It's the most wonderful time of the year

We had a surprise for Tessa on Saturday. We went to Shriver Square to see someone special. She did a happy dance when she saw him...

Tessa told Kris Kringle (she prefers this over Santa Claus) what she wants for Christmas, learned that chocolate chip cookies are his favorite, and...

Gave him two hugs before wishing him a merry Christmas. Later, she mentioned how he forgot to say, "Ho, ho, ho!"

Stayin' classy

Anxiously awaiting the horse-drawn carriage rides downtown

Tessa and Eric did some rock climbing to pass the time.

Notice the absence of snow. Eric said a light snowfall would have made it more Christmasy. I'm not one to wish for snow, but he was right. However, we enjoyed the 42-degree excursion.

And, we're off! Tessa had a great seat. "The horses are wagging their tails. That means they like me!"

I wasn't the passenger who dropped her purse during the ride. :) But thankfully, a Good Samaritan tailed the carriage and returned the purse at a stoplight. We ended our Christmas extravaganza with a drive through the holiday light display at Falls Park. (The snowman was there again, but Tessa wasn't as impressed/infatuated this year.) We ditched Delilah since Tessa wanted to provide the Christmas tunes. It was such a nice change, especially since she hasn't learned George Michael's "Last Christmas."