Christmas Preparations in Santee

      Frost on the pumpkin!  Yes, believe it or not, this is the 2nd morning in a row where temperatures have dipped below 32,... and we don't think Mother Nature is very funny! Yesterday morning, we were 7 degrees warmer than the boat launch at Chateaugay Lake, and that's just wrong!  But in defense of So Cal, each day, by 10 AM, we've had to open the windows and cool Big Red off, as the morning sun visited us through the front window of the bus.  Nothing like sitting in a nice warming sun, enjoying that morning cup of coffee.

      The Christmas tree is up, inside and outside, and decorations are visible all through the park, as Grammie goes into Christmas mode, in preparation for Santa's arrival in just a few days. No one enjoys Christmas more than Grammie, and even though the entire extravaganza is starting to tone down, basically because of lack of space, Grammie continues with the traditions that make this time of year so special.

     And I think Grammie is having a special time, passing those traditions on to Joanne, and their special little helper, Liam.  Nothing says Christmas like cookies, and with just a little preparation, Liam was ready to go.  If you check with Liam, he'll tell you that apron is a hand me down from his father.  And Debbie loves to continuously remind me about the long line of pastry chefs on the Lagasse side of the family!!

     It didn't take Liam very long to figure out what sugar cookies were, and it seemed like his favorite part was putting on the icing!

     One of the nice things about staying at Santee Lakes, is the close proximity to Ben's house, and being able to coax Ben into bringing Liam over to enjoy the happenings over here.  Last weekend, a pretty big celebration was held here, and that included lost of events for kids.  Most seemed to enjoy tubing down the "snow" covered hill, although Liam didn't seem that interested.  But when he discovered the swing and the slide, his day started to perk right up.  Grammie and Ben did most of the work, and Papa just took pictures.  Consider yourself fortunate that you don't have to sit and look at all of them!

     As you can imagine, Liam has taken center stage this year, and that's to be expected.  Of course Jamo still like to get in some cuddle time with Grammie, and if he can get past Liam, he takes advantage of it.  But I really don't think Grammie minds too much.  

     It is always special to watch the curiosity of a child at Christmas, even though he doesn't truly understand what going on.  Twinkling lights and big blue snowflakes will attract almost anyone.  

And then of course, there's always Papa's lap!

Debbie managed to stay pretty busy for a few days making cookies for Ben and her brother back in Ohio.  Every year, Debbie sends cookies in a tin to Bob, and ever year the tin returns full of buckeyes!  That's a pretty good trade. 

    MaryAnne will be flying in for Christmas tomorrow night, so of course, everyone is pretty excited about that.  She'll bring a little life to the party!  Can't convince her to jump on the Trolley and ride it out to Lakeside though, so I guess we'll have to drive in to the airport and pick her up.  

     

     And of course, no Christmas story would be complete without a picture of the baby on Santa's lap, crying his head off.  I've never understood why parents are so mean to their kids, and why we all seem to get such a chuckle out of it!!
     Merry Christmas to everyone from the Doody's.  And may the New Year brings lots of blessings to your family.  And if not, remember the Golden Rule:  Keep Calm.....Call Mom!