A Very Denver Christmas

What a difference a year makes.  Last year, I began my Christmas morning with a run along Newport Beach, the sun warming my shoulders, and the chilly, winter waves of the Pacific lapping at my ankles.  I wore shorty-shorts and a tank top, while Mouse sunned himself in a beach lounger, with nothing but swim-trunks in-situ, while he waited for me.  There was no puppy, and definitely no snow.   It was just the two of us living our California dream. We laughed at all of the suckers living in cold climates, smug in our fortune to live in such a temperate climate. It was a Christmas most people can only dream of.

Fast-forward 365 days.  This year, we woke to seeing our collective breath in the frigid air around us. A quick glance at my iPhone confirmed what we suspected; it was a bone-chilling 10 degrees outside that morning. Even the puppy looked cold. So, we did what any sane couple would do, and snuggled deep into our plush, down comforter, seeking out maximum warmth with each other.  There would be no running on the beach this morning, or bocce ball as the tide went out. With three inches of snow blanketing the city, and not much hope of the temperature rising, we were destined for a more traditional, North American Christmas, all bundled up and hunkered down around the fire. Now we were the suckers, living in a cold climate. We definitely lost our element of cool. Let the OC nostalgia begin.

But, even though much has changed from last year to the present, so much stayed the same. I love how we do Christmas. We kept our tradition of champagne and crab legs for breakfast. We still took full advantage of this being one of the rare days in which we get to be utterly and completely lazy. After living apart for the past few months, an entire day of uninterrupted "together" time felt like an exquisite luxury. And, of course, this year, we had the added bonus of being continuously entertained by our rambunctious puppy. So, plummeting temperatures and snow aside, this turned out to be a wonderful Christmas. It wasn't as glamorous as holidays of past, but that didn't matter. I guess this a perfect example of how it's not as important where you are for the holidays, as it is who you're with. And, as long as I'm with my Mouse, I'm exactly where I need to be.