Holidays were made for nostalgia and celebration. Sure, the wild-cut Christmas trees, snowfields, and sparkly lights make the days feel more magical than most, but spending these past two weeks around friends-turned-family has been the perfect respite after a busy semester.
Christmas Eve in Buena Vista has been one of those clear, cold, Colorado bluebird days. Cozy East Main apartments, warm Roastery caramel lattes, comfy green chairs with picture-perfect views of the mountains – what a perfect setting for reading and writing and dreaming for 2020 and beyond.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about how the spaces we call home (if even for a short while) shape and shift our perspectives on our relationships and the world around us. To me, the Northwoods has been a setting for bunkering down, settling in, building new friendships, and writing new words born out of a space that sometimes feels claustrophobic (so. many. trees.).
These mountains and this Ark River Valley, however, fill my lungs with fresh air and this land feels a bit wilder and unsettled – perfectly suited for these big skies and bigger dreams. Something changes in the rhythm of life on the drive from Denver International to the town with the “beautiful view,” and I can’t believe I’m blessed enough to call this place home.
My first blog was nearly six years ago, and I still have yet to figure out exactly what is the purpose of these posts. What I do know that writing, communicating, and relating honestly is the truest thing we can do for ourselves and the people around us. So here are a few honest snapshots of my Christmastime in Colorado. Because why not?
- Holiday music drifting in and out of open storefronts
- Yearling mule deer scrambling up snowy banks at Deer Valley Ranch
- Boisterous Christmas parties followed by late-night road trips and drowsy conversations
- Worship music concerts, party of one, at the Loft Theater
- Breakfast and french press coffee with friends in idyllic mountain cabins
- Frosty eyelashes on the slopes of Monarch Mountain (nevermind the tumbles and falls – I eventually remembered how to turn)
- Screenings of “Klaus” – by far my new favorite Christmas movie (catch it on Netflix, 12/10 would recommend)
- Cross-legged gift exchanges with friends who simply “get” you
- Snowy rides across frozen pastures, watching horses happily dozing in the sun
So here’s to the end of 2019, to the beginning of a new decade, and to our Savior who came to us as a baby in a stable. Merry Christmas, friends.
Rebecca Sheriff - Reflections 