One of the events that signaled "Christmas" to me as a young girl was driving down the snowy, twinkling streets of Salt Lake City on our way to visiting the lights at Temple Square. I loved seeing all the gorgeous trees and listening to the Nativity story as each statue was timely lit (and, yes, freezing the hands and toes off while doing it!) It was the best feeling to finally run into the visitor's center, feel the rush of warm air as the doors swooshed open and bask in that incredible sense of reverence descending as we approached the Christus statue. I loved to sit in the shadows of that depiction of the Savior and think about what He meant to me, then look out the window behind me to see him as a tiny baby born into such humble circumstances. It was definitely a "Christmas moment" for me each time we experienced it together as a family.
And this year, amidst the incredible craziness of this particular Christmas season for me, I wanted my own children to have a similar experience to add to their own Christmas coffer. It took a bit of finagling, but the Preator family was able to come together and visit Temple Square as a whole family (minus the Minnesota Preators, whom we missed!) It was a chilly night, but I felt such happiness in walking the grounds of that sacred place with the people who mean the most to me in the world. Shayne and I showed the kids the exact spot where he asked me to marry him, and gazed into the lit gables of the gorgeous temple--it never ceases to take my breath away. I fell in love with the display of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus floating in the reflecting pool and was so pleased with the photo I was able to capture of it. It was a great evening and I'm so glad we took the time to share the moments together!
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