Princesses and Pirate Ships

Put a grey beard on Ash and she is starting to look more like Santa (at least the bowl full of jelly part) **Taken in front of the Christmas tree we decorated for our apartment.

So, I was thinking about why I love the holidays so much, and decided to blog about my thoughts. I heard this song (Taylor Swift) that mentioned princesses and pirate ships... it just explained perfectly what I love about the holidays. I love the magical hope that this time of year brings to families everywhere. This is the time of year when families hope they can put aside their differences and have those special moments that fuel our hearts for the entire year to come.

So, where did my love of the holidays come from? For me, there are a couple things I remember about the holidays growing up...

No responsibilities. This is the only time of year when everyone gets a break, and the days include adventure and variety. The rest of the year life is muted by our weekly routine, but this season we get time off, travel, family events, and gifts! Each day is an adventure waiting to unfold...

Fairy tales. Even after we inevitably find out the real truth about Santa Claus, this is still the time of year when we hold closely to our most fantastic stories. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, Santa, Frosty, Jesus in the manger, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I think each person holds hope in their heart that we are living in the midst of great stories, and this is the time of year where we can think and talk this way without public ridicule. These stories give us hope that we're living in a world where people are kind, good trumps evil, and someone bigger than us makes sure that everything will be OK. What a wonderful thing to believe...

*I am not comparing Rudolph, Frosty, and Jesus... just including all the stories we talk and think about during this season!!!


*Where are you going to put a tree that big, Clark?

Generosity. 'Tis the season where we collect jackets and christmas shoeboxes full of gifts for the less fortunate in our society. I love the idea that the Christmas season can bring people together to do great things for others.

Skiing. A weird addition, I know. But I remember since I was a kid driving up to Big Bear or Mammoth mountain...the majestic snow covered mountains seemed so far from our San Diego home. There was something magical about cramming into a ski cabin and playing board games after hurling ourselves down a mountain all day. The adventure of skiing a run where you honestly don't know if you can get down without breaking something, those times where you are so out of control you can't help but laugh that scared laugh where you know you could be seriously injured at any time. Awesome.
*This may or may not be me. If it is not me, it looks a lot like me.

Cookies. My family used to make those press sugar cookies, and each kid got to choose what shape they wanted their cookies to be. We then iced, sprinkled, and devoured our slice of the cookie batch! Most of the year, my sisters and I were engaged in a battle that rivaled WWII, but I remember us all laughing and baking cookies without name-calling, hair-pulling, or scratching. This was a miracle that was only possible this time of year!
*Our cookies were even better than these...

*My memories were likely altered by the amount of sugar I ingested during the cookie consumption (with egg nog, and hot chocolate to wash them down). Therefore, we probably fought the same amount as any other time of year, but had better treats to drown our sorrows with afterwards. Still a moral victory!

Anyways, I hope you take the time to make the holidays special this year... and hopefully we'll be seeing many of you as we pass through Minneapolis, Vail, San Francisco and Indianapolis this season.

If we don't see you, feel free to send holidays treats to our house in the mail. Presents are also welcome. Do NOT send us your children after they have ingested 4 lbs of press-cookies.