The holiday season is in full swing and Mother Nature has given us a beautiful blanket of snow to cover all of the dull browns of the late Fall. On top of the snow, Old Man Winter has woken up early from his long nap to bring us some frigid temperatures.
While we're still about two weeks away from the Winter Solistice, it definitely feels like winter is here to stay. And honestly, I'm not hating it. All of this lovely winter white has really gotten me into the spirit of the season.
I started the week with Monday off from work. Somehow with everything going on this year, we arrived in November to find that I had several paid days off to use still. So I decided to extend some of my weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas and enjoy a little extra rest. This also allows me to take advantage of the daylight hours to get the girls out for some excercise and the flexibility to spend my Monday doing whatever I want to do.
We took full advantage of our Monday, spending a quiet morning at home, then making a trip to the dog park for a run in the snow around the noon hour. With the difficulty of playing ball in the snow, we've left the Chuck-it behind, and Mina has discovered the joy of just running around at top speed through the woods while Peaches keeps pace with me, never wandering too far away for fear that she might misplace me. With no need to hurry to get back home for work or to rush to get enough excercise before our early sunset, I could fully enjoy being in the moment and watching the joy that each girl experiences out in a snowy woods.
After our trip to the dog park, we headed home for lunch and to do some work around the house. Then, about an hour before sunset, I decided to take a drive to pick up a few new geocaches out on some backroads in the area.
When we were done, I was close to Charlotte, so I thought we could stop downtown by the old courthouse to take a short walk around town and take in the holiday lights and decorations. It was cold, so we didn't stay out too long, but we enjoyed our stop. I love the magic of small towns during the holidays.
Tuesday I was back at work and catching up after an extra long weekend. It was a busy day, and I barely even stopped to eat lunch. It was another cold day, and I was thankful that the girls had been happy to spend most ot the day napping.
While they had each had a peanut butter Kong earlier in the day and had eaten their lunch using a puzzle, I knew that the girls could still use a good run. So I finally stopped working a little after 4pm to take them for a run at the dog park.
We had the whole place to ourselves when we arrived and, once again, we had a great romp through the woods. It was just what we all needed.
Wednesday arrived, and with it, more cold weather. It was an exceptionally quiet day at home while I worked. I still can't believe how peaceful the girls were all day.
When 5pm arrived and it was time for me to head to the shelter for our dog walk, both girls refused to be left at home, so I took them along for the ride.
The snow started to fall when I got to the shelter, but that didn't stop us from getting 6 adorable dogs out for a cold and snowy walk. They all had a wonderful time.
When we were done, the snow had stopped, and I knew I had to get the girls out for at least a short walk before heading home. So we headed to downtown Mason for a walk around the courthouse square.
We had a really nice walk and enjoyed all of the fun holiday decorations around downtown. I think the giant mailbox for letters to Santa is my favorite holiday decoration in Mason. It was nice to be able to get the girls out for a bit and enjoy the peacefulness of the evening.
Before I knew it, Thursday arrived. We had some exciting plans for Thursday night. Every year for the last few years, we have made a trip to Kalamazoo to visit Candy Cane Lane at Bronson Park and then slowly weave our way home stopping in several small towns along the way.
This year, I decided Thursday was the night for this trip because one of our advisors recently opened a new office and would be participating in the Richland Wassailing event, so it worked out great that I could stop there as I drove through the area.
The tough part of the trip is that I picked the coldest day of the season so far to make it, and the sidewalks in Bronson Park were snow and ice covered due to recent snow storms. But we were determined to make the best of the situation.
We took a quick walk around Bronson Park, then headed down Kalamazoo Mall to get a picture in front of the giant Santa. The sidewalks on the mall were pretty clear and the buildings blocked some of the wind, making for a pretty comfortable walk despite the temperatures in the low teens.
While we shortened our visit due to the cold, we still really enjoyed this stop. Next we were off to Richland for the Wassailing event in town. It was another short visit with a quick walk around to take in the sights before we were back in the car and headed to Battle Creek.
The stop in Battle Creek is always a highlight of the holiday season for me, and we stayed a little longer here than the other stops, despite temperatures continuing to drop.
After visiting the light display which is set to Christmas music, we walked down the street to visit the 12 days of Christmas display along the North Country Trail.
This display is exactly the same every year, but I still enjoy stopping here, especially when we still need miles on the trail.
As we headed back to the car, we stopped in front of Clara's for few more light displays.
Then it was back in the car to continue our fun with a stop in Marshall.
It was the first night of the season for the Marshall Merry Mile at the Calhoun County Fairground.
Even though it was cold, I rolled the windows down so the girls could stick their heads out while we slowly drove through the light display.
It was a quiet night there, and we were the only ones driving through the display when we arrived. I enjoyed having the whole place to ourselves!
This is always a fun display to check out and the dogs seem to enjoy it too.
No holiday trip to Marshall would be complete without a stop at the Holiday House.
We parked down the street and walked the block to the house and quickly checked it out. By the time we arrived here, the temperature had fallen to just 7 degrees! BRRR!
On the way back to the car we stopped quickly to see this Rudolph display, and then we hurried back to the car before the girl's feet got too cold.
I love how festive downtown Marshall looks for the holidays.
We had had a wonderful time enjoying the many sights and sounds of the holidays and it was finally time to head home. This had been the perfect way to spend a frigid evening. I love the holidays!
Friday was another frigid day. After work, I really had no desire to spend much time outside in the cold, but I knew we had to get out for a walk.
I decided to get in the car and drive out to Dewitt for our Friday evening walk. It is a small downtown area and we don't go there often, so the girls always enjoy exploring here.
I had to laugh when they stopped at this business thinking that I would let them go inside. I decided they were trying to tell me they were ready to go back to the car, so off we went.
On the way home, we made one more stop for a walk around downtown Lansing.
After a nice walk checking out the holiday decorations along Washington Ave, we headed back to the car to drive the rest of the way home. All of the festive decorations and lights certainly make a walk in the cold a lot more enjoyable.
On the drive home, we swung through Frances Park to see the drive-thru light display. Then we enjoyed a quiet night at home.
I was so excited for Saturday to arrive because I once again had a long weekend and was looking forward to some holiday fun as well as some down time at home. We started our Saturday with a nice quiet day of watching Christmas movies and snuggling. It was perfect!
Late in the afternoon, we finally got ready to head out for some holiday festivities. Our first stop was at the REO Town Marketplace. One of our favorite Farmer's Market booths was going to be there with her homemade baked goods, and I wants to stop to get a couple of cookies and let the girls say hello. We walked around to see some of the other vendors there as well, before heading back to the car.
Then it was time for a visit to Old Town Krampusnacht. I like to get there early when it is less crowded. We were there right as it opened at 4pm and enjoyed a walk around checking out some vendors and getting a little treat for me as well as some Fur Real Dog Snacks for the girls.
I was so excited to run into St. Nick and Krampus and to be able to get a picture of the girls with them. Mina was very suspicious of the weird looking creature with the things that made a lot of noise dangling from his belt so I was very proud of her for letting me get such a nice picture.
We stopped for a walk around Preuss Pets before we got back to the car. I was happy to be leaving before the bigger crowds arrived for the night.
On the way home, I stopped at Potter Park Zoo for the Wonderland of Lights. It was Toys for Tots night, so I dropped off my toy for free admission to check out the lights.
I've been doing this for years and always enjoy the walk around the zoo. The light displays aren't as good as they used to be, so it is a pretty quick trip for me now, but I'm always happy to stop to see the big cats. It makes the whole trip worthwhile.
After I got back to the car, we took the long way home to drive around and see some of the houses in the neighborhoods decorated for the season. Then we had a nice quiet evening at home.
Sunday was our annual Nixon Christmas party. This is my grandma's family and all of my dad's siblings and cousins and their families attend. It was nice to get together with this extended family, but it was definitely different without my dad there. I know he was missed by many, but especially by me and mom.
As is tradition for this party, Santa (my uncle Charles) came to hand out gifts to the kids. He had a fancy new suit this year, too!
The girls came along for the ride, and after the party was over, we made the drive North to Midland. Boy was Peaches happy to be out of the car and able to roll in the snow!
The Midland County courthouse is decorated for the holidays and was very pretty.
And we stopped at the Santa House too. It was closed during our time in town, but some day I'd love to go back and visit when it is open.
We had a really nice walk around a very beautiful downtown Midland. What a pretty little town.
Then we were back in the car to make the short drive to Hayes Park in Freeland to check out their really awesome light show.
This light show set to Christmas music was pretty amazing and you could just sit in the comfort of your car to enjoy the show. It probably lasts around 20 minutes before it starts over, and we sat through the entire thing. I loved this stop and I was so glad I had heard about it and decided to make the drive to check it out. It made for a long drive home, but we enjoyed Christmas music and pretty lights as we weaved our way through some country roads back to the expresway.
We got home in time for a late dinner and then enjoyed our Christmas tree and some cheesy Hallmark Christmas movies. It had been a really great day!
While it looks like we packed a lot into our week, most of our fun was created by taking our normal nightly walks in some of the amazing small towns in the Lansing area or taking advantage of fun events locally. I love to make our walks more fun this time of year by keeping them festive. We were able to keep moving despite the cold and enjoyed some nice quiet evenings at home resting, relaxing, and recharging. I look forward to more fun and making more holiday memories this week, too.
