Family Christmas Eve in Truckee
Christmas Eve at the house in Truckee. One of the ornaments out this year is a small brass frame on a chain with an old photo inside — the whole family in costume, Santa suit, elf outfits, the girls still little with the elf hats sliding off. Hard to say how many Christmases ago that was.
By late afternoon the big pine off the deck had gone white with frost, the sky behind it that deep blue it only holds for a few minutes.
After dark, Santa arrived with a full sack and took the chair by the tall tree. The kids went up one at a time and came away with presents wrapped in white, and once the sack was empty the grown-ups lined up for their turn beside him too, the dog wandering through everyone's legs.
The other tree, the real one, stands next to the wood stove — glass ornaments, bead garland, presents stacked underneath. Fire going with the stove door open, close enough to the branches that somebody kept an eye on it all night.
