A Beautiful Small Town Christmas Evening

It could not have been more perfect, we had a very pretty snowfall to wake up to on Saturday morning this weekend! The first weekend in December, the house is decorated, we had fun plans for the day and best of all, there was NO chance that Daddy would have to work overnight to plow snow. All four of us were delighted!

Since it was very cold and windy, the girls weren't asking to go out and play in the snow. That was okay with me. We kept the morning pretty calm, just resting up for the evening. Last night was a newly updated family tradition. For almost 60 years, Andy's mom's family has gathered on Christmas Eve. The traditional host and hostess bowed out this year since they are in their mid eighties and the family continues to grow. The work of preparing the house and food have just become too much. So, the next generation stepped up and decided to move the celebration to early December at Franklin College. It happened to fall on the same day as the city of Franklin holiday lighting this year! Small town charm is at its best during any holiday and this was no exception.

A couple of hours into the family party, Andy and I told our girls it was time to see the lights. One niece and one nephew didn't want to miss out, so they piled in with us and the six of us had a ball! It was so fun to drive into town just in time to see the lights come on. Magical, for the kids and for us! We watched families run toward the square, hurrying to make it in time. We (happily for Andy and I) didn't have time to unload everyone but we still got to see the highlights. So, we stayed warmer and didn't miss a thing.

This is First Presbyterian Church in Franklin, it was the perfect backdrop for one of the snowflakes that line Jefferson Street.

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Santa was there, of course! Singing and dancing performances also went on in front of the courthouse. We didn't get to see those, but that's alright. We even saw two horse drawn buggies, that were providing rides around the square. This little red house was Santa's "house" and had a place for children to mail him a letter of their Christmas wishes. The kids were craning their necks, trying so hard to see Santa but only Hailey spotted "just an elf." As Santa left the family party (pics on that in a minute) he told the kids that he needed to go see other boys and girls, so they were checking his story.

The courthouse, surrounded by a crowd, as we drove by.

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This scene just looked like a movie scene to me. Crowds, Christmas lights and snow! We get most of our snow after Christmas, so it was rare to have it in time for the festivities. After leaving downtown Franklin, we drove through the Indiana Masonic Home, which always has a really nice display of lights. There, we saw a lighted nativity scene and talked about Jesus, not Santa, being the reason for the season. I love telling the Christmas story and as we drove on, Andy mentioned that it's sad and hard to believe just how many kids in America don't know the real Christmas story.








Back at the family party, Santa came! Abigail sat on his lap by herself for the first time, ever. We've never pushed her to do it and this year she felt ready. Hannah did great, too! I was standing with her though and Andy didn't realize I was hoping he'd take a picture! She's showing off one of her gifts from Santa below.




























Merry Christmastime! We hope you have a day just as perfect to put you in the Christmas spirit!