Scenes from the Holidays

So hard to believe that we are already celebrating the our second Christmas as fulltime RVers. Still living in Alameda County Fairgrounds Campgrounds, it easy to see the difference between this year and last. Even though there are not quite as many trailers in the trailer park, most likely due to more people being at brick and mortar homes due to covid, but many more here are lit up with holiday lights than last year.

Decorating  the outside of our RV with Christmas lights may seem a bit strange, but it reminds me of hanging lights on our homes back in Minnesota. Days slipping and sliding to hang them up on the snow covered eaves. Frozen fingers and toes just to add some festive sparkle. In SoCal, we hung lights off of our deck overlooking the community pool. There was no frosted fingers. Just rose thorns and spiders scampering away. Multi colored lights in each location shimmering in darkness, bringing Christmas cheer.

A year ago, as camping newbees, we spent much of the month of December baking. Pan after pan after pan of sticky sweet caramel rolls came out of time RV oven. This year, with Natalie working as an essential worker. we just didn't get any baking done. What we did do was make cocoa bombs. Dozens of sweet chocolatey deliciousness to give out as gifts.

Even though we started this project early, we could not find any cocoa bomb molds, so we used these cute gingerbread people (see above). Coating the outside of the mold with wilton colored candy melts, we used Ghirardelli milk and white melting chocolate for the rest of the shaping. Inside each molded chocolate form we put powdered cocoa mix.

After making several of these over a few weeks, we came across a silicone mold for 'egg bites' to be cooked in an instant pot. This ended up being the perfect size mold. Natalie used this mold for the cocoa bombs she made for all of her friends and work buddies.

We spent an evening out with friends for an intimate Holiday gathering. The only truly social thing we did all season long, and we all kept our masks on the entire time. Ho Ho Holidays!

Because we just didn't have time to bake, we picked up a box of cute Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve from Primrose Bakery, a local bakery. It just isn't Christmas with a few cookies, after all. It also just isn't Christmas without SUSHI! Thank goodness our favorite Sushi place, Little Mad Fish, was open for a couple of hours. Just even time to stop in and pick some 49er rolls for our Christmas Eve dinner at home. I have to say, I seriously miss being able to go out to eat in a restaurant.

Another quiet Christmas morning with just the three of us. I miss the chaos of the whole family being together for gifts and games and socializing. We had a pleasant time opening gifts and playing Nintendo games. Mario Kart, mostly.  And then we mad a nice roast beast in the instant pot for Christmas dinner.

A few more photos of this and that, mostly the shining lights on the daughter and trailer. All the looks and feels of life inside the world of full time RV living!

A few days after Christmas, Luci is hanging out in our still gowing trailer as we get ready to celebrate the coming new year.