Christmas in the National Park

A few years ago, I had a break from the holiday tradition as I found myself not at home for the holidays, for the first time ever. Upset though I was, I quickly discovered the joy in creating your own holiday traditions and memories.

A Christmas snowshoe excursion in to the park: this is what has come to take place every year since then. I gather friends, a camp stove, some fixings for a Christmas lunch (including mulled wine), and after strapping on snowshoes, we set off in to the beauty of fresh snow, crisp air and blue skies of the Colorado Rockies. Finding our own “perfect” tree, we congregate under it and cook a feast together. Simple, yet fun.

Franklin Roosevelt said that, "There is nothing so American as our national parks." There is also nothing as pristine, fulfilling, majestic, and awe-inspiring.

***
On the other side of the country, the White House is preparing for their holiday as well, where the tradition is to thematically decorate the gigantic Pennsylvania Ave. abode to the nines.

The theme this year: National Parks.

I’m guessing that President Bush probably did not choose this theme as a harkening back to holiday park ventures similar to mine, but I did smile inwardly at this year’s choice by the White House Executive staff.

The National Park decorations – including hand painted national park ornaments on the tree – were a decision that reflects President Bush’s Millennium Initiative: signed to invest over a billion dollars in parks over the next decade. The intent of this funding is to provide room for improvements in national parks, and the increased ability to hire more park rangers.

So whether it is inside or outside, spend a little time getting to know your local national park this year. What treasures does it hold? How can you come to love it year after year, and what value does it hold as part of an annual tradition?

For more information, please visit the White House or National Park Service websites.