Christmas at Our House

I hope everyone's Christmas was happy and joyful!   Einstein and I wanted to share a bit of our family Christmas with you and yours!  It's our tradition on Christmas Eve to have shrimp, cheese and sausage  for dinner.  We also have a bit of seasonal wine and just spend time watching movies as a family at home. Of course this time of year there's only one place you'll find Einstein: behind the Christmas tree, I mean it's not every day you get to have a bit of nature indoors!  

Christmas morning we sleep in and open our presents together, telling stories of how we came across them or explain how something works.  All the puppies got new bones and even Einstein got a new toy and fresh treats!  We spent the rest of the day watching a Christmas story and taking extensive naps, which is a holiday treat indeed!  So all in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our Christmas break at home for the holiday and with lots of love from Einstein, we now wish you a Happy New Year!

Festival of Lights

This Friday was Greensboro's 24th annual Festival of Lights!  The first Friday of each December becomes the one night of the year, when downtown Elm Street fills with people, music, and snowblowers!  This was my third year attending, and it's gotten better every year!  Strolling down the sidewalk, feels like you're walking through a radio channel finder; first you'll hear a chorus group, then within 20 feet an acapella group will come into range, then another 30 feet a jazz band will tune in and then a few more feet an acoustic guitar and violin will sound.  Every genre is represented along the street adding festive Christmas carols to the atmosphere. 

The event also marks the lighting of the city Christmas tree in the center city park.  Next to the fountains and statue garden, it becomes a holiday landmark of Greensboro.  All the stores, salons, galleries and restaurants stay open late, serving hot chocolate or hosting games.  The local newspaper, The New & Record, hands out red reindeer antlers, wore by kids, adults, and puppies alike. Snowblowers are set up at the center point so the street becomes a winter wonderland!   This family friendly affair has become a holiday extravaganza for all ages!

Christmas Tree Choices

We ventured out this weekend to pick out the annual Christmas Tree!  We choose one every year from the local church in Harrisburg, which is also where I attended preschool, so it has a special place in our hearts; plus we feel like our money is going back into the community instead of just adding to a profit!

While I was walking through the rows of options, just taking in the sweet aroma and enjoying the crisp winter air, I looked towards the bottom branches of a tree and noticed someone had left something behind!  Pieces of a snake skin were still clinging to the needles, and had manage to stay there all the way from the mountains!  Who knows how long it had been there, but it definitely traveled quite a ways from home!

So after a debate between three, we choose a little taller one that was full all the way around!  Dad had some help loading it up, and then we got to take it home and stand it in our decked out Christmas sunroom for the holidays!  Now we just have to decorate it!