Christmastime induces a love/hate relationship in me. I love the magic of the season: the tree, baking, spending time with the family, the smells and sights. However, I really dislike how commercial Christmas has become. I mean, really- Christmas paraphernalia out in the stores at Halloween this year??? Ridiculous. So the challenge for me (and Chris) is to raise our children with the magic of the season, without making it all about Christmas morning and the presents.
The last two years (or maybe it's three), we have taken our kids to the Festival of Trees. We went the one in Boise the first year. It was beautiful, and BIG. There were two huge rooms full of themed trees, all kinds of things to look at, a million people, and a line for a picture with Santa a mile long. We had a great time. After that first year, we discovered that our town has their very own Festival of the Trees. To save us the drive into Boise, we had to check it out.
Wow. Compared to Boise's it's pretty...... hmmmmm.... lame. There are probably 20 trees in the main room of the Civic Center. They people in charge book live entertainment to try to make it exciting, but usually fall a little short. Okay, a lot short. To help beef it up a little, they sponsor a book fair and offer pictures with Santa. Not as grand as we were expecting, but we (okay the kids) love it. It's way less expensive than the Boise Festival of Trees- our kids get in free, and it's only 4 dollars for each adult. Because there aren't hundreds of people there, and the whole thing takes place in one room, I don't have to keep such a tight hold on them, and the last two years we haven't had to wait in line for a picture of Santa at all. And we always let the kids choose a book to bring home from the book fair. For our family, it's a great way to open the holiday season.
This year, as we arrived, Chris noticed a van in the parking lot that proclaimed "The Prime-Time Singers". Obviously the entertainment that was scheduled for that time. He commented that he hoped it referred to the time of day the group sang, and not their ages. So we paid, and into the main room we went. Nope, no change. Still the kind of sad little ring of trees in the main room. Santa was in the middle this year instead of off to the side, and Paige was immediately smitten. On the stage at the end of the room, the entertainment was tuning up. Yep, the Prime-Time Swingers" were definitely of the older set. During their introduction, they proudly announced that all the member's combined ages add up to a grand total of 1,028 years, with the oldest member being 94 years old. Okay, that is pretty impressive. We made the circuit of trees, then headed to Santa's spot for a picture. The kids eagerly climbed up into his lap this year (after a long conversation off to the side with Aiden, where he worried over what he should ask for for Christmas morning). Chris and I were impressed that someone had ponied up and brought a digital camera with one of those mini-printers for the pictures this year. As opposed to the Polaroid camera they used last year. (Do they still even make those things????) The kids were enthralled with the singers (with their "warsh-boards" and all), and wanted to watch them perform for awhile. *Sigh*... Okay. Then off to the book fair, and out the door!!!
The kids had a great time, and okay, so did I. I'm pretty sure it'll be something we do every year.. And who knows, we may splurge one year and take them to Boise for their Festival of Trees. Then again, maybe not. We don't want to emphasize how.... small Canyon County's is in comparison!!!
Here's a quick clip of Paige dancing to the holiday music.
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