A Colorado Christmas

If one can have a spirit state, mine is Colorado. Husband and I spent this Christmas in Boulder with his family. And if anything can distract me from missing my family and traditions, it's nature and good food, both of which exceeded my expectations on this trip.

With an extended vacation on the horizon, I have no time off work. On Christmas Eve, I was up and working at 6:30 am (after arriving late on Wednesday) at Boxcar Coffee Roasters to stay on par with Eastern Time. As a morning person, I much enjoyed these hours. Plus, it provided an excuse to try a couple Boulder coffee shops—something I relish when traveling. (And an excuse to pass on running, though I brought my gear, the weather was frigid.) I should also mention caffeine is a mandatory additive when you travel at my pace. (We later sampled coffee at The Cup Espresso Cafe and Oxo Coffee Co.) Alas, all the coffee and hard work on this particular morning called for a breakfast at The Buff, where dollar Bloody Mary’s were on the menu. Yes, please! The food was quite yummy. Though as I proceeded to eat my way through Boulder, nothing disappointed me. There was my favorite salad at Christmas Eve, made by my mother in law. There was eggs benedict for Christmas breakfast, Yorkshire pudding for dinner. A diner breakfast at The Village, where the slogan captured my heart: "890 sq. ft. of reality surrounded by Boulder." The dinner at Jax stole the show. Oh my goodness, heaven on plate after plate—a true food experience. The next morning we whipped up a mighty fine pre-outdoors breakfast with Christmas leftovers. And what does hunger call for at the end of a long day? Margaritas at Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant! On our last day, when I should not have been able to fit in my clothes, we squeezed in one more scrumptious lunch at Fate Brewing Company. That meal was nearly eight hours ago as I pound away on my keyboard on the flight home and I’m still not even mildly hungry. True overindulgence. I had no idea Boulder had so many delights waiting for me. Every time I thought I had experienced a Rocky Mountain high, something better touched my palate.

While we were there, the temperatures did not rise above 25 degrees, which was quite the contrast from the way Washington, DC has been. The bitter cold definitely brightened the holiday spirit! And in a town like Boulder, no one is slowed by the chill. We were out for long walks—along Boulder Creek and through University of Colorado’s campus. We hiked Wonderland Lake Trail, Buckingham Park, and Chautauqua Park. We saw the sights along Gross Reservoir. And we snowshoed in Rocky Mountain National Park, an obvious vacation highlight!

All the eating. And all the nature.