Model Trains, Holiday Lights, Cookie Making, and All Things Christmas

We were able to do some fun Christmas-y things with the kids this season.  The first thing we did was visit the Lower Anthracite Model Railroad display.  I had never seen a model train display before, and neither had the kids, so it was a real treat! This display is enormous (the largest in central PA), and is a replica of our entire area, including the towns, river, and other terrain.  It was the first time the kids and I had done something like that, and it was so neat to see!

They even had an elevated walkway for the kids, which was great, because as you can see the train display was taller than the kids are! 

A close-up of one of the trains.

This picture gives a little perspective as to how big the display is.  That's an adult man in the back ground, and there are two people in the elevated platform, running the trains. 

After the train display (and some ice cream for dessert--it's never too cold to eat ice cream, right?), we stopped by this fun lights display in a little town near us.  I have no idea how this place got started, but it is a huge, kitschy, and pretty random display of all things Christmas set up in a park. They have wooden painted characters from every cartoon and kid movie imaginable, a host of light-up characters (a fleet of Santas, an angel choir, penguins, ornaments hanging from trees, etc.), and even two real reindeer.  They blast Christmas music through loudspeakers and people just come and wander through the park, looking at all of the displays. This is just a small sample of what was included in the park. :)

  

We also went to Mimi's and made Christmas cookies.  This was the first year Trey was really interested in making and decorating cookies, although I think taste-testing was still his favorite part. :)

Elliott didn't get to participate in cookie making or cookie eating, but he did sit in the high chair I used as baby for the first time. And he seemed pretty entertained by us.

Icing the cookies is the best part!

Ok... maybe tasting all of the sprinkles is the best part. 

Proud of her cookie efforts!

I'm glad we were able to do some fun things with the kids this Christmas.  They are at such fun ages to enjoy everything!