A Return to Santa's Village

Two years ago (when Little Lewie was 8), we went to Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire.  The trip was special because we went with Little Lewie's Aunt Missy, Uncle Moises, and cousins.  After some discussion about going on the trip again this year, Auny Missy and I made it happen.  We arranged to stay at the same hotel with adjoining rooms and buy Santa's Village tickets for the Thanksgiving Day weekend.

The trip, leaving Friday and returning on Sunday, was short, but we managed to get in lots of family time.  The kiddos went swimming in the hotel pool everyday, and we ate all meals together.  On Saturday night, we all played cards--even little Elijah and Lily (ages 6 and 4) joined in where they could.

Santa's Village was crowded, but strangely, waiting in lines didn't feel as bad as we thought.  The bonus was when customer service gave us free return tickets to come back any time between now and July; that was a $100 savings for us and almost a $200 savings for my in-laws.  We decided we will be coming back to Jefferson, New Hampshire in the summer to use those tickets!

With almost a foot and half of snow on the ground and 30 degree temperatures, spending time in Santa's Village put us right in the holiday mood.  We went on the Great Humbug Adventure, Santa's Express Train, and the Skyway Sleigh.  We saw the 3D movie, A Tinkerdoodle Christmas, had ice-cream, of course, and drank lots and lots of hot chocolate.  Our favorite experience, however, is their outside light show where the lights dance to pop songs and Christmas music.  Both years we waited until dark to go on the Skyway Sleigh--that way we could get to see all the beautiful Christmas lights throughout the park.  It was well worth the wait!

Starting off our day in the hotel. (Sarah 13, Lewie 10, Brooky 8, Lily 4, and Elijah 6)

Checking out the Water Wheel gift shop before lunch.

Waiting patiently while playing the Tricky Triangle Peg Game. 
(Come to find out...this was one of Lewie's favorite parts of the trip.)

Santa's Village!

I was always catching this one with a snowball in his hand.  The kids loved playing in the snow
just as much as they enjoyed going on the rides.

How could we resist homemade ice cream?

The view from our sleigh.

As Lewie gets older, I'm not sure how many more Santa's Village visits will be in our future, but at least we know we'll be coming back in the summer--we don't want to give up those free tickets!

When we came home on Sunday (around 7 p.m.), it was back to getting ready for school and work.  The goal will be to decorate for Christmas this weekend.  We have lots to do to prep for the holidays.  Is anyone just starting, like me?

Santa's Village

For three months, my sister-in-law and I had been planning a visit to Santa's Village in Jefferson, New Hampshire.  Finally, last weekend was THE WEEKEND.  Both our families left on Friday night (to avoid a snowstorm) and arrived safely in New Hampshire in the wee hours of the morning (around 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. to be exact).

Around noon on Saturday, we began our day in the snow.  We stayed at the Evergreen Motel (right across the street from Santa's Village), so the entrance to the park was only a quick walk away.  We made sure to bundle up with layers of clothes including snow pants, boots, hats, scarves, gloves, hand warmers, and foot warmers.  With 20 degree temperatures and the prediction of 6+ inches of snow, we knew we had to try and stay warm and dry for the day.

The best part of the trip was watching the kids (Lewie and his three girl cousins) get excited about playing in the snow and seeing Santa,  However, there were many more highlights; for example, one of my favorite experiences was going on the sleigh car monorail ride shortly after sunset--the lights in the park were beautiful, and the ride made you feel like you were going through a true winter wonderland.

On the train...the Polar Express...

We met all of Santa's  "real" reindeer except for Rudolph.

After Santa's Village, my husband took Little Lewie and his cousin Sarah to see the new Star Wars movie.  The next day, we packed up, had a yummy breakfast at the Water Wheel Breakfast and Gift House up the street, and then stopped to visit Yankee Candle Village in South Deerfield, MA before arriving home.  (Little Lewie surprised me by wanting to make his own candle; he enjoyed the store way more than I thought he would...)

The weekend, not surprisingly, went by way too fast, but it was exactly what we needed to get in the winter and Christmas spirit.  I'm so grateful to have had these wonderful memories with family.  This trip was good for the soul.