A Holiday Ski Trip in the Mountains

We spent the holidays away from home this year, from mid-December through New Year's Day. The first few days were all about Christmas festivities. The kids were in high spirits, decked out in Santa hats and reindeer antlers. I even broke out the requisite ugly Christmas sweater, complete with a giant cat. We gathered around the white Christmas tree, just enjoying the season indoors.

After the holiday itself, we got outside. We were up in the mountains, surrounded by snow and overlooking a massive lake. The first day we looked out, the sky was filled with clouds, but it cleared up beautifully after that, giving us crisp, bluebird days.

The main event was skiing. With the clear skies, the conditions were perfect. The slopes were wide open, with incredible views of the surrounding peaks and the lake down below. I spent a lot of time just making turns down the vast expanse of snow. It was great to be out on the mountain with the kids, bundled up in helmets and goggles, taking it all in.