We kicked off the holiday season with a trip to Millenia Mall to visit with Santa, which was prominently featured in a previous post. From that point forward, every week was filled with some variety of holiday fun. One of our favorite events was Holiday on the Drive, an annual College Park event that shuts down Edgewater Drive and includes snow, Santa Clause, reindeer, live music, food trucks, etc. This year, we were able to enjoy Holiday on the Drive with the Millers and the Chapmans. While 2/3 of of the adults spent the majority of the time trying not to spill their wine while chasing after the toddlers (errr... I mean engaging in meaningful activities with said toddlers), we all had a great time - especially Reid. He loved the live music and was in awe of the (soap) snow falling from the sky. He was also sure to keep a diligent eye on his stuffed puppy during the entirety of the event, and he loved snacking on his parents' food (if there was any wine involved, we were sure to keep it to ourselves of course). Overall, Holiday on the Drive was a success, and we look forward to attending next year.
It turns out that Holiday on the Drive was the push we needed to decorate for Christmas. The following day, we ventured to Home Depot to pick out a Christmas Tree. Reid was in awe of all of the trees, but he was especially smitten with the singing and dancing stuffed animals that lined Home Depot's aisles. Maybe next year, sweet boy. Anyway, we returned home after buying a tree, and I promptly instructed Reid to put the tree up and start decorating the house. He refused, so the tree sat untouched until after Reid's bedtime. When he woke up the next morning, we watched him immediately notice the tree, point at it, and promptly start ignoring it. No surprise because we only put pine cones and lights on the tree, much to Reid's chagrin. See, ornaments look like balls and Reid loves to throw balls and throwing and breaking ornaments sounds like so much fun. Alas, Reid was satisfied (barely) with the tree, threw a pine cone or two, and promptly moved on. I like to believe he appreciated all of our decorations though.
In an effort to cram as much merriment into our weekend as possible, we attended the Winter Park Christmas Parade the following day (Saturday). Despite a slight hiccup (Reid forgot to put on shoes before he left the house) and the quick-ish purchase of some new kicks, we had a truly joyful time at the parade. We were able to say hi to some of our favorite people (Art, Olivia, Grandma, Jenn, Ellison, Dylan, Graham, etc.) and break bread with the Chapmans at one of mama's favorite places (my mama and Reid's mama a.k.a ME)- Power House Cafe. Reid is a big smoothie and hummus fan, and the Power House Cafe did not disappoint. Besides spending time with some of our favorites, the best moment of the Parade goes to Reid chasing after the Santa float. Clearly, he felt he had more things to say to Santa beyond what he came up with during his first Santa visit of the season...which leads me to another holiday event we participated in (after the jump)....
Brunch with Santa at Alfond Inn was chock full of cuteness - picture dozens of little kids dressed in their Christmas outfits, Christmas decor, delicious food, Christmas music, and an up close and personal encounter with the man himself. I believe Reid enjoyed seeing Santa, but I KNOW he loved the food and spending time with some of his cousins. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for a great morning!
In an effort to keep my [1] reader[s] interested, I will put a lid on this post - you can read more about our holiday adventures in my next post! Ho Ho Ho.
