It’s tight quarters and not “real” Christmas (Santa climbs down our daughter’s chimney next weekend), but cabin Christmas is special in it’s own way. We brought the little table up from the utility room where the 300 gallon cistern collects well-water. We angled the tables into the kitchen, surrounded them with every chair we could find, and the piano bench, and everybody got a spot at the table.

We first added the “cabin Christmas” last year on a small scale. It makes sense to celebrate in our grandchildren’s home on the actual day, but they live in town and we all wanted a little bit of mountain magic during the holidays. So I wrapped coloring books and colored pencil sets and put them under the cabin tree for the whole family.

This year, with four generations, and all the children and grandchildren in town, we thought we would try an expansion of that. We’re scaling back a bit and breaking up the holiday, so the grandkids aren’t overwhelmed.

We celebrated “cabin Christmas” last Sunday, a week before the actual day. We exchanged most gifts between the generations, and that was fun. On Christmas day, the kids will open gifts from their parents and Santa. Craig and I will spend Christmas Eve with my mom, and we’ll join the rest of the family in the morning with a stack of Swedish pancakes (a favorite that travels well).

We’ll see how it goes! The most important thing in all of this is that we’re together. With so many of us recovering from various ailments, we chose to celebrate Thanksgiving separately.

Next year, we hope to have the Bed and Breakfast up and running by winter. If that happens, the table will be longer and accommodations more comfortable.

For children, there’s nothing like the magic of bounding out of your own bed to see what Santa left under the tree. But, there’s still something to be said for a Rocky Mountain white Christmas. May the two always coexist in the peace of the season.

Whether near or far, may each of you find a little mountain magic in your life. Wishing you all a wonderful holiday!

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