Merry Holidays to all and to all a good night!

Am having blogger's block, I guess. Just not a lot to say. That and the fact that we are leaving for two weeks on two different trips complete with snow suits and presents, I haven't posted much as of late. But Before I am actually absent in body, I thought I'd wish you all a happy holidays.
I, like Carrie, adore this season. I like the twinkly lights, the great smelling kitchens, the excitement in my toddlers eyes when he sees Santa, candy canes, decorations and... the ballet. We didn't see the traditional Nutcracker in all its Sugar Plum glory. Instead, I opted to take him and the baby to a local production of The Snow Maiden. It was ballet at its homespun finest. Complete with 3-year old ballerinas dressed as reindeer (confused reindeer, but reindeer nonetheless), a very akward snowman (who, by the look on his face, was one of the girls' brother who got roped into this silly show), and (perhaps best of all) someone's dad playing Father Winter. I know it was someone's dad because he didn't have a lot of ballet-ic flair to his step and he was wearing Merrells instead of slippers. That, and I could see his sweat pants beneath his white pope-y robe. All in all, it was 30 minutes of good fun. Boy #1 *loved* it, since it was too short to be bored and so small he was about 6 inches from the newfallen styrofoam snow as well as the reindeer, which were his favorite part.
So the moral of the story is: If you're feeling a little out of sync with the jingles on the radio and the pleas for your money from department stores, check out your local ballet school. It just might bring back your love for Christmas. And truly nothing is more effectove in bringing a smile to your face than your local plumber spinning around on plastic snow.