Merry Christmas everyone.

This salutation comes a bit late, but it's been a good one.

Just some thoughts: The Christmas season has always been characterized for me by a remarkable pairing of obnoxious holiday cheer (busy songs, loud colors, etc.) with nostalgic peacefulness (cozy fireplaces with snow outside, classy table-settings with savory food, etc.). It has been fun, as our family gets older, to be able to focus more on the latter and less on the former. It is fun to see kids putting more thought into their presents as they get older. It is fun to be able to focus on relaxing family time instead of on the holiday hustle and bustle. The internet has been a huge time-saver when it comes to shopping. It is fun to just settle into a vacation, like sitting in a familiar old chair, rather than attacking it like a foe on the battlefield.

There isn't much more to say. Christmas morning was rather understated- nothing wild- just the way it should be. For the next week or so, Rachel and the kids will be in Las Vegas with Rachel's sister. I will be home...but not at home. I have to work a few of the days, but in the meantime I will be climbing, playing the guitar, and skiing. I head out today with some friends to BC where we'll ice climb over the weekend. It should be good.

Enjoy some pictures, and have a happy new year.

Rach and I went to see the tour of Broadway's "Waitress." Definitely a fun night out.

Evelyn and Rach went on an Eagle cruise on the lake. Every year, hundreds of Bald Eagles come to nest on these shores. It is pretty spectacular. You can almost always count on seeing many fish grabs. Evelyn has been "into" birds for a long time now, so this was a special treat for her.

Rachel rang the bell individually with each of the 4 oldest kids. This has become a tradition.

New PJs on Christmas eve. Thank you Dianna and Dave!

I had to put this somewhere, because I thought it was cute. On my amp: "You ROCK, Litterly. -Jack" (Sic)

We haven't had much snow lately, making for some excellent family walks. 

This family walk wasn't so excellent. On Christmas day, Lindsey fell and hit her chin on a rock, requiring a couple of stitches. Not the funnest way to spend Christmas afternoon, but she was a champ. And Santa even came to the hospital for a special visit.

Family ice skating day! I love the movement in the last picture. We had fun.

We went and walked around downtown. We started at the library where the kids explored the bookshelves for a long time. The ultimate destination, however, was a small park where our church was doing a "neigh-tivity"- basically a petting zoo with camels and sheep and stuff. There were lots of people there and we had a good time.

You'll have to forgive the obvious edit, but we didn't really stand out otherwise.

 My office went to a hockey game. I have never been to a hockey game before and I didn't know what to expect. I got more into the game than I thought I would and found myself cheering out of my seat during the exciting overtime finish. Also, it was the teddy bear toss night, and the coolest part was after the home team scored their first goal and people (including us) started throwing stuffed animals onto the ice- over 7,000 of them! It looked like stuffy rain! It was crazy! They will all be given to hospitals and charities.

We got our Christmas tree. It now stands proudly in our living room and is making our house smell wonderful.

As soon as all the kids were off to school on Monday, Rachel and I hit the slopes on our own. We also got almost all of our Christmas shopping done on the ride to and from the resort. Great day!

Have a good week!

The holiday season continues around here with lots of fun and traditions on the horizon. This week the big project was getting our Christmas lights up on the house, and we were none too soon as it started to snow just as I was plugging in the last strand. It was perfect- like the weather gods had been waiting patiently for me to get off the roof before pulling the levers that changed Fall into Winter.

Winter also means the ski resorts start to open, and we took our first family outing on Sunday after church. The kids haven't forgotten a thing, and we all had a good time.

Lindsey wins for whipeout of the day. That is why she is wearing my gloves. Hers are full of snow! 

*****

Also, we are pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 gingerbread competition. Team A won by a landslide! Both teams did great though. Good times.

Have a good week!