Advent Travel during Holidays

Traveling during the holidays was between families homes, when I was young in Marin and Sonoma Counties, CA. Our family lived on Red Hill Rd in Marin Co and we later moved from Uncle/Aunt's dairy down the road to another dairy. When I was 7 + years old we moved to Valley Ford in Sonoma County near the coast. So we traveled to Red Hill Road or they traveled to old School Rd, in Sonoma County. Sometimes we would meet at a dear family friends in between in Marin County. These three famiies were our total sum of family because we were transplanted from WYO.

About the end of the war, Mom's cousin whom worked for United moved to Palo Alto and we added them to the group of four. I miss these cousins greatly now, they are all gone but two children(adults) or the children's children.

In 1957 (?) my Mom's little sister moved next door to us and then to Santa Clara County so we had more family to share with. They generally came to our home because we were in the country and could use tents and spread out more. Those who lived close would go home to milk and then maybe we would rotate to their house for dessert the next day if it was the right holiday time, regarding how the weekend fell.
Aunt Ruth family could stay, no animals to care for same for cousins family from city.

I have to say some of my fondest Xmas memories when I was small at Uncle Comillo's was
he would hook up the massive train set and we could sit and watch it move through the long house for about an hour or so then have cookies, cocoa and go home to bed. We lived next to them on the dairy ranch then. Ollimac Dairy

Later years marrying a Navy man we traveled back from Lemoore or San Diego to visit with family at Xmas time. We tried to get home for either Thanksgiving or Christmas every year. Luckily with children in year round school we could go home for 2+ weeks and enjoy everyone.

With my Grandparents so far away in Wyoming I wanted our children to know their grandparents and see what kind of life I lived before I moved away and married and raised a family. The older boys loved the ranch and working with the animals.
The younger ones just never got the hang of it but their Dad had retired by then
and so we only went home for shorter periods due to different school routine and work.

Grandad told me about going to relatives homes by sleigh and horse and MOM did also when in Wyoming. Snow would make car travel near impossible and not practical.
I have always wanted to go on a snow sleigh ride and I have always wanted to learn to ski.

My Aunt Etta made the best Divinity I have eaten besides Mom's and Aunt Ruth made awesome Fudge. That is what they sent us on our first Xmas away from home in candy tray's I still have. These people are all gone but my MOM.

Hubby's family lived in IOWA and they came to visit us once in 1963 ?. Years later after their retiring, they moved here to California, when the children were young teens & smaller, we could split holidays with them, also. One Holiday we were all at Dad and Mom's together. So all the grandchildren had both the grandparents and much of both families together. Hubby's sister spends Thanksgiving with us and back for New Years Eve.
Hubby still has a brother and a sister and 5 nephews and 2 nieces plus lots of cousins & 1 Aunt over 100 in IOWA.