Fall in love with Leavenworth

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The Christmas merriment is fading as we’re decluttering room by room (the kids’ favorite – not) and the rain’s pouring nonstop. The longing to jump on a plane to go somewhere, ANYWHERE, is palpable….but sigh, it’s just not going to happen right now. So, it’s time to settle into what I call my “arm-chair” travel season – where I read about all the places I need to visit, make notes, add articles to my travel binders (yes, I’m a nerd that way – so far I have 7 binders full so far!) and DREAM of the next trip. The arm-chair season is also a great time to reminisce by looking at photos from past adventures and treasuring the memories.

And that’s exactly what I was doing when it gave me the idea for this post. Four years ago we visited Leavenworth, Washington the week after Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Nice. I can’t think of a better cold-weather destination for holiday cheer and magic. Maybe this post will inspire you to plan a trip to Leavenworth next winter…

Leavenworth is nestled at the base of the Cascade mountains about 112 miles east of Seattle. Reinvented as a Bavarian village in the 1960’s to revitalize its depressed economy, it’s billed as a year-round destination for its recreation opportunities, festivals, events, and natural beauty.  But come December, this little gem sparkles its brightest. By day we spent hours sledding and cross country skiing amidst the back drop of snowy peaks reminiscent of the Alps. There are over 25 kilometers of groomed Nordic trails right in town. There’s also downhill skiing nearby, as well as snow mobiling and snow shoeing opportunities.

After thawing out by the fire we’d bundle up to stroll downtown. The frosty air, glittery holiday lights, ice skaters in the town square, and festive music truly makes it feel like a winter wonderland. Walking around, arms linked for body heat, under the mystical lights and twinkling stars was a focal point for me.

Thanks to my 4 years of German in high school, I could understand some of the basics, like “Herzliches Wilkommen zum Leavenworth” (which translates to “Warm Welcome to Leavenworth”). The Bavarian (southern German) theme is woven into the texture of the city, and while there’s no mistake it’s a tourist destination, Leavenworth’s Christmasy charm is hard to resist. The downtown core is packed with all kinds of shops, galleries, and boutiques. Definitely bring some cash for shopping and you can take care of everyone on your list. The dining options venture way beyond traditional German sausage and sauerkraut. We only ate out a couple of times, once at an Italian restaurant and once at a family-friendly brewpub, and both were simply delicious.

One of our highlights was an authentic sleigh ride. I distinctly remember William getting fussy because his 3 1/2 year old body practically froze out, but it’s one of those don’t-miss outings in Leavenworth. Red Tail Canyon Farms provides a real “over the river and through the woods” sleigh ride on their working draft horse farm. Sleigh-riders may be inspired to break out in Jingle Bells as they cruise along under pines laden with fresh snowfall. If you go, be aware the sleigh ride can be chill-to-the bone cold! So dress appropriately. Think layers, wool socks, stocking hats, mittens, etc. Afterward we warmed up in the heated tee-pee with hot cocoa.

Ahh, the memories. Anyone out there making travel memories this winter? If so, please share!

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Not Home for the Holidays

As promised, this post will highlight some of my readers’ stories. Since I’ve never been away from family or home for Christmas, last month I invited you to share your “not home for the holidays” experience. Thank you to Mike, Anna, Molly, and Katie for contributing. I hope you all enjoy these stories as much as I do. Merry Christmas!

Christmas 1964

As a junior officer for the Marine Corps, my battalion landing team was in the Philippines on Christmas Eve. We were a first line of defense in the Vietnam “area” but were docked “having liberty” in Subic Bay. The plan for our off-duty holiday was to explore the small town of Olongapo and enjoy a live show by Bob Hope on Christmas Day. We were especially looking forward to Bob Hope’s performance aboard our ship, called the USS Princeton. (It was actually a World War II aircraft carrier that housed 40 helicopters along with 2,000 marines. The helicopters took off and landed from the carrier using the “quick strike” concept.)

We sauntered downtown Olongapo for dinner and drinks. My memory is that there were a lot of honky tonk bars. I think we listened to some music, too. Then we found a beautiful cathedral for midnight Mass. As we exited the cathedral the military police rounded up our battalion landing team and ordered us back to the ship. Apparently the North Vietnamese had made a move, “flapped out” and our Christmas plans abruptly changed. A heavy sense of disappointment and feeling pissed off sucked us dry of the holiday spirit. Instead of Bob Hope filling us with Christmas cheer, we sailed to Saigon on Christmas Day. After hours of meetings and trainings, and homesickness creeping in, I remember a group of 4 or 5 of us gathering on the flight deck at sunset.

As the sun dropped into the South China Sea, molten crimson, gold, and violet splintered the sky. An impromptu sing-a-long started and our group of officers belted out Christmas carols as twilight darkened to night. Talk about wild and weird….an unforgettable Christmas.

~Mike Mattecheck

Christmas 1995

Christmas 1995 outside of Lyon, France

In my undergraduate years, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Sweden for a semester. I chose to go for the fall so I could be in Europe for Christmas, even though that meant being away from home for the holidays at the age of 20. Looking back, I don’t recall being concerned about missing out on Christmas with my family. Studying in Europe was a grand adventure and I was focused on all there was to learn, see, and do. Plus, my older siblings had already missed a Christmas or two, so I’d already experienced a change in the Christmas traditions. I think I felt like this was my turn. However, as Christmas neared, it hit me that there would be no Christmas tree, no gifts, and none of my mom’s and grandma’s tasty cooking.

Some friends and I chose to travel through the holidays instead. As a Swedish-American, starting out in Sweden felt natural. The Swedish customs and traditions of Christmas were quite familiar to me and comforting. Then a couple days before Christmas, we left Sweden for France. By Christmas Eve we ended up in a small town outside of Lyon, France. (Any of the Americans in our study abroad program who were traveling in December had all decided to meet up in this little town to be a “family” together on Christmas – since we were all leagues away from our immediate families.) The hostel we stayed in was more like a small camp and we were the only guests. So we pooled our talents and resources to make it as Christmas-y as we could. It was only this night we were all together so we each chipped in for our Christmas dinner. It was basically a smorgasbord of French bread, Swedish pancakes, fruits, and veggies. We set up one long table for about a dozen of us to have our “feast.” And that was Christmas 1995…a bunch of Americans in a small town in France making memories.

~Anna Carlson

Christmas 1999

My only Christmas away from home was the year I was studying abroad in Salzburg, Austria. Brian (my husband now and boyfriend at the time) was visiting, snow blanketed the ground, and I was living in one of the most charming cities in Europe. As magical as it was, there’s nothing quite like being home with family. And being only 19 at the time, I was really homesick! There were about 20 students who were at the Center (our building where we lived and took classes) and so our group cooked a big dinner and we enjoyed our holiday as much as we could. Most of the details blur together with one exception.

We attended midnight Mass at the main cathedral in downtown Salzburg. The church was drafty and cold and the crowd stayed bundled up in their hats and gloves. The traditions and rituals of a Catholic Mass are universal no matter what country you’re in, so I was able to understand and connect with the service even though my understanding of German was poor. The most poignant and memorable moment came when two men climbed into the elevated pulpit and played “Silent Night” on their acoustic guitars.  The packed congregation completely hushed and the gentle voices of these men rang throughout the mighty church. They continued singing through every single verse and it still ended too soon. My eyes were clouded with tears as wonderment and peace filled my heart. While this moment didn’t make me miss my family any less, I knew I’d just received the most beautiful gift. We walked home that night knowing we would never forget our Christmas in Salzburg.

~Molly Schultz

Christmas 2009

The only Christmas I have spent away from home was in 2009. I was spending fall semester abroad in England and the English university system breaks for several weeks over the holiday and then resumes for final exams before the term finishes at the end of January. What this meant for us foreigners was several weeks to tour wherever our time would take us until we needed to return for finals.

My parents and younger brother came to visit and we spent a whirlwind three weeks exploring England, Spain, and France (I journeyed to Poland for the last bit of the break after they’d returned to Oregon.)  Appropriately, we found ourselves in The City of Lights, aka Paris, on Christmas Eve and Day. To give us something exciting to do on a day when most everything is closed, my mom planned an outing to Paris Disneyland! It certainly wasn’t a traditional Christmas, but I found I didn’t mind. I was with those I normally spend the holiday with anyway, so being somewhere new wasn’t a problem.

I will say, however, Christmas 2010 was that much more memorable because it had been two years since we sat at home baking cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning!

~Katie Paysinger

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