Community Voices for Health

By: Tanya Pimental

As soon as Halloween is over, I’m ready for the joy of the winter holidays to begin. Many people wait until after Thanksgiving to start celebrating Christmas. However, this year Thanksgiving came a week later than usual, making for less time between the two holidays. That means less time for those who refuse to acknowledge Christmas prior to their turkey dinner.  That person is typically my husband, but this year he put our lights up before Thanksgiving and admitted it was ok to be listening to all our favorite holiday music (on our 5 preset holiday stations in Swagger Wagger). 

Here we are, just two weeks shy of Christmas, and I am trying to make sure we get in as much holiday cheer as possible. It’ s all gone in a flash. The rumors of a white Christmas are exciting, too.  We got a taste of the snow yesterday. We only got about an inch, but it’s plenty for some fun.  The kids even built a mini snowman.

Here is some of what we have been up to the last few weeks.  Early this year, we made a visit to the Enchanted Village as part of their friends and family event. As usual, it just makes you warm and fuzzy inside. The light show is really fantastic and this year we tried out the Polar Express ride, which was so much fun. They also added an “ice” rink, which is actually a little odd to me. It’s skating on waxed coated plastic. The kids did enjoy it but for my hockey dude, it was no where near actual skating. Sadly, the blueberry muffins were not out yet so we will just have to go back at least once more.

As we go from activity to activity, we drive around and honk our horn at the Christmas lights. A great house will get three honks from us. Then we all yell, “like your lights!” This is something my husband used to do as a kid and we just love to keep that going. Our favorite light show is the Braintree Lights. If you have not checked those out, it’s a must during the holidays.

The Christmas Place in Abington is such a gem as well. We typically take our Santa picture there but have not done it yet. The kids love to watch the train and the elf that flips on a swing from the ceiling. This year, they added some dancing penguins that the kids think are super fun. I love getting a few new ornaments each year and watching the kids get excited in the room of outdoor decorations. Our almost-two-year-old spent a good ten minutes hugging all the plastic Santa’s and snowmen. It was hilarious.

Then, of course, we have one of my favorite holiday activities: Elfing. This year has been fun so far. It’s been a mix of easier and more difficult nights for sure. We had a mishap the first night where our littlest decided to play with them. The older two were quite alarmed.  So we had to send them to the Elf-irmary for the night.  They have managed to come back from the mishap, dressed as foxes in honor of the popular song and (of course) as Penguins.  I even managed to craft up an igloo for three elves from packing peanuts. I’m excited for more elfing fun through the next few weeks.

Whatever it is that you fill your holidays doing, we hope you are feeling the love of the holidays and are making memories with your family.  Take a break from the stress of shopping and find a way to be generous in spirit. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and may your New Year be full of blessings!