Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

Well, not chestnuts exactly, but we did roast marshmallows the last weekend over an open fire! We had a bizarre shift in the weather and it was a delightful evening in the high 60's. Just that morning, rush hour traffic was dealing with black ice from the freeze the night before. During the day, the temperatures just kept rising and rising and finally stayed there!

We thought it would be fun to light a fire in the chiminea and invite all the neighborhood kids over to roast marshmallows. The kids collected pine cones and dry leaves all day and were just about bursting with anticipation by the time we started the fire. I made hot chocolate for everyone and passed out candy canes (I just love hot chocolate with a peppermint stick!) They had a ball singing Christmas Carols and getting sticky!

After the marshmallows were gone, they decided to have a quick game of nighttime tag. It was fun to sit by the fire and watch them run around without a care in the world. Kids are so crazy, I had to laugh at their tag tactics!

When everyone was gone and my daughter in bed, I went back outside to watch the dying embers of the fire. I was surprised to hear a few crickets in the trees. It's funny how fast they come back from their cold weather hibernation! I could see the soft glow of the Christmas lights from the front of our house but the back was dark and quiet. How delightful to sit outside, warmed by the fire on a mild evening in December... taking a break from the hectic season for just a moment!