Christmas in Taos, NM

Our holiday tradition the past seven or eight years is getting together at a mutually-decided-upon location for a "destination Christmas." We rent a house (or, as the family grows, two!), share the costs, everyone signs up for a meal and cooks/cleans that day and it is relaxing and stress-free for all!  

This year we chose Taos, New Mexico, thinking the little guys would be ready for a wintery Christmas.  We all had a grand time - the adults went cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and the boys enjoyed their first snowball fights and sledding. 

We attended the amazing bonfire-lighting ceremony and procession of the Virgin Mary at the Taos Pueblo at dusk on Christmas eve. It was quite a sight! Then at midnight Bill and I returned for Midnight Mass at the tiny San Geronimo Mission Church at the Pueblo. This was also an extraordinary experience - the Pueblo has no electricity so it was very dark when we arrived, with only a few bonfires still glowing. (Luckily we had our phones with us!) The church is lit with a few gas lights and the choir was accompanied by a pump organ. 

We had a white Christmas!

Home away from home for a week

The whole crew!

First snow and snowballs

They loved the sledding

Decorating their own little tree

Making graham cracker gingerbread houses - one candy for the
mouth, one for the house!

I feel so blessed that everyone still wants to get together each year and that everyone gets along! I cherish these times as I know it will become more and more difficult as our family grows and changes.

Hope everyone had a beautiful holiday! Now on to the new year!