After "Festivus Hot Pot Dinner" with some Jewish friends on Christmas Day, we escaped NYC to spend a week by the Shawangunk Mountains. We're here in New Paltz, staying in a cottage at a horse farm. We've fed their donkeys and horses, chased geese and deers in our backyard, had a little hike in the woods, and walked around historic New Paltz. To unwind, I finished 1000-piece puzzle, and Taiyo worked on more LEGOs. We are quickly adjusting to sleeping late with bright morning sun shining on our faces. Days are still short and our week is going fast. Even with the bright moon in mid-sky, there are so many more stars visible around here. We love the country life!

My turkey was roasted beautifully with bacon as usual, then eaten and turned into soup at the end. We had our first "staycation" of the year for Thanksgiving weekend. We went to see a marionette show in Central Park. The park was so serene with almost bare trees. Our favorite Belvedere Castle even was relatively quiet. The park is such a gem, especially in that tranquility.

The next day we took a tram to Roosevelt Island- also a gem and must to do with a kid. Now they have this beautiful Four Freedoms Park on the southern tip, where Taiyo laid in front of FDR's "Four Freedoms" speech. If you never been there, please do. It is open and simple, with amazing view of Manhattan skyscraper. The tram ride back at dusk was also stunning. Now we are in full gear toward Christmas. Taiyo has been drawing so many Christmas trees. I do remember drawing so many Christmas trees at his age even though we didn't celebrate Christmas in Japan.

So I felt like I had to give in to this mystical and magical Christmas thing. We biked over the bridge this afternoon in icy wind to Onderdonk House, the oldest colonial stone house in NYC, at county border. It was their holiday party with Saint Nick, with practically no line for a photo, and no one's selling you an expensive photo package. I take him to all these cool and weird places and hope one day he'd really appreciate these memories.