Weʼre back and full of Christmas spirit
by Rebecca on 2010-12-05
Iʼm feeling like blogging again. November was an off month for me. Not that I didnʼt have things to blog about, but I just didnʼt feel like it. But it was a good month full of family, friends, good food, and the first normal Thanksgiving of my married life. Oh, and we bought a Christmas tree for a screaming deal. Anyway.
So, this year weʼre trying out some new Christmas traditions. The first one that we came up with is going to the Christmas Singalong at the Texas State Capitol. This is a long-time event in Austin, and last night we went for the first time with our friends the Cluffs.
Normally, I donʼt like going to things where there will be lots of crowds fighting for parking and making loud noises where I canʼt hear whatʼs going on. But I read about the singalong and thought it sounded like something that would be fun for us to do. So, I put my game face on, and it turned out to be one of the best ideas ever. We didnʼt even have trouble finding parking!
The singalong was hosted by the local NPR station, led by one of the hosts of a show that we didnʼt recognize. Everyone had a little songbook, and we sang honest to goodness Christmas songs for an hour. Well, there were a few thrown in for the kiddos, like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Frosty the Snowman,” but nothing sketchy like “Baby, Itʼs Cold Outside.” There were tons of people there, and the weather was perfect, not cold but cool enough to remind us why we love living in Texas. At the end of the singalong, the State Christmas Tree was lit. Itʼs not as big as the National Christmas Tree (you know, states have smaller budgets) but was still big enough to impress the kids. We had a great time singing, and it reminded me just how powerful the true Christmas spirit can be in bringing people together.
And a few pictures, even though the light was not conducive to good photos.
The stage where the host was leading us in song. His outfit was just like what youʼd expect from someone who works in public radio. (Does anyone remember the NPR Ladies on SNL? Kind of like that.)
William and Emily stuck together almost the entire time.
Janelle getting into the spirit of things and belting out Christmas tunes.
Love those big eyes!
Emily did hang out with me for a bit but went right back to William.
Emily getting a bear hug from her buddy Tori. They were squished into the stroller together, and neither of them really seemed to mind.
William surprised me by taking this picture. Janelle caught on quick enough, but all I could muster was this cheesy grin.
Emily and Tori chilling in the stroller.
The best picture that we got with the State Christmas Tree. Itʼs a horrible picture, but I suspect William will think itʼs awesome because it looks like he has a light saber going through his head.
Weʼll definitely be going back to this for as long as itʼs held. Itʼs a great way to start off the Christmas season here in Austin!