Magical Night of Lights

The rain cleared off today just in time, as we loaded into the car and drove down to Lake Lanier Islands to see the Christmas lights they have set up all along a seven mile drive. It could have been the rain, or it could have been that it was a Monday (or it could have been that it is still November), but there were not too many people there driving through. This was great for us: there were times we felt we had the whole place to ourselves!

Madison was a little sleepy on the way down, but her eyes started getting wide when she saw the first of the lights at the entrance. We had Nat King Cole and Dean Martin singing Christmas tunes on the CD player as we slowly wandered through the park. Madison's eyes were glued to every light arrangement along the way. We saw the Twelve Days of Christmas, Birds of Paradise, Teddy Bear Land, the Animal Kingdom ("monkeys!" "elephants!"), and naturally the North Pole. Madison waved at the lights of Santa, and waved hello to the lights that made up the nativity set as well.

It was cold tonight, but Madison dressed up appropriately. Even better than pockets, she even had one of those things that allows you to place your hands inside to keep warm. It was snug in the car though. Nice and warm! As we rode around, we sang songs together and looked out at all the colorful lights. One of the easier songs to do with Madison is "Deck the Halls." You just can't beat the part where everyone goes "fa la la la la, la la la la." It doesn't get much simpler than that! Anyway, we went inside a store at the end of the tour of lights - it had all sorts of beautiful trees set up with all kinds of ornaments. Santa wasn't there at the time though - he was feeding his reindeer. It's beyond me why his elves couldn't be doing this. I guess he's having trouble delegating.

Not seeing Santa was okay though, because there were lots of other things to look at, and of course there were marshmallows. Each time we go, Mommy is so smart: she packs us some marshmallows on a stick to roast at their fire pits outside. The reason: this place charges a lot for everything! It was nice roasting marshmallows by the fire, and it was warm too! Some people like their marshmallows just about burned up. Not Mommy and Daddy. We like them really gooey on the inside and a bit toasted on the outside. It's a fine art roasting a marshmallow properly, to be honest. It requires patience and skill. Eating one, however, requires no skill at all!

Although it does sometimes require a wet napkin!