CANDY CANE LANE

LAST NIGHT WE HAD OUR SECOND ANNUAL CANDY CANE LANE CARRIAGE RIDE. OUR 4 YEAR OLD, O, AFFECTIONATELY REMEMBERED THIS FROM LAST YEAR SO THIS YEAR WE INVITED HIS WHOLE FAMILY TO JOIN US ON THE JOURNEY .

IT WAS A MILD NIGHT COMPARED TO LAST YEAR , THE SKY WAS CLEAR, AND VIRTUALLY NO WIND. 

BUT MOST OF US WERE STILL ‘FREEZING’ BY THE END BECAUSE IT REALLY GETS QUITE COLD WHEN YOU ARE SITTING ON A BENCH AND GOING SLOWLY THROUGH THE NEIGHBOURHOOD.  ( LAST YEAR WE SAT ON HAY BALES AND RESTED OUR FEET ON THEM TOO SO IT SEEMED MUCH WARMER IN THAT WAY.  ) THANK GOODNESS WE AT LEAST THOUGHT TO BRING 3 BLANKETS. 

WE ARRIVED IN TIME TO GET THE BEST PARKING SPOT ( WOW !) , GET OUR NAMES CHECKED , TICKETS ISSUED , AND AWAIT THE MAGIC.   THERE WAS EVEN A FOOD TRUCK THAT OFFERED FREE HOT CHOCOLATES. 

CANDY CANE LANE BECAME THE AFOREMENTIONED MOSTLY BECAUSE A FEW FAMILIES STARTED DECORATING THEIR HOMES WITH AMAZING LIGHT DISPLAYS AND SOON ALMOST THE WHOLE STREET WAS DRAWING VISITORS TO VIEW THE SPECTACLE. 

NOW THERE ARE BINS TO FILL UP FOR THE FOOD BANK,  FIRE PITS TO WARM THE HANDS AS YOU WALK ALONG,  MUSIC PIPED IN ALL ALONG THE STREET , AND HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES WALKING , DRIVING, OR LIKE US, GETTING A WAGON RIDE DOWN THE STREET TO LOOK AT THE BEAUTIFUL LIGHTS. 

WE SAW MANY A GRINCH AND ONLY ONE ‘REAL’ GRINCH WITH NOT A LIGHT TO BE SEEN . ( CAN YOU IMAGINE MOVING ONTO THIS STREET AND NOT KNOWING WHAT YOU WERE GETTING INTO COME DECEMBER? HA HA) 

WE BECAME CAROL SINGERS AS WE DROVE ALONG AND I WAS SURPRISED HOW MANY SONGS OUR OTTO KNOWS THE WORDS TO…MUCH MORE THAN MYSELF.  WE SAT WITH NICE FAMILIES ALSO ENJOYING THE RIDE ( BUT ONE OF THE CHILDREN …WAS WEARING SHORTS ! ) 

ALTHOUGH WE WERE DECIDEDLY FREEZING BY THE END OF THE RIDE ..HA HA…WE MOSTLY ALL LOVED THE EXPERIENCE.   OUR TWO YEAR OLD, M, WAS UP PAST HIS BEDTIME AND HE WAS TOO COLD SO HE WAS NOT OVERLY IMPRESSED..HA HA AGAIN.

NEXT YEAR , IF I DO THIS AGAIN, I WILL WEAR MY GOOD ‘SORELS’ ( WARM BOOTS) AND BRING YET ANOTHER BLANKET FOR MY LAP …THEN I WILL BE JUST FINE. 

IT WAS A WONDERFUL TRADITION TO CONTINUE AND NOW HERE WE ARE AND IT IS ALREADY CHRISTMAS EVE.  TONIGHT MY HUSBAND AND I ARE LEADING THE MUSIC ( AT OUR CHURCH ON CANDY CANE LANE !!!)  AT OUR FIRST MIDNIGHT MASS.