Pre-Christmas Craziness

This weekend was a whirlwind of activity. Honestly, I don't know if I've ever had a busier one.

Saturday morning found us walking up Guelph Avenue to the Hespeler Santa Claus parade.

Russel Bygrave - the man in the white tuxedo - put on the best parade we've ever seen. This daytime, December parade is fantastic. There must have been hundreds of people around where we were standing and the parade had already been travelling some kilometers by here. Oddly, this parade is not recognized by the City of Cambridge. Though, I expect they get their pound of flesh in permit fees.

We were wowed by the Burlington Teen Tour Band which took up a lot of room and were impressive on our tiny downtown street.

We were also happily surprised to see Aunt Megann in the parade with the Cambridge Kips! Nice throw, Megann!

Then we moved onto Candyland in Preston where young John got to fill his belly with sugary fun. The weather became troublesome, more snow than anyone expected for this time of year, so a visit from Uncle Andrew was put off. However, Greg's homemade canelloni really hit the spot anyway. This fact was confirmed when young John said it was the best thing he'd ever tasted.

Candyland, in Preston had sweet activities: ice blocks filled with candy, free candy being handed out to kids and adults alike, candy decorating pathways and trees, candy prizes. Did I mention there was lots of candy?

The next morning, John was picked up by Grandma to go to church so he could practise his role in the nativity play. Following church, we met John and Grandma for a Quaker potluck at John Smith's meeting house.

Following this, we planned to go straight to a kids' Christmas party for my work but were side-tracked (ha ha!) by the holiday excursion train that traveled from Waterloo to Elmira and back.

The train included a chat with Santa and half of the original Beirdo Brothers for entertainment.

I took many, many shots of our snowy landscape. They all have this gauzy feel about them because the windows were plexi-glass - making for a chilly train ride, hence the coats and hats we're all wearing.

The Santa on board the train was a bit more engaged than the next Santa where John actually got his first Christmas gift.

We made it to the kids' Christmas party just as this other Santa was calling John's name for his gift. Despite seeing two Santas, John wasn't in the least worried. Getting a gift helped assauge any nagging doubt he might have felt.

What a weekend. Phew!