Treeless Tree-Hunting Trip

We just could not celebrate Christmas without going to the Bear Lake Cabin! It had to happen. This year we went even though we had no intention of hunting for a tree. The Burnetts were not able to go the weekend of Thanksgiving or the weekends before or after, and we ourselves just got too sad thinking of waiting until halfway through December to get our tree up. So....we ended up making a tree-free tree-trip. We wondered if it was going to feel empty or lacking at all, but you know what, it wasn't. It was another wonderful weekend together in the hills around Bear Lake with dear friends. 

There were a few hiccups - for starters, our dear Inigo the Land Cruiser is getting new guts installed and has been in the shop for several months now. We really miss him. And we can not traverse the snowy hills of Idaho without a four wheel drive vehicle. Lucky for us Mary just so happens to have two Chevy Tahoes. I do not know why or how. But yay! We could still go. Also there were a few little generator glitches but nothing that kept us without power for too long.

You would think that without our big excursion on Saturday we might have gotten a little bored. Instead we just burrowed right in to that cozy cabin and made the most of a very relaxing time. Of course we had a great time cooking and eating together. There were lots of games - the kids played several rounds of their favorite game, The Sheriff of Nottingham. And of course, my favorite part, a very heavy dose of Christmas movies. 

Troy and Mary and I did slip away for a drive up the hill and a not-very-long walk along the crest, looking around some old building left-overs and enjoying a very beautiful view.

I'm very grateful for the chance we have to visit this beautiful place with some of our favorite friends. It was still a great part of our holiday, even without the expedition up the snowy canyon and search for the perfect Christmas tree. Instead we got to come home to our already decorated house and tree and just flip on the lights. It was really much easier than usual.

Chase had a lot of fun wandering around looking for photos to take - he has a good eye: