tradition? Only ONE present at a time. No disorganized free-for-all! Everyone gets to see the present and giving thanks, and giving hugs, and the display of the present are all part of the tradition.

We discovered that the kids enjoyed ripping open the wrapping paper as much as any of the presents. So they helped open EVERY present!

There is another tradition I didn’t think about until we were opening presents. We bring garbage cans, or garbage bags, to put the wrapping paper in. My parents were oh-so-frugal, so bows would be separated and kept. Ribbon that was usable would be separated as well. Any paper that could be preserved would be carefully folded and put aside. In the video I laughed out loud when our three year old grandson came running with an empty garbage can to make sure the paper was properly disposed of!

Opening of presents. One at a time. Proper thanks given. Order not chaos with the wrapping paper. All meant to increase gratitude and decrease the mentality of selfishness and entitlement.

Enjoy the video:

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