The weekend before Christmas found us at our beloved Loyd Park enjoying warm breezes and mild temperatures ahead of an expected arctic plunge. With dire predictions of sub-zero wind chills, we decided to cut short our camp-out and head home, where a cold Sunday morning in front of a cozy fireplace sounded much better than tending tanks and hoses in the bitter cold.

We arrived on Thursday evening to get set up, and feasted on Cliff’s homemade lasagna, along with a tomato salad and wine. In addition to setting the table with out new dinnerware, we also displayed Cliff’s family heirloom ceramic Christmas tree. His mother and stepfather had a tree made for each of her children, and Cliff’s version has been a part of our holiday décor since our first Christmas together in 2001.

Friday morning found us at our doctor’s office for routine blood work associated with our prescription refills. After spending the day at work, we loaded up and headed back to Cloud 9 for Date Night. While Cliff grilled a perfect ribeye, asparagus and peppers, Jon prepared a potato salad with fennel, green onion and capers. We topped it all off with our favorite old vine zinfandel and a couple episodes of The Brady Bunch.

Saturday morning brought a long walk with our dogs, unhurried reading of The New York Times, and planning our 2017 trip to Rocky Mountain National Park.

For this year’s holiday, we decided to return to the St. Louis area to visit Jon’s nephew, who is recovering after treatment for acute myeloid leukemia. Hence, our Loyd Park weekend had to suffice as our celebration. But the combination of good food, devoted doggies, and mild weather hit all the right notes for a merry little Christmas.