The Christmas season snuck up on us this year. We went from Halloween (in Florida) straight into November and celebrating Vivi’s birthday, then packing for Thanksgiving in Alpharetta, and then we came home and boom–December was upon us. Knowing we had a short time to celebrate the season, since we were heading back to Florida on December 20th, Mike and I decided we better get to it! First up, the first weekend in December, on the Agenda of All the Christmassy Things…

A Trip to Christmas in Middleburg, VA!

For his birthday this year (back in August), Mike wanted to take an overnight trip with the girls to the cute little fox hunting, horse riding town of Middleburg for the annual Christmas Parade and Festivities. The online depiction showed this lovely quaint scene:

Mike and I had been once, a few years ago when we were pre-kids and we found the whole event charming…watching the spirited parade while sipping a latte, browsing the boutique shops and lingering in cute restaurants, soaking up the whole ambiance of the town. This year, we booked a nearby hotel for the night that had a heated pool and free breakfast and figured we’d make a weekend of it–a relaxing and fun kickoff to Christmas staycation!

Well if there was ever an event that highlighted how much harder it is to do things with two kids 2 and under than it is childless, it was this. It was comical how we were both trying to convince each other that it was fun, we were having a good time, it was worth it, etc. I mean, it was fun. RIGHT?? Sure…in a ‘let’s pack 10000 snacks and bundle up kids for frigid temps and do you know how to fold this double stroller so we can get on a shuttle bus??’ sort of way. Also in a ‘doesn’t this (brewery) restaurant have high chairs and our stroller won’t fit through any shop entrances and Caroline PUT DOWN THAT BREAKABLE ORNAMENT!’ way. Naps were skipped, lots of hot chocolate was consumed, candy canes were eaten. Ahhh…the most wonderful time of the year!

No, but really…it was fun. 😉 Just look at these faces! There was some of this:

But also a lot of this, too:

Vivi and I got to meet a doggie who was dressed like her:

And a very patient high school girl painted a green ‘uppa’ on Caroline’s face (her very specific request) that she kept admiring in the reflection of my sunglasses. Santa was available for visits but Caroline took one look at that jolly old man and said NO THANK YOU MOMMY. And Vivi should stay away too! That was that.

I was pleased early in the day to discover the warm and cozy Long and Foster Realty Office that sweetly opened their doors (and clean, lovely bathroom) to this pregnant lady (+ baby + toddler in tow) which I visited with a frequency that made Mike raise his eyebrows (does he not know I am pregnant??). I owe them a debt of gratitude and if I am ever in the market for a horse farm in Middleburg, you can bet this office will be my first stop.

The parade itself was super festive! They released adorable hound puppies, had prancing horses, fire trucks, lots of floats with school kids, the town mayor, and lots of vintage cars. Not to mention the CANDY…Caroline’s favorite part. I know because she told me when I tucked her in that night. 😉

Caroline’s other favorite part of the parade was the announcer who dressed in a fox suit and spoke into a microphone that he kept pointing to his eye. She thought this was hysterical.

Vivi’s favorite part was when we spent an hour in a warm, crowded toy shop (to get out of the frigid temps) playing with a shopping cart that…get this…we have AT HOME. So yes, very thrilled we drove 1.5 hours to play with a toy we keep in our living room.

But isn’t she just the cutest in her little polar bear suit??

After Mike and I bailed halfway through the parade (totally skipping naptime), we waited in a line with 2000 other families to board the shuttle bus to take us to our parked car and then, from there, had to drive to the hotel. The hotel, mind you, was a half hour away and Mike joked/not joked that we should just drive home and be done with The Longest Day Ever. I was NOT having it and insisted that no good story ever started with ‘let’s just go home!” But in all honesty, that plan didn’t sound half bad. However, I am cheap and the hotel was non-refundable so hotel it was!

As soon as we dropped our stuff in the room, Mike, Vivi, and Caroline all crashed in the king size bed for epic 2.5 hour naps while I read my book in the living room in blissful silence. It was DELIGHTFUL. The crew awoke at the kids’ normal bedtime (augghh) and we ordered pizza and watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on tv–Caroline’s first ever tv show! She stayed tuned into it, mainly asking a lot of questions about where was Rudolph’s mommy/daddy and why weren’t they in the show? We played hide and seek (Caroline is awfully terrible at this game) and I gave the girls two surprise gifts–the book Santa Mouse and new matching jammies! Then we somehow got them to bed at a not-unreasonable hour and Mike and I shut their door and enjoyed lounging around the cozy living room watching Christmas movies and laughing about the day’s events.

The next morning we enjoyed the hotel’s complimentary hot breakfast, heated pool, and hot tub before packing up to head home to an afternoon of Christmas decorating. We concluded that the next time we’ll go to Christmas in Middleburg is when all children can walk 🙂

Later that week, because we are gluttons for punishment, Mike and I set out on another Christmassy adventure…

Cameron Run Ice & Lights Show!

Planning this one was (also) all me. Online, the description looked like a small-ish, manageable park that displayed pretty Christmas lighted decor that would delight and thrill tiny people. The price was right, there was easy parking, and it opened as early as 5 pm. Perfect for children who go to bed at 7:30. SOLD. We packed up the car with children, blankets, and the 10000 snacks and headed out.

To my relief, it actually was perfect. Just the right size, easy parking, not crowded, and thrill tiny people it did, indeed! Mike and me, too 🙂 We popped our faces into these reindeer cutouts and even got Sleeping Vivi in the stroller in on the photo…

Caroline ohhhed and ahhhed at the lights and literally ran from one display to the next:

Caroline also loved the long fire pit, where you could roast marshmallows. Next year, I want to linger longer in that little warming hut!

We capped off our month of Christmassy things by selecting our REAL Christmas tree…Whole Foods to the rescue, once again! #notafaketreefamily 🙂

Other December Christmassy Highlights:

• Caroline (and Suelen!) really getting into finding Sneaky Pete, our Elf on the Shelf who showed up in a different spot each day
• Mike really getting into the Costco Christmas Village music-playing display so much he bought a second (with more neon lights! And ice skaters!)
• Caroline digging out a different Christmas book from our special collection to read each night at bedtime
• Caroline learning (and messing up) the words to ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’

Bring on all the magic of the season!!