Winter Mail

Stealing great ideas from other people is my specialty, here's the latest. Many people do an advent calendar with treats for every day counting down until Christmas. We decided to do a winter mailbox with the same general idea but counting down the whole month until New Years Day. This way, we include all the winter holidays our various friends and family celebrate and we have activities to do rather than junk food to eat. Plus it's small and easy enough to have on board, and it's something we can continue as a tradition even when we're cruising.



Every morning a little elf leaves Z a message in his mailbox (which I got HERE, she has awesome designs!) and puts the flag up. The first one was what you see above. Other messages that will appear in the mailbox include: drive around and look at lights, go see the Nutcracker, write a thankful list, bake treats for friends, take a walk in the woods, read winter poems, write a winter story, pick out a new calendar for 2009, make pine cone bird feeders, string popcorn & cranberries, holiday movie night, decorate the boat, breakfast in bed, drink hot coco, set out luminaries on the dock, go see the boat light parade, take a horse drawn carriage ride... you get the idea.

But I still think if the weather allowed we'd spend every day on the beach.


Zach and his buddies found some cool stuff washed ashore by the blustery winter winds.




Playing restaurant on an old piling...