Holiday lights

I took Amanda for a drive last night to look at the Christmas…err Holiday... lights. Scott asked me to pick up dinner while we were out because I think the thought of taking a drive just to take a drive was probably painful for him... but anyway it was so cool checking out the lights with her. We're definitely adding the Holiday Lights Drive as a new tradition.

Scott told me about a house that really went all out with the decorations this year so we headed in that direction. It wasn't the Arlington from my childhood, but I figure for Amanda it was. So we got out of the car to take a closer look. We were the only ones out there and I, being my mother's daughter, was a little paranoid, imagining the news headlines: Mother and young daughter blugeoned to death while enjoying holiday light display.

But, hard as I tried, I couldn't talk Amanda back into the car because she was slowly taking in each and every decoration as if it were simply the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. Look at the elves on the teeter-totter! Look at the reindeer, they're dancing! There's Baby Jesus! They have three wisemen just like we do!

So I decided to make the best of it and forced myself to step out of my uptight it's cold and raining and we could get killed out here parent role and tried to imagine how the scene must look from Amanda's point-of-view and you know what? It was really beautiful... miraculous and completely magical, as a matter of fact, you know with the Christmas carols playing and Baby Jesus sharing space with the elves. God was in his heaven, Santa was on the roof and all was right with the world.

For a moment I actually tried to figure out how I could talk Scott into getting an over-the-top display for our own front lawn to spread the joy a little. Only for a moment because we all know that would so NEVER happen. Just imagine our PG&E bill. And instead of Christmas carols there would be the joyful sound of Scott swearing about all the jerks parked in front of our house.

But that's okay because a couple of weeks ago we happened to pull into our driveway while the guy across the street was setting up a small and very tasteful display on his front lawn (they're a young couple with no kids). He told Amanda that she'd be able to see the lights from our window and he seemed really happy about that, which I thought was sweet.

A couple of days ago while doing the "Amanda Interview," (hopefully another new annual tradition at our house) I asked Amanda, "Who are your favorite people in the whole wide world?" Her response: "Brian, Roony, and Grandma." I (determined not to sway her answers in any way, of course), asked, "What about Mommy & Daddy? We don't even make the long list?"

She said, "Yeah they're my favorite people too. Oh. And the guy across the street."

I couldn't figure which guy she was talking about until she finally explained, "You know, the guy who put up the reindeer for me." Oh right, him.

So anyway, the Holiday Lights Drive was a success and apparently it made quite the impression on Amanda too. Just a minute ago I asked her, "What was your favorite thing about going to see the Christmas lights last night?" and she enthusiastically responded,"What Christmas lights???"