Christmas at the Cabin

This post is coming a little late, but I haven't had much time to sit down and share, so here it is now.

My husband and I decided this year to spend Christmas isolated from our family in a little cabin nestled in the woods; and it was the best decision ever made! While we love our families, Christmas is one of those holidays that is always very hectic as we try and see both of our families, and also spend time together at home.

So we planned Christmas celebrations around New Year's with the other parts of the family and headed out to the woods for a few days of peace and quiet.

It has become tradition for us to go up to camp at night, so we can ski or snowshoe into camp in the dark guided by the light of the moon (or headlamp if the moon fails us). So we went Wednesday night after I had gotten home from work. The camp was a balmy 10 degrees inside so we quickly got a fire roaring in the woodstove and snuggled into our sleeping bags to enjoy our first night in the cabin.

Thursday morning dawned with beautiful blue skies so we had a hardy breakfast and headed out to cut down our Christmas tree. We found the perfect little tree and got it set up inside and then scooted out the door again and down the frozen river to Lake Harris, which was also frozen. We walked over to the campground and wandered about a bit before heading back to camp.




Christmas morning was the most relaxing holiday I have had in YEARS! It was very nice to be able to wake up, stay in bed, and not worry about having to run around to be here or there at a certain hour of the day. We exchanged gifts, had some breakfast and decided it was a perfect day for a winter hike. So we loaded up the truck with the pups and headed to Goodnow Mountain. When we arrived we were the only ones there, although the logged showed someone had been up and down already that morning. I strapped on my snowshoes (although they weren't necessary as Jake proved by not wearing his) and headed up the trail. I was happy to have my snowshoes as they added a bit of extra traction, and it was fun to go alongside the already packed snow in the fresh powder.




The views from the top of the tower were spectacular, as always, as the air was crisp and clear. After relaxing and playing at the summit we headed down and passed a few groups of people on their way up. Dinner was lasagne, YUM!, and we spent the remainder of the night gaming and enjoying the quiet of the woods.

Saturday was rainy, but that meant we had an excuse to stay indoors, read and nap!

I wouldn't leave the family every year on Christmas... but boy was it nice to have it to ourselves for a change!