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Somewhere between the World Cup B Nordic combined competitions and last week's Alpine ski races, December slipped away faster than a tray of fudge at the office Christmas party.

I mean how many places in our state or in the country can match Steamboat Springs' appetite for skiing, high school sports and adult recreational activities.

It was that active lifestyle that drew me to Steamboat more than 15 years ago and has kept life interesting nearly every day since I got here.

At times it's easy to think that every community in Colorado is a place like ours.

It's a place where children can pursue their dreams on the snow, on the ice and on the court, if they choose.

A place where adults can still play the games and the sports they learned to love as children.

It's a place where people can try new things no matter how old or young.

I'm sure some towns are like Steamboat, but I also can't help but think that Steamboat is a unique place, with its own values and own sense of importance.

The past month is a perfect example of why so many people want to live here and why so many people have decided to make our mountain town their home.

But just like most things in life, Steamboat's hectic schedule of sporting events is good and bad.

On one hand, we are exposed to a variety of sporting experiences, including standing at the base of Howelsen Hill, watching some of the best skiers in the world chase their personal dreams.

But, at times, watching those events can get in the way of those epic powder days.

The problems arise when it comes to deciding what to do.

This is when Steamboat becomes a lot like Christmas dinner. Both are good examples of what happens when you have too much of a good thing.

I've discovered that the only way to find happiness in the Yampa Valley is to discover a balance between all of the good things our valley has to offer during the winter with the limited time we have to enjoy them. It's no different than passing up the second helping of stuffing for a few more mashed potatoes during Christmas dinner.

There are a few people here who seem to have discovered a way to enjoy the many activities our town has to offer. They seem to make it to all of the events, and no matter how busy these people are, they find a way to get out and ski on those picture-perfect powder days.

There isn't enough coffee in every Starbucks in Steamboat for me to keep up with everything that's going on here.

But that hasn't stopped me from picking out a few things each winter to remind me just how unusual Steamboat Springs really is. It isn't every community that offers it's residents the opportunities like the ones that are found in our valley.

I guess that's why we all want to live in Steamboat.