And there were in the same country, sheperds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shown round about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multiude of heavenly hosts, praising God and saying 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'
That's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."
-Linus Quoting Luke 8:14
As we wound around the curvy, snow-kissed roads just east of Snoqualmie Pass, Mike and I discussed the very Christmas story depicted in Luke. In a matter of minutes, we would be arriving at the vacation home we'd rented along with my family, nesteled in the frosty white hills just outside of Roslynn. It was our gift to eachother, this experience of spending Christmas in the mountains, and as Mike, Landon, and I neared the exit for Roslynn our wonder-filled conversation continued. This would be Landon's first Christmas, and knowing the deep joy and unconditional love that we feel for our new son, we were both struck with a sense of awe for how the birth of Christ must have affected two very human parents. What hope, what excitement, what a vulnerable and heart-eclipsing love....in our own humble way we could relate.
Moments later, our tires crunched into the frozen driveway of Sierra Meadows Lodge. The river-rock accents and cedar-shingle siding radiated warmth and comfort. It was beautiful! We couldn't wait to take a look around!
After touring the house, unpacking, and settling into our respective rooms, we were all ready to eat! With coats and mittens in hand, we bundled Landon up and headed out the door to Sweet Water Celler's for dinner.
Moments later, our tires crunched into the frozen driveway of Sierra Meadows Lodge. The river-rock accents and cedar-shingle siding radiated warmth and comfort. It was beautiful! We couldn't wait to take a look around!
As we pulled up to the winery's circular drive, a huge firepit crackled orange against the dark snow. Christmas music echoed through the air, twinkle lights danced against the sky, and we smiled. Could it get any more festive?
The evening floated by and soon we found ourselves stuffed with tasty food and warmed with good wine. As we prepared to leave, we noticed that Landon had been staring at his uncle Adam for quite awhile. He was intrigued by him, and we were sure he wanted a closer look:) Handing Landon over to Adam, we watched as Landon's curiousity turned to terror. The closer and closer Landon's face came to Adam's beard, the more distressed he got. We were all amused and couldn't help but laugh...all except for Landon. What a good sport Adam was!
The next day was Christmas Eve. We awoke to a vibrant winter sunrise, streaking the mountain sky with glowing pinks and periwinkle blue. It was breathtaking! As we drank our coffee and watched Landon play with his toys, we kept watch out the huge great room windows for elk. The evening before we had seen an entire heard prance by; big bulls, tiny wobbly babies...every shape and size! They reminded me of reindeer as they gracefully made their way through the snow. I smiled thinking that if Landon was a little older, he might have thought the same thing. How magical that would have been for him!
Despite the clear skies, there was still a decent amount of snow on the ground (at least by our standards). As my mom, sister, and I began our Christmas baking, the guys headed out the door to rent snowmobiles for the day. Poor Landon was, of course, not quite old enough. He sure LOVED spending time with his grandma and autie Andrea though!
That afternoon, we decided to take Landon out in his sled. I scooped him up as he happily buzzed around the living room, and as I put his hat on he was all smiles!
Then came the snowsuit! As we stuffed him in, one limb at a time, his eyebrows creased into a look of concern. As we began to zip him up, his smile started to fade. As we buttoned his last button, he looked like a tick about ready to pop, and he was MAD!
At this point, he had lost complete trust in us. What were we trying to do to him?! Mike strapped him into his sled.
Grabbing the handle and pulling the rope taut, we all beamed at Landon, faces pasted with over-enthusiastic smiles. The sled began to lurch forward and we responded with a collective 'Wheeeeeeeeeee!' Landon was NOT buying it! An exasperated wail burst out of his little mouth!
Just when we were about ready to take pity on poor Landon and prematurely end his sledding excursion, something remarkable happened. Like any good mammal, Landon reached into his aresonal of defense mechanisms and launched into a form of 'playing dead'. His red plastic sled bumped over imprinted tire treds and snowdrifts, and slumping over to the side he....went....limp. Eyes cast forward in an unblinking stare, mouth set in a straight line...the only discernable movement was the ocassional head-bob as his sled hippity-hopped over a snowcovered rock.
The evening floated by and soon we found ourselves stuffed with tasty food and warmed with good wine. As we prepared to leave, we noticed that Landon had been staring at his uncle Adam for quite awhile. He was intrigued by him, and we were sure he wanted a closer look:) Handing Landon over to Adam, we watched as Landon's curiousity turned to terror. The closer and closer Landon's face came to Adam's beard, the more distressed he got. We were all amused and couldn't help but laugh...all except for Landon. What a good sport Adam was!
The next day was Christmas Eve. We awoke to a vibrant winter sunrise, streaking the mountain sky with glowing pinks and periwinkle blue. It was breathtaking! As we drank our coffee and watched Landon play with his toys, we kept watch out the huge great room windows for elk. The evening before we had seen an entire heard prance by; big bulls, tiny wobbly babies...every shape and size! They reminded me of reindeer as they gracefully made their way through the snow. I smiled thinking that if Landon was a little older, he might have thought the same thing. How magical that would have been for him!
Despite the clear skies, there was still a decent amount of snow on the ground (at least by our standards). As my mom, sister, and I began our Christmas baking, the guys headed out the door to rent snowmobiles for the day. Poor Landon was, of course, not quite old enough. He sure LOVED spending time with his grandma and autie Andrea though!
That afternoon, we decided to take Landon out in his sled. I scooped him up as he happily buzzed around the living room, and as I put his hat on he was all smiles!
At this point, he had lost complete trust in us. What were we trying to do to him?! Mike strapped him into his sled.
After posing for a few family photos, we took a VERY peeved Landon inside to the warm fireplace. He was asleep for a nice, long nap within minutes. What a day! And we thought sledding would be the highlight of the trip for Landon:) Maybe next year...
Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning were spent watching Landon 'open presents' and be slightly more interested in 'eating' the wrapping paper and playing with the box than what was actually inside the package. Still, everyone was SO generous with Landon (his auntie Andrea got him a baby 'baby grand' piano!)and made his Christmas so very special. He is one incredibly blessed baby boy!
After the excitement of Christmas morning, Landon was spent! Soon, he was fast asleep in Grampa's arms.
Just then, it began to snow! In the great room, speckles of cotton-white seemed to fall from ceiling to floor. The soft glowing light that can only be brought about by snowfall washed over everything. With the fire crackling, savory food in the oven, and Christmas music playing, we couldn't have been more cozy. It was like nature's own Christmas gift, just for us!
After a delicious Christmas dinner with dear friends who came by (the Popson family), we could feel Christmas day drawing to a close. With bellies full and spirits high (maybe highest for the guys....depending on how many 'spirits' they had at this point, hehe) we posed for a picture around the great room fireplace.
Christmas can mean many different things to different people. It can be about the decorations, the parties, the songs, and most notoriously, the gifts. This Christmas, Landon's first Christmas, we all received such a precious gift in the time spent together as family. Our wish for Landon is that he never forget the true meaning of Christmas, that he see beyond the material 'gifts' and realize the blessing he has in those that love him, and, of course, that it ALL started the way many good things start....with the birth of an itty bitty, humble, little baby.
