Christmas in Silverton

At last---a posting about our wonderful Silverton Christmas!! It was grand to have Suzanne and Travis and their families come for a week with Maggie's mom, Ann, and her friend Eric joining us for a few days at Christmas. We didn't have a great deal of snow but it was enough for playing in, sledding, and making snow angels in the backyard.

Our lovely Maggie, enjoying day...

Silverton from Anvil Mountain...

Of course, there were gingerbread houses to

trim (Audrey and James had such fun!).

Finn carefully adds hearts to his roof...hereally was having fun, though he looks like
it's serious business, doesn't he? He was
making a repeating color pattern and ran out of purple hearts.

Books are always popular at my house---with everyone. During our week there always seemed to someone on the chaise in the sun room enjoying their book. At the same time there was

usually an adult in the living room by the fire, reading to one or both of the children---and the number of books that found their way into giftwrap and under the tree was amazing! Here are

Travis and Finn enjoying a cozy moment by the fire...

We had a wonderful time riding the Polar

Express in Durango (see note at end about

pictures of the PE). Here James, Suzie,

and Audrey enjoy each other at

a pub where we had dinner before boarding

the train.

Finn and I enjoyed our dinner, too. Finn is

dressed in his pajamas and warm plaid robe

for the trainride---the children are urged to

come in pajamas and robes, just like in the

book! (The entire experience was so magical

that I think I should have worn my pjs too!)








Santa always faithfully comes to the Silverton

Town Tree on December 24th at 1 pm. Suzie and Audrey joined him in his shiny red sleigh to explain that what Audrey really wanted for

Christmas was a Minnie Mouse with a bow!

Next it was Finn's turn to explain to Ol' St.

Nick that what he really, really needed was

a truck and trailer that carried a helicopter!

Whew! Poor Santa---though he seemed to

take it all in stride.

(The local newspaper even had a full-page photo

of Finn and Santa on the front page the next

week---guess the editor could tell that they

were doing some sincere information exchanging!)

Santa came through with Minnie (three bows!) and the helicopter arrangement so we had two

happy young ones on Christmas Day! That

night they dressed up in their new Christmas

pajamas (gifts from Audrey's Denver grand-parents) and posed by my tree. These two

cousins have such a fine time...

Time to go sledding!!! En route,Suzie, Travis, Audre and Finn took a jaunt up the street "to town" to see their friend, Scott...








...having to be very careful to avoid the
heavy holiday traffic on Silverton's main
street on the way...

Suzanne and Travis got right back into the

fun of sledding---just like years ago. Audrey

and Finn loved the speed and would ride and

ride and ride and ride....

I seem to have lost my photo of Audrey

and James sledding... if I would post more

blogs I would get this all figured out---perhaps!

When Travis and Suzie were children they
loved racing on their sleds so, yep, they were
right back at it. Audrey and Finn were the
winners because it took a lot of trips up and
down the hill to attempt to determine a
winner!!!

Silverton's Town Tree is just up the main street from my house a few blocks---still
a lot of heavy holiday traffic with which to contend!

One of my favorite parts of the holiday was having us

all at Christmas Eve church in our old Victorian church.

Walking home through the crunchy snow under the vast

array of stars that we can see was a special treat.

Please click on the Heskin Family blog and Travis and Maggie

(links at the side of this one) for great pictures

and tales about the Polar Express.

Thanks to James for so many great pictures---we are so

lucky to have a great family photographer.

Thanks to everyone for coming. It was a lovely holiday for the hostess!!! XXOOXX