[Image]  Even though we've had virtually no snow, there have been a number of activities that have helped us get ready for Christmas. One the kids enjoy every year is gingerbread making at the Border Inn. There was a good turnout, and the kids got to sit by their friends and talk and talk while they were making their creations.

Desert Boy made a fort. He was quite happy with his creation. Desert Girl had her barn fall down multiple times and was not happy. But we ate dinner there and then everything was better. If we just had some bacon we could have fixed everything (check out this song for our new cure-all).
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Another tradition is the school program. This was Desert Boy's first time performing trumpet in public. He started in the fall and did a nice rendition of Jingle Bells. [Image]
The younger kids waited, and Desert Girl peeked at me from under her fedora.
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Then the younger kids did their play, A Blast from the Past. It was really cute, as the kids looked at what old-time housewares and toys were like. Anyone want a washboard for Christmas?
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Desert Girl really likes acting.
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Then it was time for the older kids to perform The Great Big Holiday Bake Off. It had seven songs, so they had lots of singing and dancing to do. Desert Boy complained a lot about practices, but seemed to like the actual performance. [Image]
He was one of the judges in the hopes that he would get to do some actual taste testing on stage. That didn't happen, but he got plenty of treats afterwards.
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Santa made an appearance, which the kids really enjoy. [Image]
Also part of the Christmas schedule is the annual Christmas Bird Count. We got 53 species for the Snake Valley CBC this year, slightly above average. White-crowned sparrows were common.
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We've also been keeping track of our backyard birds and have something fun to announce in the next post!
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I also helped with the Ely CBC and got treated to this amazing view. I had no idea that there were limber pines overlooking the town.
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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Thanks for reading the blog.