Kanella Christmas: Joyce Maynard Proves That Good Things Come in Simple, Sweet Packages

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I spent my first 40 Christmases in New Hampshire, where our family's traditions always involved a tromp through snow-dusted woods to cut down our tree and roaring fires in the woodstove to fortify us against the below-freezing temperatures.

Then 13 years ago I moved with my two younger children to Marin County, where we celebrated our first California holiday season with a hike to the ocean, in shirtsleeves. It was a gorgeous day, but I felt a stab of pain at being transplanted into such an utterly unfamiliar place. No making snow angels, or impromptu New Year's Day hockey games on the pond by our house.

I love California. I love our home on Mt. Tamalpais. Still, I …