LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS...

Every year we get a big kick out of going early to see the lights. This year we went to the Gallivan Center to see the lights and watch the ice skaters. We are not skaters, so we were on-lookers. It was beautiful to see. There were live performances and a lot of people.

We also usher in the holidays with the light parade. Cheesy as it is, cold as it is, and short as it is, (10 minutes MAX), we do it every year. It has become a tradition. We warmed up in the back of the van as long as we could before we went to the sidewalk to watch the parade. There are so many people at the parade now that if you don't get your spot on the sidewalk, you don't see the parade. In years past, it has been unbelievably cold, but this year wasn't so bad. We saw Santa at the end and the kids got to catch candy.

Later, we decorated our tree. It was fun to watch the kids decorate the tree. Of course we have ornaments of each color clumped together and big spaces where ornaments should be, but still, it looks good and it was all about the kids. We listened to Christmas music and we sang songs. We decided to tell the story of what the Christmas symbols are about, the tree, the wreatch, the candle, the bell, the angel, the candy can, and so forth. It was a really wonderful evening for our family to start of the holiday season.