Before you get too excited, Rocky Mountain High can mean more than one thing!   While pot is now legal in the state of Colorado – both medicinal and recreational – the most impressive “high” is the sheer magnitude of the mountains and the altitude.   Denver is the Mile High City….being at a mile above sea level.   We stayed for several days over the holidays in Breckenridge which is pushing two miles above sea level.   More than once we remarked that we cannot imagine how the pioneers managed to get across the Rocky Mountain range back in the day…in covered wagons.   Many of the small towns that dot the drive along I – 70 as we drove were probably founded by folks who were making the trek and just said “screw this” and set down some roots right where there were.   I can totally understand this.   I would have ventured past the Flatirons of Boulder, taken one look at the mountain range and said “uh, no.” As gorgeous as it is, it is decidedly daunting.

Let me back track a bit…this year we decided as a family ( along with my sister and niece) to forgo the usual frenzy of buying Christmas gifts and spend our money on an adventure to the ski resort of Breckenridge.   Those of you who know me know my son is living and working in Boulder so we make the trip to Colorado often.   This past summer we procured via Airbnb a lovely chalet in Breckenridge for a reasonable price.   My niece had never seen snow or mountains before having grown up in Melbourne, FL!   I would highly recommend this house to anyone who wants to go there.   But I digress.

This was our first Christmas since we became a family with children that we didn’t have the traditional Christmas experience.   Since my older son was born, we have completely bought into the whole extravaganza….gifts, food, relatives visiting…malls…gift wrapping…post office/UPS/FedEx.   Or should I say I have.   I’ve said it before and I will say it again, Santa is a woman.   Women make the lists for what to buy, what to eat, who to invite, how to wrap, mail, what photo will go on the Christmas card and when the decorations will go up and come down.   Men buy for their wives.   And perhaps haul the decorations up from the basement and put up the outside lights.   That’s it.

And as much as I complain about it, it’s my favorite time of the year.  I love everything about the season.  The cold weather, the beautiful decorations and the looks on the children’s faces on Christmas morning.  Just having everyone together.  As they have grown up it’s less “magical” and more about spending time together but still a production.  But a traditional production…and aren’t traditions important?   I think they are.  So I entered into this holiday feeling a little discombobulated.   I shopped for those I needed to online and shipped everything.   I didn’t have packages accumulating under the tree.  I had no menu to plan or shop for.   It was weird.  I did decorate but only minimally.  Our sights were on the Rocky Mountains.

We spent Christmas eve in Boulder at a restaurant with our kids.   Then Christmas day went to a Christmas dinner at a Victorian Hotel in Boulder that had a delicious dinner.   I was waited on and pampered.   The venue was beautiful with a 20 ft Christmas tree in the lobby of this old hotel.   We didn’t open gifts, we just spent time laughing and talking and arguing with our two adult sons.   That night we went to the movies.   The next day my sister and niece arrived and we made the drive to Breckenridge.

To say that it is like a fairy tale village is an understatement.   Breckenridge is the highest resort in the Rockies.   While all the modern amenities are available there, the architecture of the town is decidedly Victorian and quaint.  It’s nestled in between several peaks that are home to various ski runs and resorts.  It looks like what the north pole might look like where Santa Claus lives.   But with a brewery and lots of great restaurants.  And an oxygen bar where those who feel the effects of the altitude (like my husband) can go and receive oxygen and get a coffee!   There is tons of snow and while it may get up to 30-40 degrees during the day, at night it’s not unusual to see single digits.   Dry too.   We spent five days laughing,  sledding, skiing, and walking all around town.  Surrounded by some of the most magnificent of God’s scenery.

As we went through the week we all pledged to make this a yearly or at the least an every other year event – whether in Colorado or some other part of the U.S.   Along the way we will add significant others for the kids…husband’s, wives, maybe one day grandchildren too – and then we will probably not do a Christmas trip but some other time of the year as our own kids will become the “Santa’s” for their own families and we will be back to holidays with small children.  I will say however, that while it was hard for me to let go of my annual Christmas extravaganza, it ended up being the most stress free Christmas I have had in a while.  One where I too, was able to enjoy my family and just be.   No pressure, no frenzy, just hanging and doing whatever we wanted from day to day.  I highly recommend it.