It is hard to believe, but the holiday season is now upon us once again. Thanksgiving is this Thursday, which means Christmas is right behind it. And as if right on cue, Monday morning we all awoke to find our cars covered in snow.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but Christmas seemed to be hurried along a bit sooner than normal this year. It seemed like no sooner were the Halloween decorations removed, that stores switched right into full-blown holiday mode, complete with Christmas trees, decorations and music.
That trend is not limited to just the Houlton area. We recently took our first family trip to Florida, and even in the Sunshine State thoughts had already turned to Christmas in early November. It was a bit surreal to walk around Walt Disney World or SeaWorld, sweating profusely as temperatures soared into the 90s while we were there, only to be bombarded with the sights and sounds of Christmas.
Palm trees and red ribbons? Yeah, that’s just weird. I don’t know how people in Florida do it. Celebrating Christmas without snow just doesn’t seem right to me. But I guess, the white sand beaches could do in a pinch.
Our Florida trip had been several years in the making and led to much anticipation for our two children. After all, it was their first time flying and getting a chance to swim with dolphins and visit Disney had been talked about in our home for what seems like an eternity.
As much as the kids were looking forward to it, I was not. I can admit that I am not a happy traveler. I am not particularly fond of flying and have trouble navigating in places I am not familiar with. Fortunately, I have a wife who was willing to take the lead in figuring out how to get from point A to point B.
While I thought our children would relish the idea of taking in as many sights as possible, the truth was they were more than content to simply hang out at the resort. Granted, it was a cool, 1950s-themed resort with two amazing pools and a lazy river, so I guess I could understand their thinking.
But no trip to Florida with kids is complete without a visit to Disney. We figured November would be a quieter time, with fewer people, but apparently that concept does not exist when it comes to the Magic Kingdom. We planned a full day at the park, staying until the final fireworks show close to 11 p.m. So did everyone else, it seemed, as the park was crammed so full of people that we soon found ourselves searching out rides that had wait times of less than 10 minutes. (There aren’t very many of those).
Seeing as how I am also not a huge fan of rides either, at least not the ones that soar up into the air, that made the selection process a wee bit trickier. My wife had to take our more adventurous daughter on the bigger rides, while my youngest and I took a spin on the Dumbo ride and Aladdin’s Magic Carpet. Yes, those are probably considered “kiddie rides,” but they were more my speed. Plus I could wear my sunglasses and close my eyes so my daughter never knew I was panicking at the thought of going up in the air.
Overall, it was a trip to make memories and I think we accomplished that fact. The icing on the cake, though, was when my youngest said, “that was a great trip, but I am glad to be home.”
I couldn’t agree more. Well, at least until the next adventure.
