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There is nothing like experiencing Christmas with a 3 year old; that is unless you are sick and the 3 year old isn’t. Kathryn and I came down with nasty colds the weekend before Christmas, forcing us to cancel our plan trips to visit each side of the family. Meanwhile we were house bound and Eric was bouncing off the walls. Fortunately Jen invited him to make cookies one afternoon and we got better. (I heartily endorse Zicam to abate cold symptoms). Christmas eve we went to the early church service, came home for dinner and then set out milk & cookies for Santa and reindeer food (oatmeal with sprinkles); magically they all got eaten.

Christmas Day Ed & family and Billie Jo & Dakota joined us for a chaotic period of opening presents followed by Christmas dinner.

Eric got some cool toys:

Cubero - a wooden blocks with grooves and tunnels cut in them for marbles to track along.

• Elefun – a fan powered elephant head/trunk that shoots ‘butterflies’ into the air for capture with a net

Snow sleds (we have no snow), picture bingo, card games, Playdough, and dinosaur puzzles

Kathryn received fleece pants and a hoodie, a singing bird book, an iPod and a soft boiled egg aid that turns color as the eggs cook. (She got a iHome/iPod radio for her birthday 4 days later.) I received hiking shoes, a water filter and snowshoeing and waterfall trail guides. Despite the sickness and canceled family visits it was one of the nicer holiday seasons.

Our wily webmaster was contacted by a NYS Guide looking for some winter pictures to use on her web site to showcase winter camping and outdoor activities. For a modest fee we provided her choice of pictures. Our link is finally up on Adirondack Safaris The WinterCampers.com link appears on the pictures and also at the very bottom of the web page. Well done!

Every once in awhile you see an item and it just fits as a present. Alex received the Grow-A-Geek.

This past weekend WinterCampers.com seized upon a target of opportunity (free time and convenient proximity) to go camping on Terrace Mtn in Schoharie. During our Murphy Lake trip we realized several of us had the weekend free and since I would be in Schoharie helping my mom we decided on an impromptu camping trip on Terrace Mtn. When I was in High School our outing club “The Schoharie County Canoeing, Cliff Climbing and Pit Plunging Club” (all 4 of us) used to rock climb and rappel on the cliffs (the rocks were much younger then). The Lawtons, who own 300 acres on the top of Terrace Mtn along the cliffs, permitted us to overnight on their land. We had eight participants including 1st timers Kyle & Ryan. We took a short hike to overlook the valley, cooked burgers and hot dogs and chatted up the night around a nice fire. The weather was warm- about 29 degrees and breezy at bed time and warming up to 34 degrees by morning time. Who would have thought it would be so warm in mid-December?

Santa came to the classroom and each kid got to sit on his lap and tell what he/she wanted for Christmas. Clearly, all but one of these children have done this before. Eric seemed a little unsure of the whole process. We got a few neat pictures of the expression on his face as he waited his turn. When he got to talk to Santa and was asked what he wanted he said he “didn’t know yet.” Actually we was quite proud of that, as all the other consumer-istic kids rattled off lists a mile long. Very interesting. However, we the impression Eric has vowed to himself not to be caught off guard again.