Home for the holidays

The holiday season comes early in the mountains. When we drove into downtown Manitou at 2:30 pm a couple of weeks ago, we saw that the sun had already disappeared behind the mountains for the day, leaving the whole town in shadow. So strange, when you can see the sun still shining brilliantly not only on the peaks overhead but also across the plains to the east. But I could understand why Christmas lights were already up in mid-November.

At the arcade.When you live in a tourist town, you do strange-looking things like this in the off-season.

We did find this little pocket park up one windy side street we'd never taken before. That's the town down below: Three o'clock, all in shadow.

Since I was giving an exam last Wednesay and had to be back in the classroom Monday morning, we couldn't make it to Delaware this year for the classic family Thanksgiving.

So what's the recipe for a great Thanksgiving weekend far from home?

1. Start by trying to make some of the traditional family recipes for yourself. (This was all Tom and the girls.) Get the dishes just right, to your own astonishment and delight.

Alice helps cut out angel biscuits.

2. Order sunny, warm weather and get outside for a walk or two around the neighborhood in the morning to work up an appetite.

Between a rock and a hard place 

3. Accept an invitation to join a crowd of friends (the colleague you do know + many you don't) who have been getting together for Thanksgiving for years. Make sure the host has a friendly nine-year-old daughter who is eager to take two younger girls under her wing to play with her toys, draw pictures, and eat together at dinner. Meet lively, interesting people from other departments and enjoy adult conversation for once.

4. Fearful of three more unprogrammed days in the house with fractious children? Take an overnight getaway to see a new part of the state. Quiz: Look at the picture below and figure out where we're staying (no help from the locals!):

5.  Enjoy a private lesson in animal tracking and then roast s'mores in the fireplace.

Animal-track headbands they stamped after tracking

6. Make sure the snow starts falling as you're playing a Sesame Street board game together as a family.

7. When the majority of the family unaccountably doesn't want to act on Mom's desire to attend the local Christmas lights parade--for some reason rejecting an outdoor parade in 25-degree weather and a driving snow--be flexible, and agree to go swimming instead.

8. Spot either a wolf or a coyote (still not sure which--probably coyote) on your way back to your room.

9. If you're under 18, get totally and completely tickled about staying in a hotel room. Beg to hang out in your pajamas all morning, lolling on the enormous double bed with your sister.



10. Ultimately agree to try some ceramic painting and mosaic craftwork at an excellent & crafts center. Spend all morning working on projects with your family.

11. Head home and gear up for advent!