Christmas with the Tribe

^^ ugly sweater party. nailed it.





^^ Christmas lights at Temple Square + family photos at Liberty Park  
^^ twin pic + an endless supply of baked goods

You could say my family is pretty spirited.. Thanks to exorbitant amounts of Christmas cheer, we had an "ugly sweater contest" at our extended-family Christmas get together on Monday and The Tribe brought some serious competition. All twelve of us sported particularly ugly sweaters for the competion. Bad news: my twin brother and I got disqualified.. Good news: It was because my sweater was too innovative, transforms into a tree, and his was too funny, I will let you guess why. So we prettttyyy much won

Then all too soon it was Christmas Eve! I did all of my present shopping in Europe so that was already taken care of, but between all the skiing and hanging out with the family, my first ten days in America went by in the blink of an eye. For dinner we had my favorite homemade meal, then us kids finished last minute wrapping and watched Elf! Best night.


^^ the ten kids (plus dad + uncle bill in the background) sporting our new animal hats and christmas PJs!

Christmas morning with The Tribe meant all twelve of us sitting in our front room with a tree + presents sprawling across a good portion of the room. Most people probably would have called the scene chaotic and crowded, but I think it was a perfect mix of crazed present opening (thanks little boys!) and an undeniable spirit of family and friendship. And that is what it is all about!

Can I get an amen?!
AMEN.


Thank you for all your kind comments! I hope that your holiday season was/is filled with hope, peace, and cheer.  xoxo

HOLIDAY REPORT, part one

-- Thanks to a snow storm in NYC, It took me 28 hours of travel, but I finally made it back to 'Murica and the good old Salt Lake City!

-- All TWELVE members of The Tribe are reunited for the next few weeks! #partypartyparty

-- Holiday cheer is in the air! Stockings on the mantle, presents under the christmas tree, christmas songs on repeat, and lights adorn the house.

-- Survived getting my wisdom teeth removed..

-- It hasn't stopped snowing all day, I am stoked about it.

-- Steadily eating my way through my  "America Food Bucketlist", Thai food is next.

-- currently listening to THIS and THIS

Life is good!

'Tis the Season: Part Two

Christmastime in Europe can be so magical! Lugano may not be a big city, but its tree is the largest one I have seen yet, so props to you Lugano! It dominates the city's main piazza, towering above the nearby buildings! Curious about how it arrived in this little town square? Well by helicopter of course! Scroll to 1:00min and check the video out HERE as captured by a local news crew!  Oh Switzerland! 

For eighteen years of my life I was missing out on the warm and yummy goodness that is a roasted chestnut. Sure, during the holidays I would sing THIS carol with the phrase "chestnuts roasting on an open fire", yet I never realized that people still ate chestnuts.. I don't know what my deal was, but I thought that chestnuts were something that people only ate back in the 1890s.. Yeah, don't ask me where I got that idea from! I am happy to report though that they are in fact far from "extinct"! In fact, during the winter season, chestnut stands can be found all throughout the city of Lugano. If you ever pass by one, do yourself a favor and spend a few francs on a small package of warm and yummy goodness. But don't even bother buying them from a stand that cooks the chestnuts in anything but a big black cauldron, it's the only way to go! 

^^ The Christmas tree in all its beauty (see how small the people are in comparison!) + pretty Christmas lights

I can hardly believe it, I will be back stateside in ONE WEEK for the winter holidays!  So, now that I am all stocked up on groceries and christmas cheer, I think this may have been my last trip downtown for the year :( catch ya on the flipside Lugano! Buon Natale to all my Lugano friends, see you in January! 

'Tis the Season: part one

Christmas Bobbles  //  Spiced Cider  //  Swarovski Crystal Chandelier 

Christmas in Switzerland can be a magical time, nearly every city has a christmas market with homemade goodies, hot drinks, soft pretzels, sweets and more! 

We had a short stop in Luzern, Switzerland on our way home from an Alps adventure on Friday, so we took a few minutes to peruse the charming little stands and soak in some Christmas cheer.