In the 1950s, my grandfather built a cabin in a tiny mountain town with his own hands. He meticulously chose the plot because the creek ran right through the property. The cabin is nothing fancy, but every child in my family has poked her head over the railing of the loft to smell pancakes frying for breakfast and hear the crackling of the fire in the wood burning stove. My mom and my uncles and my cousins have all fished in that creek and hiked in those woods and built forts among those aspen trees.
All my life, I’ve traveled to that little cabin. My aunt and uncle and one of my cousins were married in the adjacent meadow. One of my boys learned to crawl on the wrap-around deck. Innumerable card games have been played near the picture window. And more late-night secrets have been whispered under that A-frame roof than I can count.
My mom spent her childhood summers at the cabin. She took me to visit when I was a little girl. And now I bring my three kids there on repeat to escape the hustle and bustle and turn off the Wifi for a few days. It’s the place where we go to recalibrate, reflect, and most of all reconnect. It’s where we spend as much time as possible reading on the porch or napping in a hammock, all with the babble of the snowmelt creek as our background music.
My family’s cabin is so meaningful because seventy years ago, my grandfather chose to create a tradition to repeat for his young family. Little did he know, it was the love letter he left for generations to come.
Why are traditions important?
Traditions foster a sense of belonging and comfort. They serve as an avenue for creating lasting memories for our families and friends. And traditions offer an excellent context for meaningful pause and reflection. Traditions are an ever-constant in fast-paced, changing world. And maybe most of all, traditions provide something steady and reliable when things around us might be alienating and confusing.
Angel Fire Resort could be the tradition you create for your family.
Not all of us have grandfathers building mountain cabins, but we can all choose the childhood experiences we want for our kids.
Your kids could create a memory this year. A memory of the first ski run they ever completed on their own. Or the best snowball fight ever. Or lots of laughs over late-night board games and hot chocolate (with extra marshmallows, of course).
Redundancy has a lot of value for families. Returning to a resort that you’ve already visited can feel like coming home. You know which restaurant you like the best, where to find the best views, and which ski run is your favorite.
But the most important thing is that finding a vacation spot to return to creates stability and structure for your children. Kids experience new teachers, classrooms, and classmates every year. So there’s comfort in returning to their favorite ski resort and knowing what to expect.
Even if you’ve been to Angel Fire before, there’s always something new to discover and enjoy. You’ll make new memories each time you come back.
Visit. Have fun. Repeat.
Angel Fire is your family’s first resort because of its accessibility and affordability. But it’s also the one you keep returning to for the sake of tradition.
