Mom would add extra oil to the lamps and turn up the wicks and then put some kind of colored paper over the glass chimneys so that it was quite colorful. One year the paper caught fire and our research station burned to the ground. The Christmas spirit was watching out for us though, and prompted our dog Boomer to wake us and herd us out the door.

We stood around the smoking ruins and I spotted the blackened and twisted runners of a new sled under the Christmas tree stump. Later, with Dad's help, I twisted those runners back into shape and wired them to a board. My Christmas sled had a special meaning to me.

We were eventually rescued by a helicopter, which I was sure was Santa's sleigh! Poor Boomer didn't make it out, but did help to keep us alive until help got there. Oh, the warm, good times of Christmas!"

This painting captures the spirit of what I wish our home had looked like at Christmas, well lit with a warmth and light that transcends reality."