cold canyon christmas

For most people Christmas is the biggest holiday of the year. For my family it’s just another day to get together and eat. This year, for the first time, we celebrated in Davis. My family came over and we had a hot pot on Christmas Eve. Apparently it was a new experience for my parents– being Korean we don’t normally do things like hot pot or shabu shabu. When we cook things together at a table it’s usually grilling instead of boiling.

On Christmas afternoon we decided to go for a short hike. I thought that there would be no one else on the trail, but boy was I wrong– the parking lot at the trailhead for Cold Canyon was almost completely full.

My mom really enjoys lakes, so I knew she’d really enjoy the view of Lake Berryessa from the top of the trail. I was a bit worried for my parents, since the trail gets a bit rocky and steep near the top, but they handled it fine without any problems. During the hike my mom commented that it was one of the best Christmas’s in her memory.

It’s funny, I’ve taken lots of pictures with my SLR, but I think this might be the first time I’ve ever had my parents pose for a picture.

There’s not a lot of gift giving going on in my family at Christmas time– in fact the last time we exchanged gifts I was probably in high school or middle school. This year because of the hike I had a gift to give my parents. I printed the picture from the hike and found a nice frame to put it in. But what I realized from the hike, is that the true gift is time. It was nice to just spend time outdoors with my parents– I have kind of taken them for granted lately. I often go on trips or go hiking with friends, or even alone. I never really think to do outdoorsy things or go on trips with my parents. Some of the best memories from my early childhood are from road trips with my family, but we haven’t done one together as a family in a long time. Perhaps in 2014 I should try to organize a family trip…