Christmas in Wyoming

Our annual trip to Wyoming for Christmas was even more exciting as we would be bringing home M to meet her family, most for the first time. It’s roughly a 16-hour trip. We decided to make it a two-day trip, stopping in Elko, Nevada, for the overnight stay. Maggie and Katy traveled in the front with J to help him navigate. About an hour from home the roads got a little snowy. As you can see from the picture, concentration was high as the navigators assisted the driver through Snake River Canyon.


Having never traveled this distance with M, we weren’t sure what to expect. But I must say, she was a trooper! She didn’t take long naps like I had hoped, but it really didn’t matter. We hung out in the back together and had a grand time. This picture was taken about an hour from home on the second day of our trip. She was as happy here as she was when we left the house the day before! Maybe it was the stories about Santa Claus that kept her smiling.

One of the many reasons Christmas in Wyoming holds such a special place in my heart is our annual Christmas Eve tradition. Mom tells me it started with my great grandma in the 40’s, but all I know is that it has left me with wonderful memories. Every Christmas Eve, the F family and friends gather for a great dinner. After dinner, Santa arrives with toys for the little ones. In my years of growing up, we never missed a Christmas Eve at Grandma’s house. During the last few years, Christmas Eve has gotten too big for Grandma’s house and is now held at the local senior citizen center. (Nearly 70 people attended this year.) It’s a beautiful building, decorated for the season, and big enough for the occasion. I could hardly wait for M to sit on Santa’s lap.

I assured Santa that M had been a very good girl this year, but he already knew that. As a young woman dreaming about the day she would get married and have children of her own, I can’t begin to tell you what this evening meant to me. I remember several Christmas Eve’s of waiting for Santa to come to Grandma’s house and now our baby daughter was experiencing it for the first time. I know it will be harder to travel with M as she gets older, but I hope this is a tradition we continue.

Another reason I look forward to this night is the chance to see and visit with family we may only see once a year. As my cousins’ own children get bigger, it gets harder to get home for Christmas. This year was no exception as the weather was not kind. However, it was great to see M and A and their kids, as well as all my other aunts, uncles, and cousins. It’s not often that we are all together, but we made it happen this year.


After Santa, family pictures are taken. It takes awhile to gather the troops, but we did our best in this one. Behind J and me is my brother, M. As you can tell, he stole my height. Luckily, I got all the looks, ha ha ha ha! And the really tall guy in back, well, he’s not related to any of us. Art is a friend of my nephew, J. J and A attend the College of Southern Idaho where A plays basketball and J is the student trainer. My lovely niece, K, is on the far right, next to J. Mom is standing next to me with Grandma in the front. My sister-in-law, D, is peeking through there. In the back next to A is J, to J’s left is my dad. And in the front are D’s parents, R and M.


J and I were able to get our family picture taken with M. By this time, she had been passed around like a hot potato and was still in good spirits. Big cousin, J, took a few minutes to bond with the newest addition. I know this is such a cliché, but it seems just like yesterday when we were all passing around J!