Christmas Road Trip!!

As has been our tradition for the last several years, we have taken little field trips at Christmas time. Usually we go with my husband's grandparents. It started a in 2005 with a trip to Bright Nights in Springfield. The next year we went to Edaville Railroad. I was on maternity leave with Chelsea that year, so we also took the kids to see Candlelight Christmas at Sturbridge Village. Last year we took a ride on the North Pole Express at the Essex Steam Train. The plan was to go back to Edaville this year, but alas, Jack Frost thwarted our plans. On to Plan B!

In a spontaneous decision, we decided to take advantage of school closing due to the storm and my husband having a full day off and take a ride out to the Yankee Candle Village in Deerfield. Santa is there and it is wintery and festive. You can walk through the doors in mid-July and feel like it is Christmastime. The only question is would the kids like it???

Here is the complex lit up for the holidays.

The kids loved the big stuffed animals. They would have loved to take them home. Given their cost (it would have been cheaper to go on a real safari) and the fact that we live in an already-stuffed house, we had to settle for just a quick visit.

The kids stopped to try out the hammocks. You would have thought they were at an amusement park given their laughter and smiles. Again, this proves that kids can be entertained by the simplest things.

My children have a fascination with ramps. Each time we go anywhere they find the handicap ramp and run up and down the little hill. Yankee Candle was no excetion. Here is Chelsea running towards the ramp.

Here it is... one of the trains. Would any trip for us be complete without a train-sighting??? Travis was tickled by this. Several of the rooms had trains that circled the ceilings. John lifted Travis up so he could take a closer look.

Chelsea finally found a place where she can be treated like the princess she is!
After dipping their own candles, the kids decided to explore the room. Here is Travis posing behind the wheel of an old fashioned car. The crazy look on his face makes me a little nervous about what will happen when he gets to drive for real!!

Snack time!!! While we ate our ice cream we were entertained by the "Candle Mountain Band". They were automated and, to be honest, a little creepy. But the kids loved them. Especially when they sang about "Bruce the Christmas Moose". On the way home we hit Cracker Barrel for a stick-to-your ribs supper. Exhausted and happy, Chelsea fell asleep. Travis sang along with the Chipmunks. Another successful Campbell Christmas Road Trip!