Christmas beach

I've never seen anything close to a White Christmas. Growing up in Southern California, my memories of Christmas include greeting neighbors under crystal blue skies and news clips of Santa Claus surfing on Christmas morning. So this year, while we waited for our families to arrive late on the 25th, I was thrilled that it was warm enough in San Francisco to tap into my So Cal roots and take Riley to the beach.

His So Cal heritage must run strong, as he immediately made a break for the water. His pops artfully kept him from jumping in.

We decided that temps in the low 60s were not quite right for swimming -- we'll save that for a future Christmas in LA. Still, Riley had a ball chasing the surf and laughing at dogs who swam several yards into the ocean to catch balls. The beach was packed, including one couple having a picnic under a Christmas tree they'd carted down onto the sand and several kids wobbling around on their new Christmas bicycles.

While I deeply missed my family celebrating Christmas in So Cal (some of whom are pictured here with a gift we sent), I enjoyed creating our own silly fun in SF. Until next year, I'll be dreaming of a sunny Christmas!