We finally hosted our annual Christmas party! Well, I guess it's not officially "annual" since it's only
happened once out of the three years we've planned it. Last year I even sent out invitations but cancelled it last minute. This year we had to follow through since we were moving, and we went all out! Festive sweaters and all via the downtown D.I. I fought with myself for
a long time because I refuse to wear clothing from D.I, but the the stores and even the Internet produced NO worthy candidates for our sweater party. Plus, who would have thought for $5 a whole family could look so dashing! Once the first guests arrived I was awkward and nervous that nobody else would show up. No worries, half an hour later our TINY apartment was crammed with sweater wearing bodie
s. The blustery weather outside provided the much needed cool air, even with the door open it was extremely warm. Sam and I were sweating profusely but chose not to shed our top layer of clothing as the "dickies" worn under our sweaters would not have been modest if worn alone. We played an array of festive games. The favorite of the night was the "rip open the huge gift wearing mittens, hat and scarf as quickly as possible before the next person rolls a 4 on the dice" game. My younger sister, Kami, had no problem tearing the mittens,
hat and scarf off complete strangers as she rolled the appropriate number many times. Howe
ver, our dear friend Molly came out victorious, shredding 6 boxes and thousands of yards of wrapping paper to find the lovely gift card waiting in th
e center. Next on the agenda was the white elephant gift exchange. I happily sought out 8 or 9 extra cheesy gifts (many of them found around the house as I packing to move) in case anybody forgot to bring one. Even then we were a few gifts short. Sam and I buddied up in order to give everybody
a chance to play. I am proud to say ours
were amongst the most stolen items of the game. Kami, having no shame, creatively wrapped up a used nail file kit. The likes of which were probably stolen from my grandmother, many many years prior. Perhaps the most clever/cruel gift was the water bottle
filled not just with water, but a living goldfish as well. The poor thing endured a few airtight, shaken hours before getting chosen. I originally opened an original Playstation, until it was stolen. Sam then foolishly stole some Wrangler Cologne which he would be happily wearing now had I not thrown it away. It was such a great night and so good to see everyone before leaving!!
We spent
the week before Christmas down in sunny AZ. It was so nice to have a week of relaxation before the big day. It has become (much to my father's joy) a
Smith family Christmas tradition to peruse the endless isles at the Mesa Swap Meet. Most of which are dedicated solely to southwestern T-shirts. I was conned into purchasing some jewelry cleaner for fear that the very sparkly 99 year old woman selling it would die before the demonstration was over. Buff fit in with the colorful crowd as she lusted after a certain leather fanny-pack. I'm sure Landon enjoyed this little adventure, not because we let some strange man hold him (that's my 
brother) but because there is so much to smell, and look at. We made perhaps the biggest mistake by driving back to St. George on Christmas Eve. The drive 
lasted an agonizing 9 hours instead of 6, thanks to the idiots stopping every 3 feet on the dam to take pictures of the new bridge. Christmas morning was filled with magic, and snot... and vomit. Sam's family has been suffering from the flu, or food poisoning, it's still a mystery. We were very spoiled with gifts, and lucky to have such great families to share the holiday with. 
There are many other fun things to look at before you even enter the superstore, such as this friendly neighborhood polygamist and one of his wives. He cleverly tries to blend in by walking with only one of the wives, this is done to avoid looking suspicious.
Once you get inside this little haven you will find herds of his fellow believers, surrounding you on every side. Don't try to smile at them, they will glare at you, because you are the slime of the earth. One day I will work up the courage to speak to one. 
