Another Splendid Christmas.

David R.

December 25, 2010 - 9:30 PM

Christmas seems to come and go quicker and quicker with every year that passes, and this year it didn't help that I was home for only a short period of time before the great holiday. Nevertheless I enjoyed it while it was here and had a great time with my family.

On Christmas Eve I went to church with my family to get into the true Christmas spirit. I have to admit it's been a while since I last set foot in a church so it felt good to take a few minutes to thank a higher being for how fortunate I am. After mass I went home with my family to partake in a Christmas tradition that dates back to as long as I can remember. Every Christmas Eve many families in my neighborhood cover the sidewalk in front of their houses with luminarias. For those of who who are unfamiliar, luminarias are small white bags that have lit candles within them. When its becomes dark on Christmas Eve it is truly majestic to see the sidewalks covered with thousands of these creative decorations placed only a few feet from each other. Folding all of the bags and placing all of the candles can take a long time, but it is worth it in the end.

After all of out luminarias were lit we headed to the other side of our neighborhood to have dinner with some good family friends, and I enjoyed catching up with everyone who I hadn't seen for a few months. After a delicious meal and hours of socializing about everything from the bowl games to old memories, we headed home to get some rest and to allow the main tradition of Christmas ("Santa's" delivery) to take its course.

As a poor college student I was lucky to receive some extra dough from "Santa," which was really the only thing on my list. However, the big man knows me better than I thought and he also came through with some much needed clothing and some sweet Oakley shades. I wouldn't have thought that I would be able to wear them outside during this time of year in Denver, but I was able to today as the sun was shining in what has been one of the milder winters that I can remember. I have been home since the 18th and I have yet to see a snow flake fall from the sky. There is no snow on the ground, and if I didn't know any better I might think it was summer. It's always nice to get some snowfall around my house, but the weather experts have been informing everyone in the Denver metropolitan area that all of the snow that would have otherwise made it to the "burbs" has been dumped on the Rocky Mountains. This is definitely a good thing because I will be spending the next few days skiing with my family up in the Vail/Beaver Creek area.

Earlier today we left our house to embark on our 9th annual post-Christmas skiing expedition in arguably the greatest mountain region in the United States. It's convenient to be only two hours away from some of the best slopes in the state, and this year my aunt and uncle from the Florida Gulf Coast will be joining in the fun. Tomorrow is still only the day after Christmas, so I am hopeful that the mountain will be relatively empty, as many who venture up here after Christmas usually do their traveling on the 26th or 27th. I hope the snow quality is as good as the regulars have said it is, and tomorrow I plan to ski from when the lifts open to when I get kicked off the mountain. Unfortunately, chair lift tickets have become rather pricey, so we have decided to take it upon ourselves to get as much bang for our buck as possible, and to cut out un-necessary spending along the way. Instead of eating lunch at one of the mountain cafes and spending $16 on what should cost around $7, my family and I have begun to pack our own lunches that we take with us, and it has proven to be a much cheaper option.

It's nice to be up here once again, and I truly never get tired of it. I love being at my house in Denver, but coming up here allows me to forget about some of the stresses of everyday life and relax in the presence of the people that I can't spend as much time with as I used to. It should be a great few days and this too always seems to pass to fast.