Simply Craig

During these cool winter days, you’ll often find me nestled up in front of the fireplace. It’s my new favorite place to be. One of my boys captured this picture of me sitting in that very spot, reading the January 2011  Ensign . The article invited readers to share which  Ensign  articles had touched their lives, and naturally, it got me thinking... What would I consider my favorite? I sat quietly for a moment, thinking back over the many things I’ve read through the years. And then I remembered one. I had read it exactly one year earlier— “How Can I Develop and Increase in Compassion?”  from the December 2009  Ensign . There were words from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf that deeply touched me. He taught about noticing the heavy hearts and loneliness around us and allowing ourselves to become instruments in the Lord’s hands to answer the prayers of others. Those words spoke directly to my heart. When I finished studying that day, I found a quiet place and knelt ...

When we felt the kids were old enough, we’ve given them a choice at Christmastime: Option #1:  Choose a family vacation.  No presents, only presence.  The trip is the gift. Option #2:  Stay home and receive three gifts each. Our reasoning for the three gifts has always been pretty simple...if three gifts were good enough for the Savior, they’re good enough for our little ones. Mr. B.T.C and I started this tradition because we never wanted Christmas to become all about  getting . And over the years, some of my favorite gifts have been the ones nobody could unwrap...the places we’ve gone, the things we’ve experienced together, and all that uninterrupted family time tucked in between. For the past three Christmases, the kids chose the trip and we packed everyone up and headed for the snow. This year they chose home. Now, in the interest of honest family history, I should probably admit that I  may  have influenced that decision just a tiny bit. We had jus...

I’m fairly certain I have a crush on Santa. So naturally, I stayed up late to bake him one of his favorites...Snickerdoodles. A cold glass of milk, a stack of cookies, and a little something sweet waiting for him by the tree. By morning, not even a crumb was left behind. Apparently, the feeling is mutual.

Our home is overflowing with Christmas cards, cookies, and special treats from so many people we love. I especially love seeing all of these familiar faces gathered together. Each card represents a family, a friendship, and a little piece of our lives. We feel very loved. Thank you for remembering our family this Christmas. Merry Christmas from the Craigs!