Outdoors with Don Q: Christmas from our house to yours

Whether you are young or old, Christmas is an enjoyable time of the year. Christmas has always been and will always be very special to me. It has been a holiday occasion that, through the years, our family has enjoyed here in Carson City or at the Quilici Cabin near Davis Lake, Calif.

Our most enjoyable Christmas was the one when Elaine and I, plus our son (Jim) and daughter-in-law (Kathi) had to snowshoe in a snowstorm to our cabin on Christmas Eve. Then later, when we looked outside, it was just like a Currier and Ives postcard. The snow covered area was spectacular.

Christmas is a special occasion in our world due to the combination of all kinds of fun-filled activities in the month of December including:

Putting up the family tree:
Whether it is personally cut in the forest, bought from a tree yard or is an artificial one stored in a box, it makes the holiday season very special.
Ours is a small artificial tree, here in Carson City and at the cabin.

02. Decorating that tree with all kinds of ornaments and colored lights:
There are special ornaments from our many visits to Alaska which bring back fond memories, as they hang on the Carson City tree. What better way to remember that Far North State than at home in the wintertime.

03. Decorating the front room with Christmas decorations:
At our home, we have a Christmas Manger set in the front room on a side table with all kinds of figurines, plus Christmas decorations all over the house, including a Santa hat on the horns of my Rocky Mountain Goat.

04. Sending Christmas cards to friends, relatives and neighbors:
We like to send cards to a whole host of friends and relatives, but Holy Moly, nowadays, postage costs as much as the cards! Sad but true! I think we are going to switch to E-Cards in the future. It's cheaper and a lot faster!

05. Receiving Christmas cards from friends, relatives and neighbors:
We like to display our cards on the front room coffee table until New Year's Day when we take them down. Until then, it is quite a collection of colorful cards of all shapes and sizes from all over the country.

06. Creating photos calendars for special friends, relatives or neighbors:
There are about a dozen different calendars we create from photos specific to an individual, and we also try, when possible, to match a photo with a particular month. It is an awesome, inexpensive gift that lasts all year long.

07. Selecting and buying gifts for those special people in your life:
This is a "Secret" shopping outing, where no one else is allowed to accompany you while shopping at various stores. Then you return home and secretly wrap the gifts for placing under the Christmas tree.

08. Enjoying the downtown Christmas sights:
They include the official Christmas tree, the lighted trees on the Capitol grounds, street lights along Carson Street, ice skaters at Arlington Square, Governor's Mansion and the colorful decorations at homes and in stores.

09. Driving around at night, to see Christmas lights and decorations:
It has become a family tradition to drive all over Carson City after dark, during the week before Christmas, to see the colorful lights and decorations.
Our favorite locations are on the southeast side of town.

10. Listening to music on Christmas Eve:
That music includes: Adeste Fideles, Deck The Halls, Jiggle Bells, Let It Snow, Silent Night, I'll Be Home For Christmas, I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Joy To The World and Silver Bells.

11. Enjoying a special dinner on Christmas Eve:
What better way to dine than with a prime rib roast, twice-baked potatoes, horseradish, Caesar Salad, Green Beans Almandine, hot rolls and butter, plus a dessert of peach pie with vanilla bean ice cream. YUM! YUM!

12. Reading the poem "The Night Before Christmas":
It has become a yearly tradition in our home for Don Q to wear a Santa hat, everyone else gathers around and then I recite that poem to all of the other members of the family.

13. After the poem, opening one present and anticipating the opening of the rest of the presents on Christmas morning:
Each person gets to select one of their presents to open and show to everyone else, and as with opening the remainder of the presents on Christmas, the oldest person always goes first.

14. After opening the one present, watching Christmas movies:
Our personal favorites include: "Christmas Carol," "Christmas Vacation," "Christmas Vacation 2," "Deck The Halls," "Santa Claus," "Santa Claus II," and "White Christmas," with "White Christmas," a must-see, every year.

15. Drinking a cup of Eggnog:
A great sipping drink to enjoy while watching the movies, and especially when the Eggnog is spiked with rum and topped with whipped cream. You can't stop by only drinking one cupful.

16: Christmas morning breakfast:
Another family tradition of: Orange juice, French Toast made with Panetone Bread, scrambled eggs, thick sliced bacon and hot coffee. All of this served on special Christmas dishes on a special Christmas tablecloth.

17: Opening the presents:
This also includes each person's Christmas stocking filled with small goodies. We take turns opening all the presents (the oldest person always goes first), and showing whatever you have received to everyone else.

Finally,
With all of that said, what better way to end this article than to say:
MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now. Don's wife, Elaine, is the Outdoor photographer. They live in Carson City and can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.