Winter Chill

At the Queen Mary for "Chill"

Last year my nephew was making his Christmas wish list and after a while of contemplating what material gift he most desired he turned to me and very seriously said, “Tia, I have experimented with all the toys in the world and what I want most this Christmas is to go to the snow.”  While Big Bear is about two hours away from where I live, my nephew’s parents weren’t too excited about letting me take him.  Thus, we never made it, but his wished remained with me throughout the year and this year when I discovered that the Queen Mary was hosting “Chill” I decided that we must investigate...  We entered an igloo in rented parkas for the temperature was nine degrees and inside large, colorful, ice sculptures retold the Nutcracker story.  In the center of the story was an ice replica of the Queen Mary with ice slides to use and of course my nephew & I tried them out a few times.  On the other side of the Igloo there was a slide for tubing or an ice skating rink – we decided to go with the first choice.    

The Nutcracker in Ice...

Tubing...

During one of the Christmas time homilies I recalled a message from one of the priests stating the importance of spending quality time with your children instead of buying them gifts they will quickly discard.  I think this message goes for all your relationships; spending time with one another is the best gift we can give each another.  While reading The Five Love Languages, I discovered that this is my primary love language.  In Mexico, the whole material gift giving for Christmas is not a part of the holiday celebration- there the whole festivity has to do with spending time with God and family.  My parents brought those values with them to California and we love spending time with each other - talking, listening and sharing laughs.  In fact, sometimes when I start to spend too much time doing church activities they let me know that I am missed and this helps me lead a balance life… 

Silliness...

Happiness & Togetherness...

The Ice Princess

This year in my advent group my friend asked the question: “What did you get for Christmas last year?”  And none of the six of us in the group could remember…   While the American Commercialized Christmas is all about the gifts – the reality is that they really don’t matter that much.  I had many Christmases without presents as a child, yet recalling those memories of years past I only remember so much happiness and togetherness (smile). 

Shivering Cold...