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Featured Homes
Each if these families has been kind enough to donate their home and time to this event.
Kim & Lane Danielson, 4117 NE Bellagio Circle, Ankeny
We love the spirit of Christmas in the Danielsen home! For us it’s a beautiful time to slow down and think on the gifts that have been bestowed upon us each and every day, year-to-year and season-to-season…God is good and He is faithful! So for this reason, every year on November 1st, we get started putting up Christmas trees, soft white lights, and Christmas decorations. This gives us a moment to lean into the Spirit of Christmas and rejoice with full hearts a bit longer as we prepare to celebrate our greatest Gift! A few family traditions we have during the weeks leading up to Christmas include watching movies like Elf, Christmas Vacation, and Home Alone - just to name a few! Some nights it’s us simply watching football together with the tree lit and wood burning in the fireplace. We read a book of Advent together each night focusing our hearts on Christ - our greatest gift! We also set up a jig-saw puzzle where we’ll sit in different combinations of family members over the weeks to complete it. Then, on Christmas Eve, we dress up a bit more than usual to attend Church and then do a nice dinner out at one of our favorite restaurants. After we arrive home, we hug each other goodnight, the children go off to their beds, and we stuff their stockings in anticipation of Christmas morning.
Amy & Brad Haga, 815 SW Cohasset Drive, Ankeny
Dawn & Tom Ledin, 3657 NE 62nd Avenue, Ankeny
The Ledins love Christmas time, especially the girls! It may have started back with Dawn's grandma and continues today with all of us girls loving the spirit and fun of the holiday. Although we don’t have many formal traditions, Christmas Day is pretty consistent. Everyone gathers at our house and we do our immediate family gift exchange in our pajamas and have some relaxing, casual breakfast; let’s be honest, it's frozen breakfast pizza! This year will be the first year our sons are living out of the house and we are wondering how early we can get them here! Our daughter and her husband will be here with our grandson for the first time on Christmas morning and we are looking forward to Santa visiting our house (SANTA’S COMING!!!). Our extended family joins us in the afternoon for Tom’s famous chili and we snack and enjoy spirits all day while playing games, watching Christmas movies, and doing a gift exchange. Most importantly, we simply enjoy spending time together because there is a lot of laughter to be had. We love our simple traditions!
Jennifer & Joshua Miskimins, 2797 NW 82nd Place, Ankeny
We’re the Miskimins Family; Josh, Jen, Frank and Elizabeth. Christmas is one of our favorite times of the year. We are one of those crazy families who start decorating for Christmas starting on November 1st. We want the Christmas magic to last as long as possible. Our basement tree is put up and decorated by all of us while we put one of our favorite Christmas movies on in the background. This tree is special because it holds ornaments that are special to each of us. We also have ornaments that we’ve collected from our families and ornaments that are in memory of those who are no longer with us. Closer to Christmas, we always bake too many Christmas goodies to give to neighbors and friends. Our favorites include white chocolate peppermint, Christmas monster and peanut butter ritz melts. We celebrate Christmas as a family on Christmas Eve. Each year we wake up on Christmas Eve morning in our newest Christmas pajamas, open gifts and enjoy a huge breakfast made by Josh. Throughout November and December we watch a ton of Christmas movies. Our favorites are Christmas Vacation, Love Actually, Elf and Home Alone. We hope you enjoy touring our home and that our home brings you a little more Christmas magic.
Stacey & Philip Orlandi, 2813 NE Seneca Drive, Ankeny
You may say the Orlandi families, Phil, Stacey, and daughter J.J., Christmas tradition is part of Santa’s team delivering joy worldwide. As a mobile family, they have celebrated the holidays while living in Bellingham, Washington; Houston, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin; The Hague, Netherlands; Perth, Australia; and now here in Ankeny. Living in the States, they have also celebrated with family in Cleveland, Ohio, and Wilmington, N.C. This year, there will be some gift-giving in Charlotte, N.C. They look forward to welcoming you to their home this year and sharing some holiday joy.
Deanne & James Taylor, 3912 SW 2nd Court, Ankeny
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