HO, HO, HO!!!

Now that the break has finally arrived, we're getting into the full holiday swing! The tree is up and decorated and we've been enjoying the first couple of days off with some outdoor activities- skiing and hiking and trying to avoid retail environments. Julie- I think the blue mantel and the tree look great! Post a photo of the two of them together. Kate was insistent that this year we would have a perfectly conical little butterball of a tree, and I have to say it looks very nice straight ahead of you as you walk into the house. Alden was very taken with the ritual of unwrapping all the ornaments and putting them on the tree- she covered a two square foot area of the tree with the greatest possible density of ornamentation. (We stepped in and aided the dispersal later!) The boys and I skied today- it was gorgeous; about 30 degrees, no wind and a light snow falling. We had a blast catching perfect snowflakes on our gloves and comparing them, and all the fresh snow made for some fantastic skiing. It was a nice winter wonderland moment. When we got back, Kate had the house set up for a little cookie decorating gathering for Boden and four of his little buddies. After piling some sugar cookies with obscene mounds of icing, the crew retired to the playroom to watch "A Christmas Story", where they are now. I can hear the guffaws coming from over there as Ralphie just made his entrance wearing his pink bunny suit. We're looking forward to a full week to finish shopping, do some projects around the house and enjoy more skiing. Congratulations to Rachael on moving forward with her academic plans and good luck to Drew with his comps.

Happy holiday season!