Christmas in the Cottage

All of us convened for the Christmas holiday at a little cottage in Historic Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania, some 30 miles outside of Philadelphia.  From the outside, the cottage, though clearly old and with character (note the cupola), was not overly impressive.

However, inside it was cozy and exuded country charm:

We got there first on Christmas Eve, and we started immediately to decorate the cottage for the arrival of the rest of the family on Christmas Day.  The stockings, which were hung by the chimney with care, had a noble spirit looking over them.  It may not have been a reindeer, but it came close. When we pointed out the stuffed deer to little William, he responded, "Why?"  I guess we had pretty much the same question.  But whatever sacrifice the deer made added to the charm of our stay.

Next to the fireplace, our little RV Christmas tree stood noble with its decorations and all the presents scattered at its feet:

Decorating is hard work.  Here, Kathy takes a snack break:

David added an extra traditional touch by stringing some holly berries that Sir William picked for us. The string of berries graced the tree.

We had a good night's sleep and awoke Christmas morning to a scrumptious country breakfast:

The family arrived, including Maggie Puppy and Bubu the Not-Quite-a-Dog.  Kathy volunteered to take the grandpuppies out for a walk to stretch their little paws after their long ride:

We observed all the standard Christmas traditions, such as opening prezzies, etc.  The family stayed overnight with us, and on Boxing Day, William volunteered to make pancakes for everyone.  He agreed that Kathy could be assistant chef:

What sunny winter day is complete without a stretch of the legs?  We found a trail up the hill behind the cottage and William led the way:

He and Katie led the rest of us in exploring the ruins of a colonial building used as a field hospital by General Washington when his troops wintered over in Valley Forge:

Here, Weina, Kathy and Bubu gave us a holiday pose:

Meanwhile, everyone poked around and clambered over boulders strewn about the Yellow Springs community property.  Here, Kathy, Katie and William inspect one mysterious mound:

After the hike, Katie and Matt drove to a local train station to pick up our niece Chelsea, who travelled down from New York City with her friend Troy to spend Boxing Day with us and then a little additional time with William & Co. in Delaware the next day.

Here, Chelsea and William show why they each deserve the nickname, "Wild Thing":

After spending an afternoon with too many Christmas cookies and too many showings of the "Muppet Family Christmas," we all walked over to the Yellow Springs Inn, just 100 yards or so from our cottage, to enjoy a warm, scrumptious dinner in a wood panelled room, warmed by a log fire:

After dinner, the young crowd bade us goodbye and headed back to where they were staying in Delaware.  As we cuddled in bed, Ma in her kerchief and I in my cap, our brains settled down to dreams of the next day when we would see William & Co. again down in Delaware.

Merry Christmas, all!