Bay Area Christmas 2008

I have never been a big fan of winter.
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Growing up as a kid in Florida just knocks the zeal for snowy days right out of you I guess. All those cold temperatures, slushy roads, and wearing far too many layers of clothes simply don't interest me anymore. I suppose that's why the Bay Area suits me just fine. If you want snow that's no problem, just drive a couple of hours into the mountains and you can get your fill of the stuff. Once you're done, drive back home to balmier temps. Very civilized.
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On the other hand, if you want to go to the beach without freezing your tooties off you can do that as well here (photo evidence above). Yeah OK, it's not like you can lounge around in a swimsuit or anything, but at least you can be outside at the sea without the risk of hypothermia.

Christmas this year saw my my mother and stepfather come out to stay with us for a couple of weeks. We had the big meals, we opened all the gifts, and the boys are now old enough to grasp the concept that a large man in a red suit will come down the chimney to bring them toys.
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That was great. The fact that my sons implicitly believed that in the course of one night a single guy would fly around the world and stop at each and every house to deliver the Christmas goods was pretty interesting. There was not a single question from the kids of how this was possible. The physics of it all were not challenged, they simply believed. How cool is that?
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They're still not old enough to get the whole idea of this Santa thing, but next year? Hoo-boy, it'll be full-on indeed.

Through the entire escapade of the holiday season activity and all that it brings, my best memory of Christmas this year though is a little one. A simple one. Something that says more about this time of year than any amount of gifts, or meals, or visits to Santa at the mall will ever convey.
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On the day my mom and stepdad were leaving, they were busily packing up and loading the car for their trip to the airport (they were returning back to frigid Michigan where it was like, minus 20 or something with snow up to the armpits - hence another reason I like the Bay Area in winter). There was a lot of coming and going as the suitcases were packed and shuffled out to the car. The boys looked on all of this and understood that Nana and Grandad were leaving.
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Now, during the course of their stay my mom and stepdad were great with the kids. They engaged with them as grandparents should and showered them with the kind of attention that only grandparents can. My stepfather spent a lot of time on the floor with the boys playing cars with them. We're talking about a 6'4" man in his sixties rolling about with two little boys pushing toy cars around ..... for hours. That's some real Grandad dedication.
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So anyway, as they were getting ready to leave, my stepfather went to say his final farewell to the kids. They gave the hugs and said their goodbyes. As he turned to leave, Finn walked back to my stepdad, held out his arm and said: "Here Grandad, this is for you".
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In his palm was a little toy car.
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No one told Finn to do this. There was no prompting. It was a simple act of pure giving on his own part. His Grandad had spent all of that time playing cars with him and now he altruistically wanted to give back in a way that makes sense to a 2 1/2 year old. Looking on at this, I felt a tweak in my heart and knew right then that this was the best thing I've seen all Christmas.
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My stepfather was a bit surprised as well and didn't know what to do right away either. He sort of went to give the little car to me, but Finn said: "No grandad, it's for you". My stepfather and looked at each other and I told him to put it in his pocket. He did, and Finn went back to watching TV or something.

In a flash that moment was over, but it will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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The extra bonus was that all of this happened on a 60 degree sunny day in California. The true spirit of selfless giving AND good weather? Yeah, that's a win.