Happiest Holidays (1 of 3)

Some years are better than others, and 2012 was a particularly great year for us. We did some big-time moving and shaking to get our actual life more in-line with our vision for our life. And after a year of massive transition and upheaval we found ourselves in a really good place when the 2012 Holidays rolled around.

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When you live as a family of five in an 800 square foot apartment, in a dorm, on campus, it is daunting to think of putting up a Christmas tree. We weren’t going to do it. But Meera really, really, really, really wanted a Christmas tree in our home. I listened closely to her, heard her, and decided we should do it for her sake. I took her to buy a nice, small, tree (we had gotten rid of the tree we used in the old house, which would have been much too big for our new space), and we got out the box of (paired down) ornaments, and we did the whole deal. And I’m so glad we did. That little tree, weighted down with years of sentimental objects hung all over it, made our whole apartment glow through the season. And it was a reminder to me of the importance not just of listening and hearing others in our lives — but actually taking the next step and acting on what we believe is right to do. That — acting on what we believe is right to do — was the theme of 2012, so that new little tree was very symbolic.

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For us, this is Chrismas: hitting the road!

This is Christmas: Family Skiing!

Day 1: Bretton Woods with Kyle and Owen, while Meera has a special day of “alone time” with MorMor and MorFar. Just the drive to Bretton Woods alone is worth the trip. But the day itself is the real gift that the four of us wait for all year long. One of our best days of the year. We are hard-core about this– we ski even if it rains (which it did this year). As long as there is snow on the mountain, there is no stopping our coveted day of Bretton Woods pre-Christmas skiing. Day 2: King Pine with the whole crew. Even Maria came up from Boston, with her boyfriend and his adorable baby. Kyle and Owen used poles for the first time this year! And Meera was bombing down the hill with a lot of help from (i.e., being held up by) MorMor.

This is Christmas: the lead-up to Christmas Eve with our long-held annual traditions.

Dressy kids in Christmas outfits; Gilbert’s for seafood and chowder; The Magic of Christmas concert at the Portland Symphony Orchestra; Christmas Eve Day with Pageant Rehearsal, followed by bowls of soup and hot dogs roasted over the campfire and Swedish glogg with my parents’ friends and the bambinos playing in the snowy field.