Spirit of Christmas: Day 27

Christmas with the Masons

Jon's sister Erin married into the Mason family and with that marriage came a whole set of really fun traditions.  As we celebrated Erin's birthday with them on Monday we even got to participate in one of these awesome traditions.

Erin, Jon, Sam, and Ben in Utah for Christmas 2010

Every night in the month of December the Mason family gathers together around the Christmas tree and sings Christmas songs.  They start out the evening with fun ones, like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and gradually the songs turn to our favorite Christmas hymns.  It's so nice to be all gathered together in the evening as a family, but it was even more special to have our thoughts turned to the birth of our Savior at the end of the day as we all hug and head back home.  I think this Mason home tradition is one that I would like to copy some day.

Another tradition that Jon Mason mentioned as a favorite of his from childhood was a white elephant gift exchange with a couple of other families that they were friends with.  Everyone would bring a silly gift and the opening and trading would begin.  Rather than continuing this at Christmas in the Mason home, they have started a family reunion white elephant gift exchange.  During the 2010 reunion Erin and Jon won best gift with the amazing deer hoof gun rack that Jon and I got at a yard sale.  The Jon and Erin Mason family have shared the white elephant exchange with the rest of us Hamiltons during our summer travels as well.  It is always a challenge to see who can find this most ridiculous gift.  Jon and I have come home with a framed scorpion from Thailand and on occasion our house smells like Bob Marley incense from the gift exchange in Jamaica.  Here are some pictures of the event.

 

My first white elephant that was stolen, a broken elephant.

Jon's first white elephant, a bobble lobster.  Sam traded him for it.

And just because these boys are adorable, here are the Mason boys right after James was born this November.

Clockwise from the top, Ben, Sam, James.

 Make sure to check back tomorrow for Christmas at Dar's house growing up.