Zoo Lights

Good Thursday morning!

Please note I've added a couple more mountain pictures in the "gallery" along with some pics from the Band Concert Tuesday night. Notice Roxie's reindeer headband. It takes a special kind of person to be able to wear those and hold their head up high. I personally don't have the guts to do it, but I saw a car the other day with reindeer antlers hooked on the windows and I thought to myself, "Is that tacky, or just too cute?" I guess you know what the answer to that one was. I am now officially looking for reindeer antlers for the big gold van... and trying to think of a way to put a big red nose on the front. I mean, if you're going to be a reindeer you might as well be Rudolph. Am I right?

Also, you will see the picture of my one and only inflatable "JOY." Doesn't it look lonely? It's pretty though, don't you think? I haven't seen another "JOY" in town, but I haven't been on every single street... yet.

Many, many years ago, before Mikie and I were married, I went out to eat with my two girlfriends, Alesia and Celeste, during the Christmas season. We parked at Alesia's house and rode with her to the restaurant. A couple of hours later as we were winding our way up their long, long driveway, we saw two glowing globs of Christmas lights. "What is that?" Celeste asked. We just couldn't make it out.

When we pulled up to the house, the mystery was solved. Alesia's dad had decorated our cars inside and out with dozens and dozens of Christmas lights and tinsel and little snowmen were stuck on our antennae. He must have worked on the cars the entire two or three hours we were gone. We loved it and we love him, and to this day it is still one of those funny, wonderful little Christmas surprises Celeste and I both remember. (And believe me, we don't remember many things anymore -- lack of brain matter, you know.) We hated to unwrap our cars, and we thought about keeping everything intact, and just plugging our cars in every night at our own houses, but it was not practical. I, for one, didn't want to be pulled over the next day for vision obstruction and risk getting a ticket. (Heavy sigh -- Having a goal can sometimes be a burden, can't it?)

I did keep the snowman on my antennae through February, and every time I went out to my car and saw it, I smiled to myself. I'm smiling right now, 22+ years later.

Have you ever done anything for someone that when they think back it automatically puts a smile on their face? I hope I have. Sometimes you may not even realize that you have "left a memory" in someone's heart.

I'm calling Mr. C and Celeste today, and we're going to laugh and relive that little memory... (and I think I'm going to tell them how much I love them, too.) I think sometimes (especially the older I get) the little moments mean the most.

Now, "Think, think, think," as Winnie the Pooh would say. Can I make a "moment" for someone today?

Zoo Lights

Although this date is something you can definitely do in Central Alabama, I realize not every town has a Zoo that decorates with millions of lights for Christmas. We'll address that little problem in a minute or two.

The Birmingham Zoo is open every night with Zoo Lights. It is a beautiful, magical, Christmasy place to take your date, ride the train, watch some animal shows, drink hot chocolate and spend some time making memories that will give you a smile many years down the road. They do a great job at the Birmingham Zoo, and it is well worth the money.

I know, I know. It's tempting to take the whole family. However, if Zoo Lights is something your whole family has done before, you can take one child on this date, and take the next child on another date to do something festive. And so on, and so on, and so on. The one-on-one time here is great.

If you live somewhere that doesn't have a place like Zoo Lights, the simple thing to do is bundle up your "date" and head to a neighborhood you've already staked out... by that, I mean you already know it is a brightly-lit, well-decorated neighborhood because you did your homework and rode through it the night before. Depending on the traffic, the temperature and the size of the neighborhood, it would be fun to walk hand-in-hand along the streets and look at all the different decorations. (Who knows? You may be lucky enough to stumble upon a house with multiple inflatables!)

When you're finished with your holiday stroll, head to a local restaurant in town which serves hot chocolate and plays Christmas music. Take your time. Enjoy your date. Don't worry about the giant "to do" list at home. Believe me, it will still be there tomorrow... and the next day... and the next day.

NOTE: If you're doing the neighborhood walk version of this date, you can play a game by seeing how many snowmen you can find or how many nativity scenes you see. (Of course, this depends on the age of the child.)

Have a great time with your child(ren) during this most wonderful of seasons!

Tomorrow I have a great Christmas book to add to your Holiday Book Basket. You've probably already read it, but just in case, I'll add it to the list.

Take care and have a great Thursday.