Christmas Near Bethlehem

We arrived in Pennsylvania late on the evening of the 19th due to winter weather.  The grand kids were in bed so we didn't see them until the next morning.

 It was the last day of school before vacation so there were lots of exciting plans. 

 Cameron had pajama day.  He also had a map making project that Tricia and I were able to assist with making mountains out of salt dough.  It was fun to join Cameron in his classroom.

 Saturday we prepared to browse around Bethlehem and visit the KinderMarket.  Jessica loved it that the girls were all festive in our red and green outfits so we paused for a photo in front of the tree before we left.

 The old town of Bethlehem is very quaint and old-fashioned and the community works very hard at keeping their historic integrity.  There were special artisan booths in an area of the downtown.

 The Moravian Book Shop dates back to 1745 and claims to be America's oldest bookstore.  The church down the street is even older.

 The area had lots of snow when we arrived so it had a distinctly Christmasy feel.

 After the downtown excursion, we headed to the old steel mill where they had the big KinderMarket.

 In addition to booths where they sold many unique and interesting products, they had a variety of food options, some musical entertainers and some outdoor artists as well.  Here our group sat for a long time watching a professional ice sculptor.  Steve and McKay got to visit with him for quite awhile about his tools and techniques.  He was quite chatty after the crowd dispersed and shared a lot of his stories about competing with other sculptors.

 We were also quite fascinated by the glass blowers so we stopped by their booth a couple of times to watch them create amazing glass angels.

 The old steel mill is lit up at night with red and green lights. 

 Sunday morning I practiced a new cooking skill inspired by Jeff at our family reunion.  I made crepes which is something I haven't tried in years.  That is one thing I appreciate about Tricia and McKay's family is that they are willing to let me try new recipes out on them.  Later in our visit, I made Miss Kay's Duck Dynasty Macaroni and Cheese. 

 The kids enjoyed the snow while they could.  Rain is predicted for the next few days.

 We made Christmas cookies after church so we could put together gift plates for lonely single members of their church.  We also popped corn and made Chex mix to add to their stockings.

 Thomas likes to eat flour. He seriously ate most of the flour we used to roll out the dough.  Funny kid!

 On Monday, McKay drove us to New York to enjoy some of the sights of Christmas there.  It rained most of the day but we enjoyed it anyway.  Here the kids are enjoying the window displays at Macys.  We loved riding on the old wooden escalators.  It was very crowded with shoppers since it was two days before Christmas.

 We walked to Time Square and saw where the New Years ball will drop.

 We stopped in a little pizza dive near Madison Avenue.  The pizza was good and the local show was very interesting too as the owner had to assist an inebriated man who was resistant out of the door. Jessica wisely decided that she never wants to work in a pizza shop in New York.

 Next we walked to Rockerfeller Center.  We took pictures of the P family in front of the tree but I guess we didn't get out our camera.  I only have pictures of the ice skating rink and the wet observers. There was a wedding proposal that took place on the rink.  That was cool.  Literally!

 We needed to walk about 8 more blocks to see the FAO Shwarz "Big Piano".  The kids loved playing on it.  We were kind of disappointed in the toy selection at the store itself and were totally shocked at the prices.  I'm not ready to pay $35 for an over sized candy bar and that was just the beginning. They cater to a different shopper than me.

 Christmas Eve th P family delivered goodies and we made Reuben sandwiches.  We enjoyed that crazy tradition again.  Of course, we read the Nativity and Thomas used the children's set to coordinate with the scripture story.

 We also sang a lot of Christmas carols.  Christmas Day was much colder and the rain had stopped.  Jessica helped me make the cinnamon biscuit ring. 

 The bearded beanie hat sure made a difference on Steve and McKay's walk.

 We enjoyed our visit with McKay's family and our relaxing Christmas Day.  The sunset at the airport that evening, as we waited to board our plane for South Carolina, was spectacular.  It was the perfect ending to a lovely Christmas Day.