| Christmas is a religious holiday, a commercial holiday | | | | away; however, he returns to Steamboat every |
| and a family time. It is the season when perfectly | | | | year for Winter Carnival. It takes Jon 100 hours to rig |
| sane, or so it would seem until now, adults attempt | | | | his Nomex racing suit and another 100 hours with the |
| to correspond with 100 people they may not have | | | | pyrotechnic team to prepare for the 10 minute run. |
| heard from or seen all year. It's a time to re-connect. | | | | He has rockets shooting from a halo around his head, |
| Ideally, we write hand written letters to include in | | | | rockets from the back of both shoulders, lights from |
| each card or at least a hand written note. | | | | the toe of his boots all the way up to his waist, lights |
| Unfortunately many of us, myself included, write a | | | | covering his ski poles and flares shooting from the |
| general update letter and include a copy with every | | | | top of his ski poles. The controls for all of these |
| card. At least a general update letter conveys the | | | | fireworks are located in the handles of his ski poles. |
| news of the year. The letter represents a gift of | | | | Oh, he also skis down in the dark. Talk about lighting |
| communication. | | | | up the holiday and carrying on a family tradition. |
| Christmas is more than gifts, it is also traditions. One | | | | Family traditions form the basis of so my holidays. |
| of my treasured traditions in Steamboat is the torch | | | | One of my personal favorites consisted of cookie |
| light parade. The entire ski school instructor staff, ski | | | | baking. I remember endless hours in the kitchen with |
| patrol and other privileged accomplished skiers | | | | my mother baking. Mom's favorite holiday treats |
| perform the torch light parade. We started at the | | | | were fudge, divinity and peanut brittle; however, we |
| top of the mountain in pitch black. Zero lights on the | | | | also baked several varieties of decorated sugar |
| slopes. We each carried a torch. When you consider | | | | cookies and other delectable sweet treats. Mom |
| 50 to 60 people with torches and sparks flying, you | | | | learned to bake without recipes so she taught me art |
| soon learn to wear something other than your | | | | of creativity and instinct for baking. It served me so |
| favorite ski outfit. Imagine these skiers skiing down | | | | well that later in life I actually owned, operated and |
| the mountain and performing various designs as they | | | | did the bulk of the baking for a commercial bakery. |
| travel. Such a spectacular sight. We ski straight down | | | | Candy Mountain Culinary Creations occupied the |
| the face of the mountain from the gondola in full | | | | location at the base of the Steamboat Ski Mountain |
| view of a crowd at the base of the mountain. Skiing | | | | in the 1980s. |
| in the dark presents a challenge, add the fact that | | | | Mom also taught me to sing acappella during our |
| you are holding a torch in the air and skiing in and out | | | | baking time. Amazing benefits from a family holiday |
| of formations at the same time. Such a beautiful and | | | | tradition. |
| precision sight, from the bottom, but a bit different | | | | I carried the cookie baking tradition forward with my |
| when you are the one on skis conducting the moves. | | | | two sons. They pulled a chair up to the counter and |
| Fortunately I have never seen anyone slip and fall. | | | | "helped" by pouring in ingredients, mixing and dropping |
| This would not be the ideal time for a domino effect. | | | | the cookies on to the cookie sheet. Not really certain |
| Another Steamboat tradition is the lighted man. The | | | | if their favorite part was mixing, dipping a finger in to |
| tradition started in the 1940s by Claudius Banks. | | | | the dough, decorating or eating the warm cookies. |
| Claudius started skiing down Howelsen Hill ski | | | | Whether you are celebrating Christmas in the |
| mountain with road flares strapped to his suit. The | | | | mountains, or elsewhere, what a wonderful season |
| tradition started during the now-famous Steamboat | | | | to carry on family traditions or start new ones. |
| Winter Carnival. His son Jon joined him in 1971 and the | | | | Holidays are a great time to count your blessings. |
| duo skied together until 1978. Jon has since moved | | | | |