The advent candles on our table have been melting down, week by week, in anticipation of Christmas. After dinner and discussion, we read aloud our nightly advent prayer. Then I secretly add on a prayer request for less judgement in my heart, because those ritualistic purple and pink candles on the wreath are totally cramping my style.

Yes, it’s Christmastime again. Christmas cards have been mailed out, icicle lights hang gleefully from our front elevation, and hints of cinnamon and pine waft fragrantly through the home. This is such a nice time of year, but experiencing it in Alaska is very different from winter in Bakersfield, CA. Aside from the obvious difference in temperature and snowfall, the sun is showing up for less than four hours a day, hanging only as high on the horizon as a two story building down the street. It’s dark, cold and dreary up here. As I write this post at 2:44 pm, the sun has already faded behind the Alaska mountain range, leaving only a pink and orange glow in its wake. It will stay this way for at least another hour and a half before darkness envelops the tundra.

Continue reading “White Chocolate Chip and Pistachio Cookies” →