Christmas Traditions

We made it a point to get out to local Christmas concerts and events every weekend throughout the month, which added so much to the Christmas spirit. A few we attended were the Candlelight Christmas Concert at St. Aloysius Cathedral on Gonzaga U's campus, the Christmas Tree Elegance event at the very lovely Davenport Hotel, an absolutely beautiful harp and violin concert at the Jacklin Arts Center, a Celtic Christmas Cantata at a local Methodist church, and a live drive-thru Nativity at RLM Church.

Here are a few pictures from some of those :

-Candlelight Christmas Concert at St. Aloysius Cathedral at Gonzaga U.... My first time in a cathedral. So beautiful.

-Christmas Tree Elegance at the Davenport Hotel...

-Harp and Violin Concert at the Jacklin Arts and Culture Center...
The harp sounded as beautiful as it looked.

-Live Nativity at RLM...

We also enjoyed several amazing shows and concerts from the comfort of our living room, including George Balanchine's The Nutcracker live from Lincoln Center, Andrea Bocelli's concert from New York, Rick Steve's Christmas in Europe, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Trans Siberian Orchestra, concerts from L.A., Germany, Norway, St. Olaf College, Belmont University, and others.

Throw several mugs of hot gingerbread drinks, hot sugar plum spiced cider,  warm homemade shortbread cookies, homemade kettle corn, and Martha Washington candies and white chocolate popcorn from our neighbors into the mix of it all.

I so got into the spirit of the season this year that I even put up lights on the second level of our house. (You want a good thrill? Climb out an upstairs window and balance a step ladder on the peak of your roof, then climb it, shaking like a leaf, to reach a higher level of roof, and scoot along precariously on your bum along the entire very edge, just to shove light hooks under shingles.)

I swear I saw the mouth drop open of every one of my neighbors that drove by, as they slowed down and expected to watch me fall to my death. Oh, the potential headlines.

'Til next year, Christmas.