DAYS BEFORE THE NEW YEAR

10 . 9 . 8 . 7 . 6 . 5 . 4 . 3 . 2 . 1. Happy New Year!

Thursday, December 31st - My husband still wished we were among the hundred of thousand of people (drunken fools) standing around in Times Square, for 10+ hours, being confined in tight space, waiting to watch the ball drop while counting down for the arrival of the New Year. The top and below photos were taken around 5:09 p.m. on December 30, 2007 in Times Square, yet the area was packed with people going in all directions. I could not image what it would be like to be in that area on New Year Eve! I am sure one of the many surveillance cameras (above photo) will be there, and NYC finest men and women in uniforms will be working hard keeping everyone safe. If I am able to stay up late, I will be watching the celebration from the comfort of my sofa. I will be thinking about ideas for the next posts, "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2009", New Year Resolutions, and "What the next Decade will bring".

Wednesday, December 30th - It snowed in the morning but no accumulation and by the afternoon the temperature was in the upper 40s. At lunch time, I started to plan for our next Route 66 trip, making notes of attractions/towns we missed last October, charting the course of the next adventure, over nine days rotating between the interstates and Old 66 from El Reno, Oklahoma, crossing into Shamrock, Texas, continue on to Tucumcari, New Mexico and Rio Rancho, Arizona. Just thinking about our road trip helps lessen my sadness that 2009 will be over in less than 30 hours!
Tuesday, December 29th - Two more full days of work and then another 4-day weekend before the long stretch of having any holidays until Memorial Day. Where I work, Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday and Presidents' Day are not considered paid holidays. Maybe I should demand a day off for Lunar/Chinese New Year or Tet-Vietnamese New Year. (I need to join the crowd using the race card or cry "racism" to get special treatment.) I wonder if I changed my name to Patricia O'Mara, would I get a day off on St. Patrick's Day? Not much going on at work due to the holidays. Besides I have made a promise not to talk/write about work or even mentioned the name of the head clown and his minions at the circus!

DAYS BEFORE & AFTER CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 28th - Am I the only person who was not too thrill about going back to work after four wonderful days of Christmas? The office was quiet with most of the employees taking off this week and the phone only rang a few times. I was able to work on "I wish I had time" projects, organized the files for next year and even started on publication for the first quarter.
Sunday, December 27th - The snow started last night, continued with strong wind, making the drive to church a bit scary when the truck started to slide when we tried to turn into the parking lot. We were planning to drive to Hermann but decided to stay home which I did not mind at all since there were so many football games I wanted to watch. My husband could not believe that I cheered for the Colts and not the Jets. It may sound crazy but with two more games left, I wanted to the Colts to have a perfect season 16-0 but the Jets rallied to win 29-15. I was happy to see Adam Vinatieri back on the field kicking! Of course, I was very pleased that my Patriots beat Jacksonville 35-7 and Aaron Rodgers & the Packers won 48-10 over the Seahawks but I was sad that my NY Giants loss to Carolinas. Not a happy Sunday in the Manning family!

Saturday, December 26th - We decided to get out of the house and enjoyed a nice breakfast at Sunny Street Cafe. A walk around the mall, without particularly looking for any after Christmas bargains, my husband found a pair of corduroy pants and I decided to treat myself to a nice sweater. Passing by a Hallmark store, we could not resist and joined many others who purchased 50% - 70% off Christmas cards, getting ready for the next mailing!

After lunch, we saw "Sherlock Holmes". It has been almost a year since we last saw a movie (the drive-in movies on Route 66 did not count). It was rather enjoyable, mostly because of the fresh warm buttery popcorn, not so much because of the movie!
Christmas Day, Friday, December 25th - Since we went to bed so late after midnight Mass, we did not get up until almost noon! Actually, at around 7:20 a.m., we got out of bed, went into the kitchen, had coffee and toasted bagels, watched the snow falling and went back to bed after we finished the bagels. The rest of Christmas day was spent on watching our favorite movies, "The Nativity", "It's a Wonderful Life" and "A Christmas Story". We took naps between meals and I did manage to read all the Route 66 books I have borrowed from the library last weekend.

The Day before Christmas, Thursday, December 24th - My husband got up around 6:30 a.m. to start making the filling for the pierogies. We decided to make three dozens with different filling, traditional sauerkraut with mushroom, mushroom and chopped onion, and ground meat with mushroom. CMP also made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie. After breakfast, I helped with making the pierogies, fold and pinch them close, boiled, placed on cookie sheets, and stored in a container after they cooled. We took a long afternoon nap since we planned to attend midnight Mass after dinner. It was a very productive and fun day working together getting ready for Christmas.

MIDNIGHT MASS AT CATHEDRAL BASILICA OF SAINT LOUIS

It started in the last few years that we began the tradition of attending midnight Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis. Since we no longer traveling to Detroit and our home parish was sort of modern looking, being at the Basilica for midnight Mass would feel more of Christmas solemn ritual. Also, this would be the first midnight Christmas Mass celebrated by the Most Rev. Robert J. Carlson who was installed as Archbishop of St. Louis on June 10, 2009.

After our Christmas Eve dinner and opening of presents, we left the house around 9:45 p.m. and drove on the new opening portion of the highway 40/I-64. Traffic was light and it took us only about 40 minutes to get to the Basilica. We had to walk around looking for available space as many people were already there early to listen to the choir. We found two center seats, about 10 pews away, on the left side of the altar.

It was a beautiful Mass and I even joined my husband in singing "Angels We Have Heard on High", "O Holy Night" and the recessional hymn "Joy To The World". I am not saying my singing has improved, it could be that the people around us decided to tolerate my singing as it was Christmas, the season of kindness, as no one asked me to stop singing and the church did not clear quickly! We got home about 2:45 a.m. it was the latest that we ever went to bed (our normal bedtime is around 9:30 p.m. - haa haa).

I hope you have had a blessed Christmas and many beautiful memories with your family. Here is to 2010 and hope that it will be the beginning of peace, and that good health, love and happiness in the years ahead.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,

Born this happy morning;

Jesus, to Thee be the glory giv'n;

Word of the Father,

Now in the flesh appearing

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

O come, let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

JOY TO THE WORLD

Joy to the world! The Lord is come:
Let earth receive her King.

Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and nature sing,

And heaven and heaven and nature sing.

He rules the world with truth and grace;

And makes the nations prove,

The glories of His righteousness

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders of His love.

ANGELS AT ROCKEFELLER CENTER - NEW YORK CITY

Angels, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye, who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Come and worship! Come and worship!
Worship Christ the newborn King!
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To the eternal Three in One.
Come and worship! Come and worship!
Worship Christ the newborn King!

"HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

I took this photo, wanting to capture the images showing the lobby of the Waldorf Astoria with all the Christmas decorations. It was 9:17 p.m. right after we finished dinner at Oscar's and were on our way back to our room. I did not see the young man sleeping on the sofa (bottom left corner) until now. Of course, it was not my intention to include him in the image. As I tried to find a photo that would include humor and also Christmas, I thought this image is just perfect for this post "Happy Christmas to all and to All a Good Night!". Whoever that young man is, I wish you Merry Christmas and may your life be filled with good health, love, peace and many beautiful dreams!

TOTA, WE ARE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE!

I finally completed organizing more than 1,000 photos from our Route 66 Adventure in October. It took a lot of time to review the photos, write down the images based on locations (Oklahoma, Kansas or Missouri) and themes (gas stations, bridges, cafes etc.) or funny signs along the road for appropriate postings.


It was a wonderful trip as it was my first time to Oklahoma, seeing, learning and enjoying America along memory lane on Route 66. We left St. Louis on Thursday, October 22nd and took West I-44 all the way to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We stayed one night in Bricktown. The next day, Friday, October 23rd, we spent the early morning visiting the Oklahoma City National Memorial honoring the 168 Americans who died from the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in 1995. I was sad and angry at such senseless destructions.

After a few turns around as we were not sure exactly where the Route was, we began the first of many stops on Route 66 visiting the restored 1898 Round Barn in Arcadia. The next stop was the 66 foot tall Pop Bottle at POPS (see photos in December 5th post). After Luther and Wellston, we stopped at Country Kitchen in Chandler for lunch. We spent a few minutes at Seaba Station, a former 1924 machine shop in Warwick. We saw many cast-off remnants of US66 in Depew, Bristow, Kellyville, Stroud, Sapulpa, but we did not see much of Route 66 in Tulsa. We probably missed a turn and did not have time to back-track - perhaps next time! We saw the Blue Whale in Catoosa, stopped by The Nut House near Verdigris for pecan fudge, encountered terrible slow traffic due to construction in Claremore and completely missed the World's Largest Totem Pole in Foyil. We did spent time taking many photos of the T-bird at the 1926 iron bridge over Pryor Creek in Chelsea. After White Oak, Vinita, and Afton, we decided to spend the night in Miami (pronounced My-am-uh), Oklahoma. The next morning, Saturday, October 24th, after breakfast, our first stop was Mickey Mantle boyhood home in Commerce. Waving goodbye to Quapaw, Oklahoma, we crossed the state line into Kansas. We spent the entire morning exploring the 13.2 miles of Route 66 in this charming corner of the Sunflower State. We took plenty of photos of the T-bird at the Rainbow Bridge, at a 1930s-era Phillips 66 Station now serves as Visitors Center and 4 Women on the Route cafe. Galena Museum was full of historical artifacts and a real nice person took the time to show us around the museum. We only wish we had more time!

The above sign welcomed us back into Missouri on Saturday afternoon. We drove into Joplin, then stopped for lunch in Webb City and took photos of the Praying Hands off Macarthur Highway 171. Our next stop was the 66 Drive In, a restored roadside theatre in Carthage. Of course, my husband took many photos of the T-bird at this Drive In. Precious Moments Park and the Chapel were closed when we finally got there early evening. After a drive around the Historic Square, saw the murals of The Battle of Carthage, the classic 1939 Boots Motel (where Clark Gable stayed in Room #6), we decided to take a room at Best Western Precious Moments Hotel. The next morning, Sunday, October 25th, we attended Mass at St. Ann Catholic Church, then took a scenic drive along the Spring River thru Kellogg Lake Park, passed the Gay Parita Sinclair Station at Paris Springs, spent a lot of time there and finally got back to Springfield, just in time for a big lunch. After that we took I-44 East all the way home since we were so overwhelmed with all the wonderful experience on Route 66, yet exhausted after four days of constant getting in and out of the T-bird, taking photos, meeting and sharing Route 66 memories with so many friendly and helpful people. We already planned our next Route 66 during Spring-Summer 2010 and will try to get as far to Arizona.

CHRISTMAS IN DOWNTOWN ST. LOUIS

I am so glad my husband agreed that we would not be travelling to Detroit to visit his family and since I already made two trips to New York in April and May, we will be staying home for Christmas this year.

Being non-Christian family, growing up in Viet Nam I did not celebrate Christmas and our home was not decorated with Christmas tree or anything associated with the holiday. We talked about Santa Claus "Ong Gia Noel" but my parents did not feel it was necessary to give us presents (pretending to be from Santa) as it was not part of our tradition.
For a few years after we came to America, still being non-Christian yet trying to adapt to the new culture, I attempted to celebrate Christmas by decorating the tiny dining area in our apartment (one bedroom, one bath, kitchen and the living room was set up as another bedroom) by taping gold and silver, red and green garlands on the wall and displayed a few Christmas cards from relatives and friends. I think we were tought by our English class teachers about sending Christmas cards or perhaps after we have gotten a few from other people and thought it would be appropriate to reciprocate. My siblings continued Christmas decorations after I moved out of the apartment.
My introductory of traditional Christmas celebration was in 1988 with my husband-to-be and his family starting with Christmas Eve dinner. My husband was the World Famous "Pierogies" Chef as well as making a few apple pies. After dinner, the grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles, all 20 adults, cramped into the living room to watch 13 nieces and nephews opened their presents. This had been the part I disliked, watching the kids tore up the wrapping paper, barely looked at what they got, moved on to the next, stuffed the money into their pockets, then mechanically thanked everyone for the presents, yet already forgotten who gave which items.
Midnight Mass has always been my favorite and what I really looked forward to during Christmas season. We usually tried to get to church early to get good seats (** heh heh **) to listen to the choir. The next day, a Christmas brunch would be hosted at someone's house and we would celebrate my husband's birthday since he was born on December 25th, a Christmas baby!
Since 1988 and after we got married in 1989, no matter how severe the weather was (at time dangerous to be driving), we always HAD to be in Detroit. There were so many close calls during those 3 hours driving in the snow, ice and treacherous condition from Grand Haven. It was expected, it was family tradition at Christmas, everyone was supposed to be there and there was no negotiation!
In 1994, we stayed in St. Louis for Christmas. We closed on the house but the family asked if we would let them move after Christmas since the house they were building was not ready. We continued to live in the apartment, and my husband new position with the company was overwhelming as he would come home everyday tired and worn out. We had a little Christmas tree on the coffee table with a few ornaments we bought since all the ornaments and decorations from our home in Michigan were in storage. It was not a very jolly Christmas, especially for my husband, for the first time not being with his whole family. For the next 9 years, we resumed the tradition of spending Christmas (for me, it has become more like an obligation) driving, this time 8 hours, from St. Louis to Detroit. 2005 was a turbulent year in our marriage, and the spirit of Christmas was not present in our hearts and our home. In 2006, with both of his parents passed away, my husband finally recognized that we must create our own Christmas tradition (it was the same discussion I started a few years after we got married!). We had our REAL Christmas, with quiet dinner on Christmas Eve, just my husband and I, in our own home, opening presents, attending midnight Mass at St. Louis Cathedral, Christmas brunch the next day, celebrating my husband birthday with a cake and a nice Christmas dinner, just the two of us! It was all I wanted for Christmas, a present I had asked since 1990!
We spent a glorious Christmas in New York City in 2007, with an overnight stay at the Waldorf Astoria, walked to Rockefeller Center, then to Radio City to see the Christmas Spectacular show, and a nice dinner at Oscar's. We attended Christmas Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral.
Last Christmas (2008) we planned to celebrate my husband's 50th birthday with his family in Detroit but the snow storm prevented the trip as part of I-95 around Indiana/Michigan was closed.

This weekend, my husband and I are planning when to make pierogies and apple pies, just for the two of us. Our home looks so nice with all the decorations. Like a little "big" kid, my husband kept checking for how many presents are under the Christmas tree. CMP kept asking me how big of the cake I would get for his birthday. I look forward to a few days of quiet, relaxing moments that are filled with Christmas spirit of love and peace, with my husband, just the two of us, and that is all I wanted for Christmas.

SNOWFLAKES IN NEW YORK CITY

The first time I saw snow was in January 10, 1980, walking from JFK airport terminal out to the parking lot where uncle Ping parked his car. My first impression of the snow was how shining it was under the lights. The city just had a big snow storm the day before and our bodies were numbed from the freezing temperature, especially just coming from a tropical part of the world. We stayed at Uncle Ping's house in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, for a few days. The refugees agency provided us a nice apartment in the Bronx. I don't remember how we managed to walk the distance (more than a few blocks) from the subway (#6 train) to the apartment building while trying to adjust to the cold weather. We learned to survive wearing hats, gloves, scarves and layers of clothes! I don't remember if I or anyone in my family fell on the slippery sidewalks. Eight months later, we moved to Queens, again living in an apartment building, this time just one block from #7 train Elmhurst-90th Street station. When I finally saved a few dollars, enough to purchase a cheesy camera (a Kodak Pocket Instamatic camera with 110 film), we took photos of us standing outside while it was snowing. My Mom sent the photos to relatives in Viet Nam since most of them never saw snow or experience such natural wonder.

In September 1986, I moved out and rented a room in the basement in a house in Forest Hills, Queens. From the F train, I had to walk about 7 blocks to the house. I thanked my guardian angels everyday that I was never harmed or attacked walking home from the subway at 10:00 p.m. after classes at Hunter College. The neighborhood was all residential homes so the streets were emptied and dark and I could easily be dragged into a vehicle and kidnapped without any witnesses. I remembered one night after a visit that included delicious food, laughters and warm embraces, I cried while standing on the train platform, looking at the apartment where just a few months ago I could not wait to get away because of the cramped space. Tears rolled down my face from the time I left Elmhurst, still crying while walking from the F train station, to the lonely room in the basement. It was then I understood a Vietnamese expression of how much it hurt when a heart was cut into a thousand pieces. After almost a year of living in Forest Hills, having a place of my own but lonely and hungry , I was so happy when my parents mentioned about a place for rent near where they lived in Woodhaven, Queens. We had to walk a few blocks to get to the J train but it was convenient for me as I would ride the train all the way to Wall Street, got off and walked a block from Broad Street station to my office.

After moving to Grand Haven, Michigan, I had to learn to drive in all kind of wintery weather such as whiteout condition, icy roads, and learned to stay calm when an 18-wheeler passed my little Ford Escort and then covered the windshield with snow falling off from the top of its tractor-trailer.

Compared to Grand Haven where we had a lot of snow because of lake affects, St. Louis has mild temperature and probably 1/3 of the snow. As a driver, I pay more attention to the weather and the road conditions compared to living in NYC and taking public transportation. I don't remember if the subway was ever shut down due to heavy snow while I was living there from 1980 to 1988. I don't know which is better, getting stucked in a packed subway, breathing in all the terrible smells, sweating in your winter coat, waiting to get out at the next stop or getting stucked in traffic in your own vehicle, your feet are freezing but your body is getting so warm while your car is iddle, polluting the air, while praying that the idiot next to you would stop changing lanes yet getting nowhere or the vehicle behind you has good brakes.
Snowflakes are beautiful when they are decorations on the department buildings or when looking out the window from the comfort of a nice warm blanket and drinking hot chocolate!

TOTA'S WISH LIST

Lately I have been entertaining an extreme, drastic life changing thought. Whether because I will be turning 49 years old in a few months or just a typical stage when like some "geezers" approaching the final threshold of life, I began to seriously question how I should truly live my life so when I stand before the gate of heaven (or the escalator to hell) there would be no regrets.
Here is my wish list. Please, no fighting among my adoring fans to decide who should buy which items. I would love to leave my job at the circus and let my hair flow in the wind riding the above motorcycle from New York to California and along Route 66, then to Canada to see the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens home games. On my flat chest, the Red Wings logo tattooed across ** OUCH! ** - New England Patriots logo on my right sagging upper arm and on the left, the Stanley Cup with the words "Hockey Mama" underneath.
Or I could shake off the dust of this town like George Bailey always dreamed of doing and travel the world, using these brand new luggages that a generous follower donated to me. Or I could take a slow train to Montana, find a little cabin in the wood, growing my own food, hunting, fishing and really living a simple life. Anyone cares to join me?

WHAT'S IN THE NAME! ON ROUTE 66

Quapaw, Oklahoma - "Quapaw is named for the Quapaw Indians, who were removed from Arkansas to Oklahoma, then known as Indian Territory. Quapaw is derived from "Ugakhpa", a tribal term for "downstream people". In 1926, the year Route 66 was officially established, peak production of zinc reached 423,000 tons and 912,117 tons of lead were produced from the town of Quapaw."
(Bottom Photo) Catoosa, Oklahoma - "Catoosa is named for the nearby Catoosa Hill, just west of the town. The name is supposedly derived from a Cherokee word meaning "on the hill". During the days of castle drives, Catoosa was a wild place. The town was rebuilt after a tornado ripped through in 1993." Oklahoma Route 66 Association Trip Guide www.oklahomaroute66.com

Orongo, Missouri - "The name, according to local tradition, came about when it was found that the previous name, "Minerville" was already taken. At a public meeting to change the name, after considering many possibilities, a man in the back blurted out "its Ore or no go", referring to the mining operations. Elaborating on that, Colonel J. M. Young, suggested substituting the Spanish word "Oro" for ore, and the dropping the "or" to make the word euphonius. He pronounced it "Oronogo" and the audience accepted the name.[1]" - Wikipedia

Niangua, established February 1888. The name Niangua, probably so-called for the Indian phrase "Ne anoga" which translates "water that runs over a man". Locals say Niangua comes from another phrase meaning "I won't go away" or "I won't go farther", suggesting that this is the site where one would settle. Page 108, "Why'd They Name It That? A Look At Some "Peculiar" Missouri Towns" by C.H. (Skip) Curtis.

CHRISTMAS IN WEBSTER GROVE, MISSOURI

A beautifully decorated home in Webster Groves, Missouri. I took these photos last year after reading about the home in the local newspaper, Kirkwood-Webster Groves Times. I am unable to locate that article so I am not able to share with you the story about when, how and what prompted the owners to spend time and expense on such decorations. I also don't know the exact address. Maybe an "information guru" would be able to help, anyone?

CHRISTMAS IN NEW YORK CITY

I love looking at these photos taken in December 2007 when we were in New York for Christmas. We had many wonderful memories and these images always warm my heart. I felt as if I never left the City.
See the blazing yule before us,
Fa la la la, la la la la.
Strike the harp and join the chorus,
Fa la la la, la la la la.
Follow me in merry measure,
Fa la la la, la la la la.
While I tell of Yuleride treasure,
Fa la la la , la la la la.
Tavern on the Green dining room (above) where we enjoyed once-in-a-lifetime breakfast (translation - we could only afford to eat there one time). I am too embarrassed to tell how much we paid for a simple plate of eggs, ham, muffins, plus coffee and juice. The word "suckers" still edged on our foreheads!

HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS (HUMOR OF THE WEEK)

With the holidays fast approaching, I am trying to provide helpful suggestions to my faithful readers (there had been a few comments about my blog turning into a meaningless blog filled with cheesy photos). Above photo was taken during our walk in the Diamond District in New York City in December 2007. I am sure your wife/girlfriends/mistresses/regular suppliers (I could not bring myself to say the traditional terms. I also try to keep this blog family-oriented.) would be pleased with either the necklaces, bracelets or earrings. I am not sure what the heck is shown in the window display below. I think it might be an expensive red sweater and a very long scarf. For the men, I am sure something from a store along Fifth Avenue such as Cartier or a nice Rolex watch would be appreciated. Well, some men might need a brand new vehicle and a set of golf clubs!

ROUTE 66 IN OKLAHOMA

Here are a few interesting roadside attractions we saw along Route 66 in Oklahoma that I highly recommend to my adoring fans. Below is the Blue Whale Amusement Park which originally was a swimming hole and "a gift Hugh Davis built in the early 1970s as a surprise anniversary gift to his wife Zelta, who collected whale figurines.[1] The Blue Whale (80-foot long with 2,520 square feet of painted surface) and its pond became a favorite swimming hole for both locals and travelers along Route 66 alike.
Originally, the pond surrounding the massive Blue Whale was spring fed and intended only for family use. However, as many locals began to come to enjoy its cool waters, Davis brought in tons of sand, built picnic tables, hired life guards, and opened his masterpiece to the public." How nice of Mr. Davis.

I often thought of my nephew JL, wonder if he would enjoy seeing these attractions and wish we could share these road trips. Below is the only wooden round barn in Oklahoma. It was restored in 1898. Anyone travels on Route 66 will not miss this impressive structure and a must-stop for a very nice exhibit of primitive farm implements, a gift shop and a large ballroom for rental on the 2nd floor. According to Butch, the barn-keeper, "No square dance in the barn!" - Why? Because it's a Round Barn - haa haa

Below is the 66-foot steel pop bottle scuplture, with a straw, weights in at 4 tons, at POPS, a new diner (opened in 2007) serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, and a convenience store/gift shop, featuring over 500 different flavors of soft drinks and a collection of more than 12,000 soda pop bottles. We plan to include in our next trip to pass by this landmark at night when the bottle is illuminated with brilliant LED lights that rotate up and down with various colors. Visit http://www.pops66.com/ for a "refreshingly" pleasant surprise.

Photo below shows Benjamin went "nut" at the Nut House where fresh homemade fudge, plain and flavored nuts, jelly, jam, cookies, candy, salsa and special gifts, are being sold since 1968. We wish we had time to relax and take a walk among the pecan trees or just sit in the rocking chairs on the porch. We had to get back on the road, back to the "real nut house"! Visit http://www.route66nuthouse.com/ and tell them Benjamin sends you!

CHRISTMAS ON MAIN STREET IN ST. CHARLES, MISSOURI

Since moving to St. Louis, we make sure not to miss a walk along Main Street in St. Charles during Christmas. We always have a great time enjoying the decorations, drinking hot chocolate and sharing a bag of Grandma's cookies. According to Wikipedia, "One of the nations largest Christmas Festivals takes place on the streets of St. Charles every year starting the day after Thanksgiving and going through until the Saturday after Christmas. Over 30 costumed Legends of Christmas stroll the streets and interact with guests, while Victorian Era Christmas Carolers fill the air with old-fashioned carols."