Stick A Leg Out and Pop the Hip - It's Christmas Time!

“Let it Snow! I am one with the wind and sky.”
From the Broadway “Frozen” production in San Francisco to the snow storm in Ohio, we had a perfectly white Christmas.

This year for Christmas we got to do all of our favorite things, and it was Lemon’s turn to pick our famed 9ft tree. For the season, we bought her a red bow and collar that came with a bell attached - a detail that eventually became annoying, but came in handy when we took her to the Alhambra Tree Farm. Between the trees she would blindly scamper, and the sweet chime from her neck helped us find her behind a nearby tree stump. Jamie and I too got lost within the Earthy aroma of pine as we searched for a Noble Fir that had the right amount of space between branches - and find her we did. It was a tree we were proud of, as bulbs hung from its sturdy branches without the support of a lower branch to rest upon.

Luckily, Jamie’s mishap of her Halloween costume supplied us with multiple red tutus that we kept specially for our annual christmas card photo shoot. Finding a red tutu for a dog was a simple next solution, and secondly we decided that bling should not be limited to just us. Lemon did extraordinarily well sporting a necklace that weighed as much as she did, and her tutu kept sliding down her bum as we tried to get her to frolic.

Back this year was Dickens Christmas Fair ! An absolute favorite event for us both, as the street’s of Dicken’s London came to life in a colorful array of dancing, performances, and tiny shops where one can get Figgy Pudding, feathered caps, and skirts perfect for your every-day-governess. We danced at Fezziwig’s and got spiked hot chocolate and mulled wine from the pub. Charles Dickens himself read a stave of a Christmas Carol, and I got to dig through old books and large atlas’ in search for more pocket Shakespeare volumes.

Each year our traditions grow. We got to see Pentatonix live, saw Broadway’s “Frozen,” and went to Hallmark’s Enchant! We spent $15 on large hot chocolate concoctions, bought churros, and walked through the maze to find all of Santa’s reindeer. We got to ice skate and dance on a stage that lit up with every step we took. Once in Ohio, Mom always takes us to see Carillon Bell Tower and a drive through Lincoln Park.

There is also the immense gingerbread house at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Sadly, it was their first year of adding screens and light effects, which was a sad step away from their true gingerbread rooftop and old-time train set up. But Lemon I believe enjoyed the smells.

High tea at the Palace Hotel - words cannot describe. It is a happy place where you sip your champagne between your sips of tea. The lemon custard is served with salted scones, and macaroons sit beside tiramisu cakes. Fresh Fruit is served with finger sandwiches. While you eat, a woman sings beside a piano, and everything right in the world swirls together with whipped cream.

Once we landed in Ohio, my birthday festivities soon followed. As tradition goes, I drink a beer after a day at the ice rink. Since this was my first birthday celebration in Cleveland, we went to a quaint rink named the Wave Oval. From there we drank Christmas Ale and ate delicious French food. The temperature outside was dropping to a numbing low, yet we braved to see Christmas lights at Cleveland Zoo for a Wow Birthday finish. It was here that The Grinch taught us a few moves for the camera :)

Home for the Holidays! Between Cleveland and Dayton we drove, and enjoyed the fireplaces, the cookies, and the beautiful trees of each home we stayed in. Lemon complained about the weather, and decided that rolling on her side was better than having her paws planted in the snow. We did a Christmas train ride and family dinners, game nights and baking. Our nephews wrestled and played with walking dinosaur toys, and at times you did not know where to step within all the chaos. Grandma made us hot chocolate, lunch, and Sangria, and we played cards with her for an afternoon while we listened to her stories. These memories are like diamonds.