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My Perilously Exciting Christmas Drive

‘Twas not full of holiday cheer, but I survived

Sarah Paris
it’s just foam
6 min readDec 22, 2024

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A woman stands with presents as snow falls
How I’d imagined my trip. Photo by JillWellington/Pixabay

Drives on mountain passes strike my heart with abject terror. This presents a problem, as I live in Colorado, where 50% of our roads have been carved into craggy cliff faces and the other 50% are constantly under construction and snarled with California and Texas transplants who think All-Wheel Drive means “speed as fast as you can in white-out conditions.”

I grew up in Maryland and learned to drive on the Washington, DC beltway. I lived in L.A. where my 30-mile evening commute often took 3.5 hours. I understand aggressive driving and I feel at home in traffic.

However, I remain vehemently opposed to driving in snowy conditions on a mountainside road forged by man’s hubris. “We need the shortest route possible!” Some Civil War-era general declared as he used dynamite to blow holes in a towering mountain and through several of his troops.

Yet, Christmas is the season for unexpected miracles and newfound hope. Thus, when my newly married friends suggested I take the holiday journey to visit their new mountain home in central Colorado, I swallowed my frenzied fear and decided I was up for the challenge. And I almost died.

This year, as I reflect on Christmases past, I still shudder at the traumatic…

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it’s just foam
it’s just foam

Published in it’s just foam

A collection of first person accounts, highlighting the utter bliss and humiliation that comes from being human.

Sarah Paris
Sarah Paris

Written by Sarah Paris

Author of Signs My Toddler Has a Drinking Problem (humor collection).Freelance writer of all things. Looper features writer. Believer. Adventurer. Semi- funny.

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