A Frosty Night
21 Dec 2009 23:30 Filed in: Personal
Tonight was one of those special nights, as Jill and I took Nathan to see Santa Claus. He was a little bit excited when we told him what we planned, but not to the point of being boisterous. We set out after dark had fallen, with the moon low in the sky and one of the planets bright below it (possibly Neptune according to Starmap Pro). The roads were still pretty treacherous, but fortunately, it was only a short journey to Stockeld Park where "A Christmas Adventure" was being held. It's a local farm estate which has added a big Christmas shop, cafe, Grotto, skiing & skating, and an "Enchanted Wood" light show.
It was bitterly cold (as we left, the car thermometer soon dropped to -2C), but we wrapped up well. The queue for Santa was far shorter than the forty minutes that the ticket sales people had said, and we soon reached its head. Nathan was refusing to have his photo taken at all, almost treating me as if I was one of the paparazzi, meaning that the cameras that Jill had brought were all for nothing. Nathan was a bit scared by Santa's Elves, two young and friendly women, and hid behind our legs. However, talk of 'Thomas the Tank Engine' drew him out a little and then it was time to go and see Father Christmas himself.
When we got in the room, Nathan was still a little scared, but he answered questions and promised to be good for his Mummy and Daddy (ho! ho! ho!) before he was given a small present by Santa. We think he enjoyed it and it was magical to watch him.
After we left the Grotto, we passed through the gift shop where we had the amusement of Nathan trying to get the attention of another lady in a similar purple coat to the one that Jill was wearing and then discovering that it wasn't "Mummy" and rushing back to me, who he had been ignoring up until that point. After a quick bite to eat, we headed back out into the cold and the "Enchanted Wood". This was done beautifully, with animated events and gorgeous lighting. It was almost worth a visit for the opportunity to take pictures alone, but I didn't give in to that temptation as it was far too cold! Nathan insisted in walking all the way, a long distance, and seemed to love it.
All in all, it was a magical, enjoyable and, above all things, cold night!
It was bitterly cold (as we left, the car thermometer soon dropped to -2C), but we wrapped up well. The queue for Santa was far shorter than the forty minutes that the ticket sales people had said, and we soon reached its head. Nathan was refusing to have his photo taken at all, almost treating me as if I was one of the paparazzi, meaning that the cameras that Jill had brought were all for nothing. Nathan was a bit scared by Santa's Elves, two young and friendly women, and hid behind our legs. However, talk of 'Thomas the Tank Engine' drew him out a little and then it was time to go and see Father Christmas himself.
When we got in the room, Nathan was still a little scared, but he answered questions and promised to be good for his Mummy and Daddy (ho! ho! ho!) before he was given a small present by Santa. We think he enjoyed it and it was magical to watch him.
After we left the Grotto, we passed through the gift shop where we had the amusement of Nathan trying to get the attention of another lady in a similar purple coat to the one that Jill was wearing and then discovering that it wasn't "Mummy" and rushing back to me, who he had been ignoring up until that point. After a quick bite to eat, we headed back out into the cold and the "Enchanted Wood". This was done beautifully, with animated events and gorgeous lighting. It was almost worth a visit for the opportunity to take pictures alone, but I didn't give in to that temptation as it was far too cold! Nathan insisted in walking all the way, a long distance, and seemed to love it.
All in all, it was a magical, enjoyable and, above all things, cold night!