December was a terribly busy month for Jason and I with him being gone for 2 weeks. I decided if we wanted the chance to take Rachel to see Santa this year (we couldn't last year because we were moving and because of all the snow we got) that we needed to do it early. Geri sent me a list of Christmas events that were going on and it looked like the best event was going to be up at the 4-H Fairgrounds. We took the chance and went up there and I hope we can do that again another year.
It was amazing. It was set up somewhat similar to Reynolds in Fishers. You drive through the fair grounds and look at the lights set up along a small driveway. We were one of the first people there, so there was no line and also no idea which was the entrance and exit. It was also completely FREE. I was stunned.
Once you drive through all the lights you end up at a building with a sign to denote Santa's Workshop. We were early so the door was still locked. I figured it would be like the mall - you wait in line, have someone take a photo with Santa and you walk away. We stood out front for about 10 minutes before they let us in and O. to the M. to the G. I was blown away. It wasn't just a doorway with a Santa in it....it was a proper workshop. It looks like a workshop that's turned into the North Pole. There were probably 50 fully decorated trees, animated marionettes, a cookie bar with cookies and cocoa for sale, and a very well dressed Santa. Talk about authentic. And FREE. It was by donation only and under all the tress that were on the main floor were buckets. You put pennies in the buckets to vote for your favorite trees and I assumed the money was going towards the 4-H club. One lady we talked to said that she's been going there since she was a kid (I assumed she was in at least her 60s) and some of those marionettes were the same ones that they used when she was a kid. They were that old and still in amazing condition.
Rachel was so over stimulated by everything she kept running back and forth looking at everything. There was another little boy about her age that went in at the same time we did.
I had tried to explain to Rachel that we'd be going in, sitting on Santa's lap and he would ask her what she wanted for Christmas. I was attempting to avoid the screaming child on Santa's lap scene. Not sure if that was helpful or not.
Because in the midst of her running around and trying to play in Santa's workshop with this little boy we kept trying to get her to go sit on Santa's lap before a bunch of people showed up and we did have to wait in line. Then we'd let her run around she wanted in Santa's workshop.
We finally got her attention and she ran over to where Santa was sitting in the corner of his workshop and before he could put her on his lap she exclaimed "MONKEY!" and tried to bound away to play. We finally coaxed her to hold still for a little bit to take her picture with Santa and he asked her what she wanted for Christmas to which she repeated, "Monkey".
Yes. All our daughter wanted for Christmas this year was a Monkey.
She's not afraid in this photo....it was just an unfortunate capturing. My phone would NOT cooperate, so I had to use Jason's. The quality may not be very good, but at least you get the point!
It was amazing. It was set up somewhat similar to Reynolds in Fishers. You drive through the fair grounds and look at the lights set up along a small driveway. We were one of the first people there, so there was no line and also no idea which was the entrance and exit. It was also completely FREE. I was stunned.
Once you drive through all the lights you end up at a building with a sign to denote Santa's Workshop. We were early so the door was still locked. I figured it would be like the mall - you wait in line, have someone take a photo with Santa and you walk away. We stood out front for about 10 minutes before they let us in and O. to the M. to the G. I was blown away. It wasn't just a doorway with a Santa in it....it was a proper workshop. It looks like a workshop that's turned into the North Pole. There were probably 50 fully decorated trees, animated marionettes, a cookie bar with cookies and cocoa for sale, and a very well dressed Santa. Talk about authentic. And FREE. It was by donation only and under all the tress that were on the main floor were buckets. You put pennies in the buckets to vote for your favorite trees and I assumed the money was going towards the 4-H club. One lady we talked to said that she's been going there since she was a kid (I assumed she was in at least her 60s) and some of those marionettes were the same ones that they used when she was a kid. They were that old and still in amazing condition.
Rachel was so over stimulated by everything she kept running back and forth looking at everything. There was another little boy about her age that went in at the same time we did.
I had tried to explain to Rachel that we'd be going in, sitting on Santa's lap and he would ask her what she wanted for Christmas. I was attempting to avoid the screaming child on Santa's lap scene. Not sure if that was helpful or not.
Because in the midst of her running around and trying to play in Santa's workshop with this little boy we kept trying to get her to go sit on Santa's lap before a bunch of people showed up and we did have to wait in line. Then we'd let her run around she wanted in Santa's workshop.
We finally got her attention and she ran over to where Santa was sitting in the corner of his workshop and before he could put her on his lap she exclaimed "MONKEY!" and tried to bound away to play. We finally coaxed her to hold still for a little bit to take her picture with Santa and he asked her what she wanted for Christmas to which she repeated, "Monkey".
Yes. All our daughter wanted for Christmas this year was a Monkey.
She's not afraid in this photo....it was just an unfortunate capturing. My phone would NOT cooperate, so I had to use Jason's. The quality may not be very good, but at least you get the point!
