Holiday Lights and Movies

Ohio for the Holidays this year means the girls are hoping for a white Christmas.  We all got into the spirit with a few fun trips to see some special Christmas lights and displays, starting with one of Dominic's favorite movies - A Christmas Story.

Dad, Papa, Dom, Eliza, Audrey and Mom

The house and street used for the outdoor scenes in the movie is in Cleveland.  We drove up to see it on a weeknight, and were lucky it wasn't too busy.  Apparently they get 5,000 to 7,000 people each Saturday and Sunday close to Christmas.  Audrey was excited when we got out of the car and saw a few small snow drifts around the mailboxes and fences.  She wasted no time making a snowball and tossing it at Eliza's back.  The inside of the house wasn't used in the movies, and was obviously updated and made to resemble the scenes.  We went home and watched the movie when we got back, and the girls were both cracking up throughout.

Another night, we went up to Stan Hywett Hall to see the outdoor light displays, Gingerbread Land, and Christmas Around the World exhibit inside the historic manor.  Santa was near the gate as soon as we walked in, and the kids were excited to see him.  We hadn't been to see Santa yet, so the girls told him what they wanted and posed for a quick picture.

Kyrie, Eliza and Audrey had so much fun seeing all the outdoor lights together.  The candy filled tree, and rainbow pathway were especially awe inspiring!

The grounds are always amazing, but this was a special treat for me because I had never been inside.  It was beautifully decorated for Christmas representing 20 different countries throughout the different rooms.  I also enjoyed the original details of the house.  The girls liked it too, but were mostly happy to be warm after walking around outside.  

Frosty from Christmas with the Kranks

This afternoon, we had Lloyd, Izzy and Sage with us, and we drove down to Medina to see Castle Noel.  It is a year round Christmas Museum.  The owner officially changed his last name to Klaus, and has spent lots of time and money collecting famous movie sets and paraphernalia, amazing Christmas windows from New York department stores like Bloomingdales, and vintage/retro toys for a "Toyland" exhibit called "I Had That!" 

The Naughty/Nice Globe from the Santa Claus movies with Tim Allen.

  

The Grinch.

I was sad not be allowed to take pictures of all the kids favorite part - Santa Claus Mountain and the Slide from A Christmas Story.  We all climbed the stairs and slid down after a quick chat with Santa.  It was the perfect ending to all the awesomeness!