An Arctic Blast!

Well, one thing is for certain.  I don't think I will ever have to "dream" about a White Christmas again, as long as I live in Colorado! I don't even need a Christmas tree when I can look out my window and see beautiful snow encrusted evergreens like these.

It snowed all day yesterday. Fine, steady snow that left about 6 inches of powder on the ground. The photos above almost look like they were taken in black and white...

...but as you can see by this close-up, they were not!

Today the sun came out, but the temperatures stayed below 0 and the low single digits. We and other portions of the NW and West are experiencing an "Arctic Blast" cold front that has been creating record-breaking cold temperatures.  I heard on the news tonight that the Denver International Airport is expecting the temperature to be minus 15 degrees! Just in time for my husband's arrival.  He is returning home tonight from a business trip to NYC. When he left last Sunday, the temperatures were in the low to mid 60's, so he wore a light jacket. Fortunately, my son-in-law will be picking him up from the airport, and will bring my husband's warm winter coat along!

Even though it was subzero today I took a walk and appreciated how our community clears the paved trails.  This is unusual weather for Colorado, but they handle snow well here and are a hardy bunch that enjoys the winter weather. Schools have been open through this snow and cold spell and life have continued as usual. 

I'm sure there have been lots of hot chocolate consumed the past few days--I know I had a few cups, myself.  Drinking it from a Santa mug and adding some whip cream makes it extra special!

I shoveled the snow from our driveway all by myself. It's a big job, but good exercise. I handled it quite well by just pushing the snow off back and forth, like a plow would, without lifting. The snow here is lighter and fluffier than what we had back east. Non-the-less, I'll be happy when we pick up the snowblower we ordered and do in ten minutes what took me an hour manually.

I'll leave you with these photos of this year's Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.  (Click photo to enlarge) My husband attended an industry Christmas party a few blocks away last evening,  It was the night of the big annual tree lighting ceremony.  Did you watch it on TV? The barricades were still up, and security would not yet let anyone get close to the tree, so my husband took these quick photos with his cell phone before catching a cab back to the hotel.  He also let me hear the Saks department store Christmas song over speakerphone.  It made me feel quite nostalgic.  Every Christmas we would make a trip to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and watch the Saks light show. Click this link to see last year's tree and other sights from NYC.  You can watch the "Snowflake and the Bubble" light and song show on the Saks Department store at this link. 

New York is magical at Christmas time, but so is Denver, in its own way. I hope it warms up a little soon here so I can get out and show you!