Can I just express how completely blessed we are?
We come from two incredibly loving families who moved to two incredibly different places. After 19 years of living approximately 10 minutes apart in Kentucky, Eric’s parents now live in Southern California, and my parents live in Michigan. And since we rotate holidays with our families, we spent last Christmas in super snowy Michigan, and this Christmas in super sunny Southern California.
I’m generally kind of a warm winter hater. I believe Christmas should be spent in snow, with a fire in the fireplace, wool socks on my feet, and lots of hot chocolate in my belly.
But I have to say, a warm, sunny Christmas was pretty darn nice.
We got to spend 5 days with the Ringer clan, playing games, watching Hallmark Christmas movies, eating a lot of delicious food, and exploring Southern California. I’ll just hit a few highlights from our delightful little Christmas vacation:
On Christmas day, after a slow morning of opening gifts, sipping coffee, and brunching, we took an afternoon walk on the beach, where these pale Oregonians attempted to soak up as much Vitamin D as our bodies would allow. We ended Christmas evening with a bonfire on the beach, which I’ve always itched to do (thanks to every beach-located TV show I’ve ever seen).
Eric’s parents took us to our favorite Southern California winery (okay, the only Southern California winery we’ve ever visited), where we dined on brick oven pizza and breadsticks on the patio overlooking the mountains and vineyard.
San Diego really pulled out all the stops during this visit. So much sun, so much warmth, so little wind. It was perfect for a walk around the Coastal Reserve, where we had perfect views of the ocean.
We took a quick and beautiful ferry ride from downtown San Diego to Coronado.
But probably the most interesting form of transportation on this trip was the Palm Springs Aerial Tram, which we took 2.5 miles up the cliffs of Chino Canyon, ending at 8,516 feet. We rode in the world’s largest rotating tramcar, which slowly spins to give you views in every direction. It was only slightly terrifying. But the views were pretty darn impressive.
After taking the tram back down, we drove into Palm Springs and did a little shopping. I tell you what; if you want to feel fancy, go shopping in Palm Springs.
We took the long and winding way back to San Diego, stopping at this overlook of the Palm Desert. The crazy green area in the photos is Palm Springs, tucked into the very dry desert.
Thanks to the Ringers for hosting us and giving us all the sunshine our sun-starved bodies could handle!
-Ally
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