Holiday Lights

The last of the leaves are long gone in beautiful Blacksburg, but there is no lack of color in the scenery around town:

2014 makes our fifth observance of the Blacksburg Holiday Lights Festival. I look forward to it for weeks, now. It begins with Santa's calling hours at the Lyric, followed by the lighting of the town Tree, followed by Tuba Christmas and carolers at the craft market, followed by the Holiday Parade, which I think might be bigger than the 4th of July parade around here. I enjoy a different event most each year.

Waiting in line to see Santa at the Lyric, we caught sight of Blacksburg's travelling folk prophet, Dr. Moon. 

Inside the theater, the kids were charmed, once again, by the sweet grandmotherly kindness of Mrs. Claus:

But for the first time ever, neither kid was lost to tears of fear over Santa!

You notice that Adele would not sit on Santa, but was happy to sit next to him, with Miles as a buffer. She's been talking herself up to this for weeks ("I'm going to be brave. I will tell Santa I want an Elsa doll. He will say Ho Ho Ho.") 

She did get the words out, and Miles got more than a few words out. Check him and me out in this news video from our local station! We start showing up in the video about minute 1:00.

WSLS 10 NBC in Roanoke/Lynchburg Va WSLS 10 NBC in Roanoke/Lynchburg Va

Then it was scamper up Henderson Hill to see the dramatic countdown and the lighting of the Tree.

It's no Rockafeller Center, but it makes us happy. The Mayor shakes hands with Santa Claus for the press, like it was a political deal they made together. It's adorable. 

Parade Time!

This year, much of our energy and time was given to the parade, because for once, the kids were going to appear in it. Because of his participation this year, Miles was invited to sit on the Blacksburg Chinese School's float, and they gave his jealous younger sibling permission to ride with him. 

We basically put them on the float and, after about a block, Jon and I booked it. We hauled ourselves at a tidy pace so we could make it the 1.5 miles to South Main Street, and then to the public library's parking lot to disembark from the floats. Jon and I are still sore. It was a delightful walk on a lit up, festive winter's night, though.

Doesn't the float look awesome?!

They had a terrific time on their fame ride. The girls are princesses and the boys, monkey kings (this is in some folk story; don't ask me!), and they all hold lanterns in the shape of horses, for the Chinese zodiac year we're in now.

Adele, er, stands out a bit. 

Thank heaven there was one other non-heritage kid there, so we felt less intrusive. BCS has shown us such hospitality!

Saturday was the first full rehearsal for the Christmas Pageant. I am so grateful for this experience, even as I'm worn out by it. I've received so much grace from church members, though. Parents, teens, and unconnected other adults have offered help, from props to snacks to help with the technology and set. My prop wish list, which had sixteen items on it just three weeks ago, now has just four items which we do not have. I stayed after rehearsal talking to one family about how nice it would be to have some cardboard cutout Christmas trees to contrast with our little green tree, and the teen in the family went right home, made them herself, and brought them to the props closet. Another woman, whose husband and daughter attend but who always has to work Sundays, herself, and so can never make church, finally has a door into church involvement: Saturday rehearsals. She's helping build the set! Graces abound. This is a year of seeing the payoff for stepping out on a limb, for me. How alive it makes one feel.

Sunset at Virginia Tech

We are counting down! This is our Advent calendar thus far, though I have the makings for another to make this evening with the kids.
One last relic of Thanksgiving: somehow I missed this in Adele's cubby until recently.

Obviously, her teacher wrote the words, but she came up with them. I should probably conjure a list of such simple, good things in my life every day. It would do me good.