We hosted some folks for Christmas Eve. It was a bit of a Moving Day reunion actually. So nice to be in our new house in time for the holidays! There are still a few boxes yet to be unpacking and I’ll be darned if my glassybaby candle holders weren’t in the very last of the boxes waiting to be unpacked. I really didn’t think we could host a holiday dinner party without them, but somehow we managed. 

We are having a great time starting new traditions for our family and for Lake. 

So far our neighborhood has heralded many delightful surprises with near daily revealings. Our neighbors introduced themselves last weekend and it turns out we struck neighbor gold. We could not have asked for a nicer family, except maybe if they had a son Lake’s age. Then presto, the very day after meeting them, their son was born. Now, at one week old, Peter is a promising young playmate. We have already bumped into him out cruising the neighborhood, hanging with his family out in front of the local coffee shop. And there are more great neighbors too. And even more red headed boys! What fortune! New house, new neighborhood, new neighbors, new friends new traditions; some Christmas!

My family has a bit of a tradition for a holiday walk before dinner, any holiday will do. So this Christmas Eve, although it was cold and rapidly becoming dark, we bundled up Lake and set out towards the forested ravine of Ravenna Park just a few blocks north of us. We walked all the way through the ravine and then it was becoming darker so we headed back home by way of Ravenna Boulevard. In the process of our homeward bound predinner perambulation we discovered we live very close to Candy Cane Lane. I was perfectly delighted by the surprise!

Some Christmas Eve! We are already looking forward to next years’ festivities to share with family, friends and Lake! Candy Cane Lane will surely become one of Lake’s fond memories of our Christmas Eve traditions.