Moving Christmas Lights, Part 2

Before I begin, I'd like to mention the current temperature: 7 degrees. That's in Fahrenheit, not Celsius. The high is supposed to be 16. At least we're warming up. Yesterday it was 5 degrees for most the day. Where did we move to, Alaska? I know living in North Carolina wussified us a little when it comes to the weather, but even the local people seem to think this cold is a bit extreme.

Saturday night we chose to brave the cold and lightly-falling snow to visit with Santa, watch some fireworks, and see another Christmas parade.

So, here are Ally and I visiting with Santa. He must have lost his contacts and had to revert to wearing his 1980's prescription-style glasses. Ally didn't care much for Santa, but she was excited about the candy cane. Like good parents, we're teaching her early on that it's okay to take candy from strange men even if they make you a bit uneasy.


Sorry, but no pictures of Richland's 50th-anniversary-of-being-reincorporated fireworks. Our camera does not do well at night, as you will see in the upcoming video. But, the colorful blasts into the winter sky were nice. As soon as they started, Ally whimpered and then cuddled up on my shoulder. She still doesn't like loud noises, which I find ironic since she's a world-champion screamer.

Although we were half frozen, we stuck around for the lighted boat parade that came up the Columbia River. After about 45 minutes of snuggling under the Flyers blanket, the lights finally arrived. I think our favorite was the car carrying a freshly-cut Christmas tree back home. It was so funny to see it "driving" on the river. This video does not do the parade justice, but use your imagination. You could always come visit us next year and see it in person.



Chris and I have never decorated the outside of our own house, but we like to drive around at Christmastime and admire what others have done. This is a small piece of our favorite so far: Mary and Joseph balancing little baby Jesus on an armchair pedestal. (The arrangement glows at night.) What you don't see are all the deflated snowmen, reindeer, and Santa lying dead on the lawn around them. I drove by this same trailer yesterday, and the makeshift nativity was gone. Maybe they were translated?