Maybe I will now be able to post a little more often. Between being sick and making presents and getting clothes out of storage to head home with, pre-Christmas was a tad hectic. But, the holidays were good, great, fantastic. My aunt and I made a wonderful Christmas dinner, including that cake you see above that about put everyone into a coma once they crashed from their sugar rush.

Christmas at Dad’s was great, too, and we got what my be the first family portrait of us, and I tried my first bite of hamball which was wonderful, despite the name. Mary also made my favorite cookies (which took me a while to try many years back) – ritz crackers with peanut butter and almond bark.

I arrived home to a wonderful dinner cooked by the boyfriend. We received great presents from our friend Chris:

We finished dinner and opened presents. Milo enjoyed his toys and treats. We were relaxing and enjoying Christmas tunes when Raju asked, “Will you marry me?”

Of course I said yes! We don’t remember which Christmas tune was playing, we just know it was not Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. 🙂

Filed under:
Day in the Life, Life Changing Moments by Courtney

Some people seem to think it’s not Christmas if you don’t have snow and your nose isn’t in danger of frostbite. I wondered what it would be like to have Christmas in California. I thought it would be odd, slightly less Christmasy. I had only one taste of the warm Christmas in my childhood — but it was a Disney Christmas, in Florida, with fake snow and Mickey and Minnie.

But it seems California overcompensates for the lack of snow. More lights, more decorations, more celebrations (at least more than the small town I was from, and even from Plaza-lit Kansas City). There’s lots of celebrations for Christmas in the smaller towns — treelit streets, snow brought in for snowball fights, ice-skating under the palm trees. It seems every park, square, or small downtown has some sort of special Christmas celebration.

The result? I look forward to Christmas instead of dreading running in and out of the stores in the slush and the cold. It puts a silly smile, this California Christmas.

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Observances by Courtney