Life: A Christmas Village

When we first drove into town at night, my first thought was that Breckenridge looked like one of those collectible Christmas villages. I don't have a good night photo to show you, but trust me on this. As we were sitting in a bar one evening, we ran into some college kids on spring break, and they had the exact same description: Christmas village.

As we wandered around town, the sidewalks full of snow and surrounded by big mounds of shoveled snow, I realized that this is the image that Hollywood likes to depict as a typical Christmas.

Maybe that's because all the celebrities vacation in nearby Aspen and Vail. Or perhaps it was simply because so many Christmas decorations were still up along the street and that was influencing my perceptions.

All I know is that a snow-scene in Breckenridge felt so different from a snow-scene at home in Chicago. First off, there was so much more snow. See our rental house? See the mounds of snow? It was crazy.

And what was even crazier to me was that we would willingly choose to sit outside with this snow while having a drink or waiting for a dinner table. We'd never do that at home.

There was some strange Christmas vibe in the air. Even in March. Perhaps it was the altitude.