Holiday Nights

Last Saturday afternoon, I got a phone call from a friend who had been offered 5 tickets to Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village and was not able to go. Did we want them? Sure! It's something I had thought about doing this year, but it costs so much...I just wasn't sure. For free though? Absolutely! We had a good time. Petting the big ole horse!

The highlight of the visit - Santa on the roof top. Imagine the surprise of the Gardner girls as they walked up to the live reindeer on the front lawn only to have Santa shout from the rooftop, "And there's the Gardner girls!" Oh my word, E could not stop talking about that. Every few minutes she'd say, "I just can't believe Santa knew our names!! I was almost thinking Santa wasn't real because kids in my class say he isn't, but now I know he is because he said our names!" Tee hee hee. Thanks Santa!

Here are the girls waiting in line to ride in a Model T. Notice A must have had her hat on and off 30 times, making for a very static-y situation! The line was moving fast, and we soon found out why - they only take you around the block. But hey, what else are you going to do with thousands of people there each night?

E's hat hair!

So for those who don't know, Greenfield Village is a village of historic homes that Henry Ford had moved here from all over the place. For example, Robert Frost's home is here, as well as the courthouse where Abraham Lincoln practiced law, etc. It's a pretty fun place. During holiday nights, some of the homes are decorated as they would have been in their time period. In some of the homes they also have food that would have been served at Christmas at that time (you can't eat it, it's just sitting out - mostly fake food but some real too). There is an ice-skating rink, carriage rides, hot cocoa, carousel ride, groups caroling, brass band playing Christmas favorites, etc. Also, people in period dress walking in the streets. I think they are friends with Santa if you get my drift. Just before close, they have Christmas caroling and fireworks in the town square. Sorry to say, we did not stay for that. We were so cold by that time, kids were starting to get ornery, and we had parked SO far away, we had a long walk anyway and did not want to have to deal with crowds as we walked out or waiting in traffic to get out of the parking lot, so we skipped out a few minutes before that all was supposed to start.

So would I do it again? For free, heck yeah! Paying $17.50 a person? Um...most likely not. I mean, it's fun and all, but it is so crowded, and so cold, and I have to say there were a lot fewer homes decorated than I thought there would be. But it was great fun. Thanks to our friends for the tickets!!