Posts from — December 2010

Oh, the pretty shortbread!

This is another family Christmas tradition. We’d snack on shortbread first thing in the morning while the bigger, more elaborate Christmas breakfast was still being prepared. Not that this should in any way count as breakfast. But it’s tasty, and if you have a gorgeous shortbread mold, it’s also beautiful as a gift.

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (½ cup) butter
• ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ t. vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• pinch of salt, if the butter you used was unsalted

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 325°.
• Cream the butter and sugar together until it’s blended well.  Add vanilla.  Gradually add flour (and salt if necessary) and keep mixing.  Don’t freak out if it seems way too dry—it will eventually turn into a pretty firm but moist dough.
• Spray the shortbread mold with cooking spray.  I usually smear it around with a paper towel to get into the nooks and crannies.
• Put the dough in the shortbread mold and press it in well (for aforementioned nooks and crannies!).  Prick the surface with a fork all over (if it starts puffing up while it bakes you can always pierce it a little more).
• Bake at 325° for 30 to 35 minutes, until it’s golden all over and a bit brown on edges.
• Let it cool for 10-30 minutes or so, then use a butter knife around the edges to loosen it and flip it onto a surface.
• If you cut it while warm it won’t crumble as when it has cooled.

A couple of years ago I had a terrible time finding a lovely shortbread mold like my mom had, until I finally stumbled on  Brown Bag Cookie Molds.   They have a bunch of products and recipes, but take a look at these super-pretty shortbread pans. In fact, I meant to make and post about shortbread earlier,  because I think that the pans make a great gift for a baker (or aspiring baker). You can see, close to the bottom with that second link, the oh-so-nice box for the pan. But, um, sorry. My baking is behind schedule this year, so I’m just getting around to it now.

I braved the mall today. I am almost completely done with my shopping, but there are always a few things that elude me, or that I think of at the last minute. So I made a list, checked it twice, ate some extra protein, and left for the mall. Without my list. Luckily, since I’d checked it twice, I remembered everything.

I went to Colonie Center, where I had moderate success. I found an earring holder for J. But I couldn’t find an accessory for M. She is picky. And I’m bitter, because I wanted that bracelet that I’d seen at Bumble Beads back in the spring. But when I called to store the see if they still had any, the lady basically laughed at me. Oh, how naive! You think that we might stock the same item 6 months later? Clearly you don’t understand retail! What makes it even worse is that I saw the same bracelets when I went with Mary to the Sweater Venture. But I was afraid to buy it, because I knew that Mary would try to treat me to that, too. And I’m not going to schlep over to East Greenbush for one little bracelet. I thought that perhaps they’d have a similar bracelet in one of the many, many, many stores at the mall. Nope.

Anyway, I did enjoy my visit to the newish-but-not-completely-new Treasure Ayeland store. It has good toys, including these groovy MAKEDO Find & Make sets. They looked so fun that I was a little bit sad that I was done with my main toy shopping. Especially since my kids are constantly creating things like this, anyway.

As of late morning on Friday, the most insane stores were Christmas Tree Shops and Bath & Body Works. I almost broke out into hives trying to escape B & B W.

After Colonie Center, the bravery continued as I proceeded to the Target shopping center across Central. I made my first visit to Buy Buy Baby.  I have to say that I’m emotionally attached to BBB because it’s where I shopped for M’s baby things. Of course, that was back when there were maybe one or two stores in New Jersey, and now it’s been bought out by Bed Bath & Beyond, but it still holds a place in my heart. Anyway, my new nephew needs a baby book, and although I’d found an adequate one, I guessed (correctly) that there would be better options here. Speaking of options, how about this?

I turned the corner and saw this display of car seats and strollers and I had to laugh because it just looked way too overwhelming. Of course, this is coming from a woman who made a postpartum Target trip in which I burst into tears because I couldn’t decide which recycling container to purchase. I am not kidding. In fact,  moments later I actually wet my pants right there in the store. So if there are any new mamas out there who think that they’re not doing a great job of Coping with Daily Life, just think of me, leaking my way through the recycling-container aisle, and perhaps it will give you some needed perspective. You’re welcome.

Anyway, I made it home from the mall. Yay, me!

Then I got home and I felt like I needed a little break, so I scarfed down some lunch and started writing something. And I completely lost track of time, so that when my daughters arrived home, I had a pile of shopping bags still sitting out in the middle of my house. I realized immediately and panicked and had to fight them off as I ran upstairs and stuffed them in a closet, but it was like sharks that have smelled blood. Suddenly they were wild with the need to find and ravage the shopping bags.

I needed a diversion. And so I moved into my next Act of Bravery and declared it Gingerbread Village Time! Yeah, baby!

This was my first time doing this project with a kit, and it was absolutely so completely and supremely worth it. Is that emphatic enough for you? Am I making myself clear? It’s funny: on their website, it says that this kit is $17, but I got it at Wal-Mart, and I could have sworn it was $8 or $9. It absolutely wasn’t more than $12, for sure.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised by the entire process. The gingerbread was cooked and stamped into the pieces, so you just had to break them up, make frosting, put them together, and decorate. Which could have been a nightmare. Because I’ve assembled houses like this in my day. But it was easy. First, I saw those crispy sheets of gingerbread and feared that they would break in the wrong places. But they didn’t, and I wasn’t that careful. Then the frosting was a just-add-water-and-mix thing. I can do that! They included two little pouches for squeezing out the frosting, but in a pinch you could use extra plastic baggies. The assembly was so easy that the 8-year-old did it with no help at all and the 6-year-old only needed me to hold pieces in place occasionally when she got bored.

After constructing the houses, you were supposed to wait an hour before decorating. My only problem was that I’d made both frostings at once. I should have waited on the red frosting until it was time to decorate. But I added some water and it was fine.

Here are the decorations that were included:

When I first saw the candy, I was afraid that this wouldn’t be enough, but we didn’t use it all. If anything, I might buy an extra bag of  candy. There was some minor conflict over rationing some of the gumdrops, but we didn’t feel deprived at all. Anyway, here is our glorious gingerbread village:

If you are looking to entertain some kids and/or kill some time on Christmas Eve waiting for bedtime, I highly recommend one of these kits.  All three girls had fun.

Thanks to all of you for your kind comments. Here’s what’s happening this weekend:

All Weekend:

• Melodies of Christmas is playing all weekend at Proctors.
• NYSTI‘s A Christmas Carol continues this weekend. It’s recommended for ages 7 and up.
• Home Made Theater presents Ramona Quimby this weekend.
• Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany continues  A Christmas Story.
• Disney’s Toy Story 3 on Ice is at Albany’s Time Union Center. Shows include evenings as well as various times throughout the day. Tickets range from $13 to $56 depending on where you’re sitting.
• Windham Mountain will have special discounts to anyone dressed as Santa. But you have to pre-register. And wear a beard.
• The model trains are out at the Schenectady Museum.
• Santa’s Magical Adventure continues at Steamer 10 Theatre.
• On Friday & Saturday, there’s a family-friendly version of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas at Genet Elementary School in East Greenbush. It’s $7/person.

Evening of Friday 12/17:

• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• The Wood Theater in Glens Falls is playing the movie Elf at 6 & 9 pm.  $6/ticket.
• At 6:30 pm, take an Almost Winter Solstice Hike at Albany Pine Bush. It’s $2/person, $5/family.
• At 7 pm, It’s a Wonderful Life will be playing at the Palace Theater in Albany.
• They’re showing Despicable Me at 7 pm at the East Greenbush Public Library. It’s free and drop-in.
• Shenendehowa United Methodist Church is hosting a free Celtic Concert at 7 pm.
• There’s a Caroling Sing-along at the Dominican Retreat & Conference Center in Niskayuna at 7:30 pm.
• At 7:30 pm, folks from The Center for Disability Services will perform A Christmas Carol at Cohoes Music Hall. It’s $15/ticket for the general public.

Saturday 12/18:

• Kids can make a snow globe at 10 am at Moreau Lake.
• At 10:30 am, they’re making Solstice Sun Catchers at Thacher Nature Center. This is a bit ambitious, appropriate for ages 12 and up, with a cost of $4 for materials, plus a request to bring along supplies.
• From 11 am to noon, Brown School kids will be playing bells and caroling up and down Upper Union Street again this Saturday.
• At 11 am, kids can learn about some Awesome Astronomy at the Bethlehem Public Library.
• There’s a Children’s Planetarium Show at Henry Hudson Planetarium in Albany at 11 am.
• From 11 am to 1 pm, kids can have cookies with the Saratoga Santa while you taste some wine at the Saratoga Winery and Tasting Room.
• Kids 5 and up can make their own Snow Globes at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology.  Pre-registration required, $2/non-member.
• Pruyn House in Colonie is hosting a Children’s Party from 1-3 pm. Reservations are required.
• From 1-4 pm, it’s Art for All at the Albany Institute of History & Art.
• At 2 pm, the Zucchini Brothers will be performing at The Egg. It’s $12/ticket.
• At 2:30 pm, Niskayuna High School students will be dressed in Victorian garb and leading a sing-along on Upper Union Street (specifically in front of Northeast Fine Jewelers. I believe that this will be a fun group. At least, the grown-ups.
• At 7:30 pm, there’s  Sing SOLSTICE at Proctors. It’s a multi-cultural celebration, $24 for general admission.

Sunday 12/19:

• The Schenectady JCC is having a Family Fun Celebration from 12:30-3:30 pm.
• At 1 pm, kids can learn about Animal Tracks and do a craft at the Children’s Museum of Science & Technology. Pre-registration required, and it’s $2/non-member.
• The Guilderland Public Library is hosting a Suburban Sounds Holiday Concert at 2 pm.
• Go on a Discovery Hike at the Albany Pine Bush at 2 pm. $2/person.
• At the Bethlehem Public Library, the Squeeze-Play Accordion Band will play holiday songs at 2 pm.
• From 2-3 pm, there will be a Live Animal Demonstration at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga.
• At 3 pm, the Octavo Singers will perform the Messiah at Union College. It’s $20/adult, $10 student.
• At 3 pm, the Choraliers will perform a holiday concert at St. Luke’s Church in Schenectady. It’s $10/adult, kids under 10 free, and it’s raising funds for the Schenectady Free Health Clinic.
• The Empire State Youth Orchestra will have a Wind Orchestra concert at 3 pm (which is apparently the best possible time for classic music concerts) at the College of St. Rose. It’s $8/adult, $5/child.
• The Albany Berkshire Ballet is performing The Nutcracker at The Egg at 3:30 and 7:30 pm today. They’ll have another performance on Monday at 10:30 am.
• The Albany Figure Skating Club is having an Ice Show from 4-6 pm at the Bethlehem Y. $2/adult, $1/kids 6 and up, under 5 free.

Actually, I’m a day late. Yesterday, December 14th, was the one-year anniversary of  my very first post. If you read it–or if you already knew me way back then–you’ll realize that I wanted to make a super-helpful database.  It would have involved a lot of learning technology and doing data entry, which would  be helpful for you but boring for me.  So I’ve blown that off entirely, except for the listings.

Anyway, I thought that I’d answer the top questions that people ask me about blogging.

How do you have time to do this?

I don’t, really. Well, okay, I cut back on my volunteering a bit, rationalizing that this was sort of a public service. And I like to do it, so I steal time that I would have spent sleeping or watching tv. Also, my house isn’t very clean.

Where do you come up with everything?

For listings: email lists, mailing lists, newspapers, flyers, website listings, personal emails, and word of mouth. For all the other posts: honestly, I hardly ever have a problem thinking of something to write about. I keep a list of items sort of queued up, so if I’m not feeling creative, I just check my stash.

Do you do this for free [insert incredulous tone here]? Why don’t you have ads to make some money?

Yes, I do it for free. I’ve thought about running ads, but for a variety of reasons I’ve decided not to try to make money from this blog, at least not anytime soon. Capital District Fun helps me in other ways, especially considering how scared I was when I started, and how easy and not-scary it feels now. I do enjoy money, and I think that I would like to make some money doing some thing. Also, if you offered me some money, I would take it. As long as you didn’t want me to write something unbelievably fake. Because that’s not how I roll.

Do you write about everything?

No.  My husband and my mother-in-law are readers, so that limits me right there. Also, I try to focus on putting out the good and happy karma (although if you ask me to explain karma as a Mystical Concept I will become confused, uncomfortable, and fidgety). Specifically I try not to complain about anyone, except my own self and household–and then it’s clearly with affection,  I hope. I also don’t write anything that would be truly humiliating for my children. Which is a shame, because I have some excellent funny-but-humiliating stories.

What’s the worst thing/best thing about doing the blog?

The worst: lately, it’s when someone “unlikes” me on Facebook. I know it’s pathetic, but I take it personally. I try not to check it, but it’s hard not to notice. Or when I work really hard on a post and no one notices or comments in any way. That happened more earlier–frankly, these days I just haven’t been working as hard.

And the weird thing is that people know what’s going on in my life, even if we’re just acquaintances (or strangers). Which can be awkward, especially if I’m making getting-to-know you patter with someone who already knows me.

The best:  When something  frustrating or ridiculous happens, it always cheers me up to know that at least it will make a funny post. Also, I’ve learned that I really like to write, and I’m not afraid of people reading what I write now.  And every once in a while I get an email from someone who’s just had a baby or who’s just moved to the area and they thank me profusely. And then I feel terribly happy with myself for the next day or two.

Anyway, thank you, everyone. Thanks to those of you who peer-pressured me into starting this little project, and to those of you who just noticed this blog today (I got an email, actually), and especially thanks to anyone who’s left kind and encouraging comments. I do appreciate that you’ve taken the time to spend a little time with me & Capital District Fun.

Look! In Festive Red!

First of all, I am not a Scrapbook Girl. I have plenty of friends who will happily spend hours–and even weekends on special scrapbook retreats–layering expensive artistic papers and stenciling things and tying on artful little ribbons. It’s not my cup of tea. I enjoy the convenience of my digital photos on my computer and backed up somewhere else by my adorable and technically proficient husband.

However.

I do have a Christmas scrapbook.  And I think it’s an excellent idea. So I’m going to tell you why you should have one, too. Especially those of you who have little teensy kids. Because I only came up with the idea a year or two ago, so I missed my chance on some items.

Make a Christmas scrapbook because:

• There’s stuff that you’ll forget. Like what the favorite gift was when Toddler turned 3, who gave whom the ballerina ornament, and which year you all camped in the living room because the power was out (or was that just us?).
• You’ve got tons of crap to keep. You need to save a copy if you send a Christmas letter  (I don’t, anymore, because everyone mysteriously knows what’s happening at our house already), your friends will send you adorable photos, and your children will make sweet and funny holiday-themed crafts.
• The scrapbook becomes its own part of the holiday tradition. We put it away all year, then pull it out for the coffee table at Christmas time. The kids like to look through it, and they love to hear the funny stories. Like how, when she was 2,  J was afraid that Santa would sneak into her room and play with her toys, so he had to write a special note to reassure her.

The letter & pictures we mailed, plus a Christmas tree drawing, all c. 2007

Anyway, it’s a worthy project, but don’t worry about it now. Just save the better crafts this season, write down where those new ornaments came from, & take plenty of pictures. Then during the winter doldrums you can buy winter decorative items on clearance and get yourself ready for next year.

Would you believe that  in the time it took my two daughters to draw pictures of a dragon in their art class, I managed to stock up on pomegranates at the grocery store and drop $200 at Barnes & Noble on holiday gifts and paraphernalia? Impressive, no?

You know, I’m making a bit of a switch with the teacher gifts. I used to always make some sort of delightful blend of holiday food and guide my children through something crafty, but seriously, is this what the teachers want, anyway? Part of this is because it wasn’t too long ago that I had a single delightful nursery school teacher who was also my friend. Now, would you believe that J has four different kindergarten teachers? Umm, that’s a lot of teachers. And I’m simply not emotionally attached to any of them. Okay: I’m attached to one of them, but it’s not like I can play favorites, anyway.  And none of them know me well enough to know that my cookies are more delicious than average, and surely they’ll get plenty of cookies.

How about everyone else?  Are you feeling like the holidays are under control?

Santa's Helper Repairing Ornaments, with Pitcher of Water for Thirsty Tree in the Background

And another thing–this delightful tree of ours? It’s high maintenance. First, because it’s so robust, it’s constantly sucking up water. Second, my children love the tree so much that they want to become one with the tree. They try to incorporate it in their fort-making, they like to lie beneath its branches, they think that we need  to rearrange the ornaments. So I end up having to set ridiculous and bizarre rules such as, for example, No Scotch Taping Blankets to the Tree Branches and No Putting Glass Pickles in Your Mouth. I mean, come on, girls. I’m glad you’re enjoying Christmas, but this is ridiculous. Not to mention that ornaments are constantly falling off for one reason or another, necessitating repairs. Or that every third day we find another one that should have a battery, but doesn’t. Yowza.

On the plus side, I found some of the Bob’s Sweet Stripes soft candy cane candy (which is the very best candy cane product out there), and I checked a bunch of people off my gift list today, and the tree does smell good. So ho, ho, ho!

Wow, super-miserable weather day today, wasn’t it? And it’s supposed to get super-cold. As if all the holiday errands aren’t enough, my kindergartener J is “Star of the Week” this week, which means we have that we have a different little activity to prepare each day. This is supposed to be entirely fun, but we’re talking about a child who, for example, spent 15 to 20 minutes sobbing over her extra-credit assignment, which was to go through a 25-word booklet and trace four different letters in four different-colored crayons. I kept telling her that she didn’t have to do it, and she was lying under the table sobbing, “But I want the fuzzy-buzzies!” That’s right: all this anguish over five small pom-poms that she’d have the privilege of placing in a jar. Yikes. So I won’t be participating in any additional activities during the week–we’ll be in full-on survival mode this week.

But, for you? Here’s what I’ve got:

All Week:

• Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany continues  A Christmas Story.
• Starting on the 15th and through the weekend, Disney’s Toy Story 3 on Ice is going to be at Albany’s Time Union Center. Shows include evenings as well as various times throughout the day. Tickets range from $13 to $56 depending on where you’re sitting.
  

Monday 12/13:

• At 7 pm, there’s a Three Stooges Film Festival at the Palace Theater in Albany.
• The Colonie Town Band is performing a free holiday concert at 7 pm in Albany.

Tuesday 12/14:

• Take a morning Mud Pond Walk at 9 am at Moreau Lake.
• The Colonie Town Band is playing a Brass Choir Concert at 7 pm in Schenectady.
• At 1 & 4 pm, there’s an Elvis-themed Christmas program at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls.  Tickets are $25.
• Pajamarama is at 7 pm at the Bethlehem Public Library.

Wednesday 12/15:

• At 10 am, take a family-friendly hike at Moreau Lake.
• At Grafton Lakes, take a Time Machine Hike at 1 pm, and learn about how the land’s evolved. It’s $2/person.
• From 3-4 pm, it’s Cooking Around the World at the Children’s Museum at Saratoga. It’s $10/non-member.
• At 4 pm, teens are invited to Howe Branch Library for a Gingerbread House Decorating Contest.

Thursday 12/16:

• At 10:30 am, the Schenectady Museum’s Little Wonders of Science has a Thomas the Tank Engine theme. It’s free, but you need to register.
• Take a hike along the Baker Trail at Moreau Lake at 1 pm.
• The Saratoga City Ballet will be performing The Nutcracker all weekend at Skidmore College, and the tickets are already sold out. But, there’s an Open Dress Rehearsal at 6 pm tonight. Tickets are cash only, sold at the door, for $10/grown-up, $5/kids 10 or under.
• At 7 pm, the Melodies of Christmas begins at Proctors. It will continue through the weekend. It’s $25/person, and it features plenty of youth performances.
• It’s the Children’s Circle Storytime at the Bethlehem Public Library. It’s designed for kids with special needs.
• The Lake George Community Band is playing a Holiday Concert at 8 pm at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls. Tickets are $10.

Friday 12/17:

• It’s Art Night Schenectady from 5-9 pm.
• The Wood Theater in Glens Falls is playing the movie Elf at 6 & 9 pm.  $6/ticket.
• At 6:30 pm, take an Almost Winter Solstice Hike at Albany Pine Bush. It’s $2/person, $5/family.
• At 7 pm, It’s a Wonderful Life will be playing at the Palace Theater in Albany.
• They’re showing Despicable Me at 7 pm at the East Greenbush Public Library. It’s free and drop-in.
• Shenendehowa United Methodist Church is hosting a free Celtic Concert at 7 pm.
• There’s a Caroling Sing-along at the Dominican Retreat & Conference Center in Niskayuna at 7:30 pm.
• NYSTI‘s A Christmas Carol continues (and concludes) this weekend. It’s recommended for ages 7 and up.
• Home Made Theater presents Ramona Quimby this weekend. Has anyone seen this show? I’m considering going. . . .

Ohhhh,  these are good. These are currently my very favorite cookies. In fact, we just finished off a batch. I think that they’re too dangerous to have in the house. I can’t resist them.

The tedious part of this recipe is unwrapping all of the Rolos–each cookie has a Rolo inside it. But you can avoid it by delegating the job to your kids. My girls get it done quickly, and then they get to eat one each as “pay” for their “job.” The recipe tells you to put a candy swirl on top, but we never bother. If you’re anti-caramel or you have a child with braces, I suppose you could do chocolate chips instead of the Rolos.

The recipe is from The Best of the Pillsbury Bake-Off.

Whoa! The calendar seems to be accelerating. Here’s what I’ve found for this weekend:

All Weekend:

• Cohoes Music Hall is presenting A Christmas Carol: The Musical this weekend. It’s billed as family-friendly.
• The Schenectady Civic Players are performing Peter Pan.
• NYSTI continues A Christmas Carol. It’s recommended for ages 7 and up.
• Capital Repertory Theatre in Albany continues  A Christmas Story.
• Home Made Theater presents Ramona Quimby.
• The Classic Theater Guild Inc.’s presenting A Christmas Carol at Proctors.
• The Confetti Stage presents Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge.
• On Saturday & Sunday, Adirondack Ballet Theater presents The Nutcracker at the Wood Theater in Glens Falls.
• Santa’s Magical Adventure is playing at Steamer 10 Theatre. This is a great “training theater” for little kids.
• The First Unitarian Society of Schenectady presents A Medieval Yuletide Revels on Friday night and Sunday morning. Come on Sunday and I’ll greet you.
• The model trains are out at the Schenectady Museum.
• St. Nicholas will be at Schauber Stables on Saturday & Sunday.
• Check out the holiday lights.

Evening of Friday, December 10th:

• Maple Ski Ridge is planning to open for the first time from 3-9 pm tonight.
• At 6 pm, the Empire State Youth Orchestra will perform a holiday concert at Ten Broeck Mansion. It’s $10/person.

Saturday, December 11th:

• Members of the Empire State Youth Orchestra will be playing throughout the day at the Colonie Center Barnes & Noble.
• Learn about Fascinating Fur-bearers at the Thacher Nature Center at 10 am.
• From 11 am to noon, Brown School kids will be playing bells and caroling up and down Upper Union Street.
• From noon to 5 pm it’s the annual Winter Wonderlark Festivities include the Santa Speedo race (not recommended if you’ve been having trouble getting your kids to wear their hats & mittens) and activities at the (beloved) Albany Art Room.
• Nacre Dance is performing at Universal Preservation Hall at 1 pm & 4 pm. Yikes–tickets are $20 to $25.
• Schenectady Theater for Children is presenting a program on Benjamin Franklin at Rotterdam Square Mall at 2 pm. It’s $5/person.
• It’s a drive, but the Farmers’ Museum is having A Candlelight Evening–has anyone ever done this?

Sunday, December 12th:

• From 10 am to 4 pm, there’s a Model Railroad Convention at the Glens Falls Civic Center.
• At noon it’s Super Science Sunday at the Schenectady Museum. It’s for ages 8 and up, $2/person.
• It’s Family Sunday from 1-2:30 pm at The Arts Center of the Capital Region.
• Dyken Pond is having their annual Yule Log Celebration from 1-4 pm. It’s free.
• Albany Institute of History & Art has Art for All from 1-4 pm. The theme is Egyptian Gods & Goddesses.
• The Albany Jewish Community Center is presenting a Hanukkah musical, “The Odd Potato” at 2 pm. It’s $10/adult, $5/kids 12 and under or $25/family. That’s right: finally! An activity for Hanukkah!
• There’s A Little Sunday Music–piano–at 2 pm at the Bethlehem Public Library.

Over the weekend, I plugged in our tree lights and only half of them worked. Cute W bought new ones and arrived home with lights that he hoped would “twinkle” gently. Alas, they blinked in a possibly-seizure-inducing manner. They were returned, and then he came home with lights that turned out to have white cords instead of green. Yikes, another trip. Finally, the tree was ready.

Besides the wreath, the front of our house is not festive at all. I just only seem to have the energy to make indoors festive. Plus, our house just isn’t pretty. We love the neighborhood, the inside is mostly good, but the outside? U-G-L-Y. So I think that we don’t feel like calling attention to it. I have fantasies about some sort of home show curbside makeover.  Then again, I have fantasies about a bathroom makeover and a yard makeover and closet makeovers. I guess I have a healthy fantasy life.

Anyway, I was looking for places to find fun holiday lights, and here’s what I came up with.

• Capital Holiday Lights in Washington Park in Albany. This costs $15/car, but it is for charity.
• Light Up the Sky in Amsterdam costs $5/car and a friend (a thrilled, wreath-making friend) says it’s worth the drive from Schenectady. Her favorite part is that costumed characters will break into dance if you honk at them.
• Apple Blossom Way in Colonie is just a bunch of enthusiastic neighbors. My friend passed this along to us last year, and the link is one I found via All Over Albany.
• Quick Response Restoration in Clifton Park is having their annual Santa’s Playland on Saturday the 11th & 18th and Sunday the 12th from 5:30-9 pm. It’s free. I hear that this is very fun and crazy busy.

All Over Albany has asked for suggestions on good holiday lights neighborhoods, and they’ve gotten a couple of suggestions there as well.  Know of any good places? Let everyone know, please.