Our Colorado Christmas

I opened up bins and pulled out Christmas decorations I haven't seen in a few years to decorate our home this year--our first official Christmas season living in Colorado!  The past few years my husband and I  traveled west to spend Christmas with our son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons, so I did not decorate in my house in New York.  Two years ago, after my daughter and soon to be son-in-law also moved to Colorado, we stayed at their apartment in Denver, near the Governor's Mansion, where we took an open house holiday tour of the same (click here to see that post). Last year, we were busy packing for our own cross country move, which took place a few weeks after Christmas, so all our decorations remained in their bins for another year.
So, it was fun to finally be able to decorate again this year and reminisce, as I put all our special memory ornaments on our Christmas tree. Some date back to the 70's when we were first married, and many were bought over the years in special places we visited, or were homemade by our children and now our grandchildren. Our Nativity set is displayed in a place of honor, as it has been since we purchased it on our very first Christmas. Santa Claus stands at the bottom of my staircase, where all our gifts are now wrapped and displayed, while a new little elf sits on my mantel.  I have enjoyed collecting Santa Claus figurines over the years and have some on my kitchen counters...

..while others sit on a table in my living room.

I even had room for a small Christmas tree in my kitchen this year, complete with a "Big Apple" felt tree topper ornament that a co-worker of my husband made for us!

My granddaughter had her first visit with Santa Claus at a very pretty Santa Land in the Park Meadows Mall this month. She did quite well, with no tears shed! Meanwhile, this year my grandsons, wearing their cute Christmas pj's, had an evening ride on the Santa Train at the Colorado Train Museum.

We also celebrated my grandson's fifth birthday this month!  He likes tales about Knights and Castles, so I made him a castle shaped cake complete with knights defending it.  Special effects in the photo are courtesy of Google Picasa who added them on without me doing a thing after I upload them to their web page.

Look at this cute effect Google Picasa added to a photo of my kitchen Elf figure hanging.  Santa Claus left a note to my grandsons in the envelope! ;)

My husband and I also took a day trip up to historic Georgetown, Colorado, last weekend, to enjoy the Christmas festivities in the Rocky Mountains.

Georgetown had its beginnings in 1859 as a gold and silver mine town. Now, much of it is a Historic National Landmark full of charming old buildings, especially 6th Street, which is full of shops and restaurants. (All photos will enlarge for easier viewing by clicking on them)

We enjoyed listening to carolers sing, having some roasted chestnuts and a big freshly baked pretzel to eat, window shopping, and taking a horse-drawn carriage ride around town. I bought my husband a cowboy hat in one of the stores, as I thought he looked great in it! What do you think?

Another Google Picasa effect in this photo we took of a creek in Georgetown. 

Christmas Nativity in front of the Denver City and County Building -- part of the illumination of Denver for Christmas--click here to see that post.

Now, in these last few days before Christmas, I am busy baking and planning my traditional Italian "Feast of the Seven Fishes" we have on Christmas Eve, while we look forward to joyfully welcoming the birth of Christ the King on Christmas Day!  We have much to be thankful for, and much to celebrate, as the year 2013 comes to a close.  The greatest joy of my life is being close to my family again and being able to watch. my grandchildren grow up. That is what life is all about for me!  It has been a wonderful first year living in Colorado, and I look forward to what 2014 brings. May good health and happiness be ours, and yours!

I wish you all a very Merry and Blessed Christmas!

Denver's Christkindl Market

Denver's authentic German-style Christkindl Market is a joyful place to see, shop, and dine.
(All photos in this post will enlarge if clicked on)

The market is free to attend and is located in Skyline Park in downtown Denver, right across the street from the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower on the 16 Street Mall that I showed in a previous post about the Christmas Illumination of the city of Denver. (click here to see that post).  

It is open Sunday through Thursday from 11am until 7pm and Friday and Saturdays from 11am until 9pm. This year it will remain open until December 22, an extra day due to the inclement weather earlier in the month.

It was lovely to stroll from booth to booth and see the merchandise that was for sale.

Last year I visited the famous Christkindl market in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (click here to read that post), and while Denver's market is not quite as large, it was still full of a wonderful assortment of vendors

At one point during the evening, a group of students from a local school sang Christmas carols, which added to the shopping experience.

I liked the large, illuminated paper stars...

...and the glassblowers' display of mouth-blown glass ornaments.

This booth was selling handmade Polish Pottery...

...while this booth had gorgeous handmade lace pieces for sale

This collage shows just some of the variety of unique items for sale.

There were also food vendors, such as this one selling German and European cookies, candies and other treats such as Christstollen, Lebkuchen, and strudel.

This booth had German and other European deli items for sale.

There was also authentic German cuisine for sale, such as Sauerbraten, Brats, Spazele, Goulash, Schnitzel, etc., that you could buy and then sit inside at long tables in a heated tent. Inside the tent, you could purchase authentic German beers on tap to go with your meal, or spiced warm wine called"Gluhwein," (click here for a recipe!) plus non-alcoholic drinks.

The tent was large and brightly lit, with plenty of seating.

The main stage in the tent had authentic German music and entertainment. Click here for the 2013 entertainment schedule.

This is what I purchased at the market this year. The German glass and wooden ornaments on the left were gifts, while the clear glass blown ornament and icicles I purchased for my Christmas tree.  Do you know the legend of the pickle ornament? It is supposed to be placed on the tree on Christmas Eve, and the child that finds it first on Christmas morning is supposed to get an extra little gift.  Doing some research I found that this really isn't an old German custom, but rather a new one invented recently, but even so I thought my grandsons would like to search their tree for the pickle.

My husband and I really enjoyed shopping at Denver's 13th annual Christkindl Market, and hope to make attending it a yearly tradition!