We’ve just had another lovely, long Thanksgiving weekend and officially kicked off the Christmas season. On Turkey Day, we got to break in our new dining room table, an early Christmas gift from Grammy and Pop-Pop (we even had to add a couple extra leaves). All four grandparents were back again to join us along with Uncle Jonny, and we got to have the classic Thanksgiving Dinner together with all the usual ingredients — turkey, potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pearl onions, and of course Taber Salad. Vivian kicked off the morning watching the Macy’s Day Parade with Hannah before buttering up the turkey with Jack, and there was an MST3K marathon happening online that I got to stream through my cell phone. Hannah also got to set the table for the very first time — a milestone I hope we can follow up with such things as doing the dishes and picking up all her toys.
On Friday, after enjoying some quality time outside raking leaves, Vivian and I dropped by Union Station for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting. Hannah and Aaron both got to meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, and we got more than a couple pictures of all of them in their new Christmas outfits. When we weren’t busy having our pictures taken, we were helping Donna and the River City Confectioners Association decorate cookies with the little ones in the east ballroom. Jack got to sit at the milk table again, and Hannah sat by his side when she wasn’t making a paper Christmas Ornament.
Back in the main hall, local Jazz singer Camille Metoyer Moten got to sing a some Christmas songs for the slowly squeezing-together crowd. Around 6:30, we had a few brief words from Mayor Jean Stothert and Dave Mangelsen (from the hobby store of the same name) before lighting up the tree. Vivian and Hannah were close enough to the stage to say hello to the Mayor as the confetti started to fall, and then the crowd stormed the stage for their own Christmas pictures as Hannah suddenly became photogenic right before we got ready to head home.
On Saturday, we got to enjoy some lovely temperatures in the 70s, and that meant taking Hannah and Aaron out to the park (in short-sleeves, no less) for some outdoor time before things became frigid again.
I also took advantage by hanging up our Christmas lights, and then we visited Trees, Shrubs & More to pick out our Christmas tree. We hauled it back home on top of the Civic and got it unwrapped and watered by nightfall.
The next day, the temperature dropped below 20 again, so we got to enjoy some warmer activities in the Great Indoors. At church, we had a soup potluck downstairs, and then we broke out the Christmas decorations to put up back upstairs. I mostly took photos as Hannah caused brief rounds of mayhem with Rachel. Back home, we brought up more of our own Christmas decorations from downstairs, which included Santasaurus, who’s been in storage since last January. I’m not sure if Hannah remembers him at all, but she greeted him the same way she did last year — by making him “talk” by moving his jaw on her own.
Let the Christmas Season begin!