Tradition

Since moving to California, my family's Christmas day traditions include going to the beach Christmas afternoon. After stockings, breakfast, story, and presents, we pack up cold cut sandwiches, marinated artichoke hearts, Christmas cookies, a flask of coffee, and picnic plates, and off we go. The first years we went to Huntington Beach just north of the pier, where there is lots of secondary seating (landscape-speak for things you can sit on that aren't specifically chairs). The past several years we've gone to Corona del Mar. The weather is lovely (i even wore shorts one year) and the sunset is always beautiful. Many other people have the same idea and stroll around enjoying the weather and the view. Over half of the people there have dogs with them, and i usually end up half-wishing i'd received a puppy for Christmas. (Half wishing. Someday, but not yet!)

We stayed, as always, until the sun slipped behind Santa Catalina island.