Beset as most Americans are with concerns about the national economy and war in Iraq, now's the time to take a break.
'Tis the season in the Wood River Valley to eat, ski and make merry and relish the carefree spirit of the Yule.
Like frosting on a cake, heavy snowfall has embellished the postcard beauty of the season and ensures a white Christmas for holiday skiers, boarders and visitors.
This also is the season when gift giving and sharing with others in need add to the joyousness and meaning of the season.
Those of us fortunate enough to live amid the splendor of this wondrous, tree-carpeted mountain winterland must never forget that good luck. With it comes a special obligation to protect and preserve this irreplaceable handiwork of nature so that what we enjoy today will be here for generations and generations.
Today's residents literally have been guardians of history. When Union Pacific railroad titan Averell Harriman commissioned Austrian nobleman Count Felix Schaffgotsch in 1935 to find a world-class, unspoiled site for the country's first destination ski resort, Ketchum had shrunk to a population of 100.
It was an unparalleled discovery: Schaffgotsch described his find as combining "more delightful features of any place I have seen in the United States, Switzerland or Austria for a winter sports resort."
Except for the area's population growth, the grandeur of today's mountainous wildlands remains the same, jealously guarded by forbears who understood the importance of bequeathing such beauty to others.
So, for the moment, cast aside serious cares and enjoy.
