A Rocky Mountain Christmas

M and I are looking forward to spending Christmas here at "home" this year!  Colorado is a place where NO day is off limits for skiing/snowboarding.

In fact, its a preferred way for St Nick to travel to the kiddo's nestled up in those frosty mountain towns ;)  

Its been unseasonably warm, 70 degrees yesterday.  Can you believe that?  We were putting up the tree in the office yesterday-in sweaters and turtlenecks of course, and we were sweating buckets!  Usually this time of year, its in the negatives and snowy.  We all, natives and transplants alike, HATE Oct-Jan here.  Its bitter cold, pipes freeze, car engines freeze and its too blistery to do much of anything accept sit by a fire and wait for Spring.  The ice doesn't help matters either...even in those expensive SUV's.  

Colorado loves Christmas.  The tourist traps are all decked out with lights and Christmas memorabilia of bygone times.  The famous 16th Street Mall is perhaps the most festive.

I think my favorite part about Christmas in the Rockies is the Rockies themselves.  The mountains in winter are just breathtaking.  When the snow blankets the entire range and the sun hits it it just right to make it sparkle-bliss!  For the record, they can keep the snow UP there.  

This was taken at Estes Park.  We went as far up as you can go.  It was heaven.  This wasn't even in the winter, this Summer.  Imagine how snowy the winters are!  This is also the trip we took this picture...

That is a 20+ foot embankment of snow.

Colorado is an amazing place.