Now that we have been in Charlotte a few years, we've developed some December habits. Here's my warning to new parents: when you do an activity, particularly in the month of December, the most ritualistic month of the year, prepare to have that activity stick for years to come. While our December activities weren't novel or new compared to previous years, we enjoyed the familiar activities all the same. In fact, you could say that the Christmas season just wouldn't be the same without them.
Davin and I visited our church's Nativity Festival at the beginning of the month. We enjoyed looking at the different nativities from all over the world and Davin loved dressing up as a shepherd.
Rowan loves having his picture taken and he found a few good opportunities.
We visited the Lowes Motor Speedway again this year and had a great time. In addition to being able to drive on the tracks and see a live nativity, the final lap of the light drive goes through the stadium's concourse, a very cool experience! Davin saw his best friend from school, Jon, which made his night and Ellie loved visiting with the animals, particularly the llamas.
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens has a lovely light display; we went on a busy night and almost left but it was worth sticking around for.
Of course no holiday season is complete without a visit from Santa. We saw him at our church's Santa Breakfast. There is a gentleman that attends our ward who is the real deal. Year round he has a lovely white beard, round belly, rosy cheeks, and a definite twinkle in his eye. Attending church with him is intimidating as he gets an inside view into whether we are naughty or nice. It was fun to see him in his full regalia. We read books about Santa with Ellie and she had learned the word before we went to the breakfast. Chris and I have a pact that we do not put screaming children on Santa's lap but instead let them decide if they want to go. It took Davin and Rowan a few years to get there but that was just fine. Ellie saw Santa come into the room from across the gym; she said "Santa!" and walked right up to him! She didn't quite make it to his lap but she was excited to sit on Dad's lap next to Santa and visit with him.
Davin and I visited our church's Nativity Festival at the beginning of the month. We enjoyed looking at the different nativities from all over the world and Davin loved dressing up as a shepherd.
Rowan loves having his picture taken and he found a few good opportunities.
We visited the Lowes Motor Speedway again this year and had a great time. In addition to being able to drive on the tracks and see a live nativity, the final lap of the light drive goes through the stadium's concourse, a very cool experience! Davin saw his best friend from school, Jon, which made his night and Ellie loved visiting with the animals, particularly the llamas.
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens has a lovely light display; we went on a busy night and almost left but it was worth sticking around for.
Of course no holiday season is complete without a visit from Santa. We saw him at our church's Santa Breakfast. There is a gentleman that attends our ward who is the real deal. Year round he has a lovely white beard, round belly, rosy cheeks, and a definite twinkle in his eye. Attending church with him is intimidating as he gets an inside view into whether we are naughty or nice. It was fun to see him in his full regalia. We read books about Santa with Ellie and she had learned the word before we went to the breakfast. Chris and I have a pact that we do not put screaming children on Santa's lap but instead let them decide if they want to go. It took Davin and Rowan a few years to get there but that was just fine. Ellie saw Santa come into the room from across the gym; she said "Santa!" and walked right up to him! She didn't quite make it to his lap but she was excited to sit on Dad's lap next to Santa and visit with him.
Comments