Share and Enjoy

Location: Target

Purpose: Shopping for Christmas Dinner

Outside Temperature: 23 degrees Farenheit

Bikinis before Christmas?!?

We can’t even enjoy our Christmas dinner and have a week to regret it before making our New Year’s Resolutions?  Thanks, Target.

Every December, Lawrence hosts a Christmas Parade downtown.  There are no marching bands or floats.  All conveyances in the parade must be horse drawn.  It make the parade a little slower, but it draws horse lovers from around the Midwest.

We went for the first time this year (I think this is probably the only parade in town that I’ve never been to). The horses were beautiful, and there was a lot of interesting history.  The Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers led the parade.

There were plenty of carts and wagons, including the minature kind.

Elves (and snowmen and reindeer) passed out balloons.

There was even an old stagecoach.

Overall, a fun and interesting way to spend a Saturday afternoon downtown (there are lots more pictures in our 2008 Christmas Gallery), and one more reason to love Lawrence.

Seen at my local Post Office, the morning after watching Miracle on 34th Street.

Ho Ho Ho!

One of Brandon’s fondest childhood memories (though I think he complained about it at the time) was attending an annual Christmas performance, either A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker, or a performance of Christmas music.  In Lawrence this year, neither of the plays were showing, but the Boston Brass presented A Stan Kenton Christmas at the Lied Center Saturday night.

The Boston Brass

It was billed as a jazz Christmas concert, so I wasn’t sure I would like it.  But it was more big band style than improvisational jazz (and no saxaphones), and their renditions of the dances from The Nutcracker and White Christmas were just wonderful.  The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves, though Hannah fell asleep in her seat after intermission, and Brae and Kaity giggled through The 12 Days of Christmas, thanks to their introduction to the MacKenzie Brothers’ version earlier in the day.  Totally my fault, and they now have another warped Christmas song to add to their repetoire, right after Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.

Oh Christmas Tree

Anne hosted a holiday party for the GSA and their families tonight.  We dropped Kaity, the gifts, and the deviled eggs off early, while we went to pick up the kids.  I told Kaity to hide (store) the deviled eggs in the fridge until I got back.  I’ve noticed an odd pattern whenever I make deviled eggs — I never get any.  Brandon asks me to make them for his annual Thanksgiving potluck at work, and while I might get one or two while I’m making them, there’s never any leftover.  Since this was the second time I had made them this season, I wanted to make damn sure I had some.

Hungry Grad Students = No Deviled Eggs

By the time we got back, there was one left.  Kaity ate two (so she says), after Rich (Anne’s husband) put them on the table.  Note to self: Deviled eggs are not safe around hungry grad students.  Next time, they’re staying with me.

Miles and Rich (who is now on my Naughty List)

The UPS guy came by this morning. I was expecting a package from my mom, but standing on the porch I could see him rearranging boxes, and then more boxes.

Looks like I have some wrapping to do

He’s here so often in the month of December, I feel like I should bake him cookies or something.