And this time, we can prove it! Just flip on over to page 20 and check out our behind-the-scenes look at some of Richmond’s most treasured holiday hot spots. From glorious nights to glorious lights, Janet Showalter takes us on a journey across Richmond, exploring what it takes to put on these festive celebrations of the season.
Our family calendar is already filling up with all of our holiday favorites: the Dominion Christmas Parade on the seventh; Court End Christmas on the eighth; and The Polar Express Pajama Party at the Science Museum of Virginia on the thirteenth. We’ll also fit in a trip to GardenFest of Lights, make up our own tacky lights tour, and head north to ICE! At Gaylord National in DC. Oh, and how could I forget Virginia Rep’s production of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas ! (Did you see our June cover kid has a starring role in that one?) And for the first time, the family is taking in the West End Assembly of God holiday production, Glorious Nights. It’s been a bucket list item of mine for years, so I’m really looking forward to finally seeing what I’ve always heard is a fantastic performance. Wow, the calendar overfloweth!
It sounds like we’ll hardly have time for holiday shopping and that will be just fine with me. My preliminary strolls down the toy aisles at Costco and Toys ‘R Us have been thoroughly depressing…my boys are growing up too darned fast! Already gone are the years where Santa gets to deposit those items under the tree that cause the kids’ eyes to grow to snowball size when they come down the stairs on Christmas morning. On train table! On firehouse! On tricycle! On kitchen! They’ve dashed away, all! Now the lists are filled with electronics, video games, and things like skateboards that frighten me to the core. Ick.
But fortunately, I don’t think they’re too old to experience the magic of the season, and hopefully they never will be. There’s nothing more exciting than opening the Christmas box from Grandma, the one that arrives here a couple of days before Christmas Eve. In it, some festive pajamas, hot cocoa mix, toothbrushes, reindeer food, and a very special letter from Santa that he asked her to deliver to the boys. On Christmas Eve, we’ll put out the cookies and milk for Santa and sprinkle the reindeer food outside, then curl up to read ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and hurriedly jump into bed so Santa can come and work his magic. I feel like a kid again at the very thought of it all!
From our families to yours, have a magical holiday season and all the best for a bright new year!
