It's Tradition!

This past weekend we shared one of our favorite traditions -taking our grand daughters to the Nutcracker. Every year it gets a little trickier as their schedules get more and more demanding, but like our family Halloween party, it is something we try hard to "make work". And this year, we had all 5 gran daughters for the first time. Presley is now 4 and has been taking dance herself for over a year, so we knew she was ready. And, the magic of the Nutcracker is just where to begin.

Last year we took her to the Nutcracker Tea Party where she got a taste of the story and actually met the characters. The other day she was telling me the whole story and I was so impressed that she could have gotten all of that from something that happened a year ago. When I questioned her, she reminded me that she has the Barbie Nutcracker on DVD. Guess those things really are more educational than I realized - and also that the kids really pick up and retain what they see - making it even more important to monitor what they are watching - but, I digress.

So off we went...

After the Nutcracker, we always head downtown to have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. We always wait for a booth at the window and then we have appetizers, entrees and desserts - assuring that it will be dark and all of the lights on the square will be on by the time we are done. Presley would not stop eating bread long enough for a smile, so this picture is what it is!

Can you tell by that look on hubby's face that he loves nothing more than when one of the girls snuggles up to him!?

A quick hug from Rudolph and we are off on our traditional carriage ride!

One of our favorite things to do. The ride takes us through the streets of downtown and the lights are special but the sounds of laughter and the families out and about are even more special!

After the carriage ride, we have different options but this year, there was a great band playing in the gazebo so the girls wanted to dance. It is truly magical to see them ALL get out there and dance their hearts out - the innocence of youth. And, before you know it, there is a bunch of kids out there all dancing together and having the times of there lives - it truly is magical!

After the dancing, we walked a block away to the beautiful tree where we met Santa and Mrs. Claus. Presley got to talk to them a bit and then we were headed home to get into our cozy PJs and snuggle up to watch Home Alone. There was still more to do downtown like a Christmas concert and ice skating but that will be for another time. Stay tuned.