We took Kaitlyn to the house on Hwy. 109 that has a light festival each year. You drive through the property and enjoy all their hard work. Tune your radio to the correct frequency and you can enjoy the music. We were kinda late getting there, which turned out to be a blessing. Sometimes the cars are almost bumper to bumper, but there were very few cars when we were there and we were able to take our time.
(This was on the way there. It was hard getting a good picture in the car. The flash was hurting her eyes...and annoying Chip. <g> Check out her cute hat! No, it doesn't match that coat, but it was new and she loved it!)
Toward the end of the "route," you go through a barn that is all decked out as Santa's house. It's so cozy. Makes me want to jump out and sit by their fire. Mrs. Claus is there too. There was a car in front of us, and as we sat a distance behind and waited, so as not to make them feel rushed, Kaitlyn was sizing up Santa. Although he walked like he might be a little old, she felt like it was probably a helper; something about his beard, I believe. But that was fine. She still had a card she'd written -- wish I'd taken a picture of that! -- for him, and a helper was just fine. She understands Santa can't be everywhere.
We pulled into the barn and had a nice chat with Santa. He was such a gentle soul and spoke to Kaitlyn so kindly. He gave us all candy canes and told us of their meaning: Turn the candy cane upside down and it's a "J" for Jesus; turn it over and flip it around and it looks like the shepherd's crook, the ones who first learned of Jesus' birth; the red stripes are for the blood shed by Jesus, and the white stripes are for purity after being forgiven of our sins; and the candy is hard and brittle to represent that God's love and promises are rock solid. Kaitlyn listened, wide-eyed, hanging on his every word.
The second we pulled away, she declared that was, indeed, the real Santa. I must say I agree. I don't think a helper can make you feel so good inside. It was definitely the magic of Santa ~ and a magical memory for me.
The next little piece of entertainment after leaving Santa was Frosty dancing on a "frozen pond." And he was busting some moves, let me tell you. It was hilarious. Even more hilarious was Kaitlyn saying, "Whatever he's getting paid, it's not enough." At least his face was concealed by his costume, so the humility level would be low. She had a big time with him, doing the little "stirring the pot" dance and saying, "Go, Frosty; Go, Frosty; Go, Frosty, go."
All the while, Kaitlyn is wearing a hat she got for her birthday from Whit, Janet, and Lillian. She loved it so much, she didn't want to take it off. Mommo loves it too. ;) Finally, after at least 45 minute, it came off. She was giving me a hot flash! ha! Good times!
I still need to devote an entire post to Kaitlyn turning eight! I've got some pictures from her birthday dinner at Famous Dave's. I'll just do that post a little out of order.
Merry Christmas!
