Letters from Santa

A few weeks ago, Bob the Mailman came to the door. The girls opened it and said, 'Oh hey, Bob.......MOM!!!!!!' He directed the girls back into the house. 'Ladies, I've got some important business to talk about with your mom.' I knew what it was, but I love the topic so much I was happy to listen again.

Every year, a volunteer at the Key West post office answers letters addressed to Santa. If you get it to your carrier during a short window of time, in an envelope addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole, with the child's name and address in the upper left hand corner, your efforts will be rewarded with a sweet note from the big man. Along with the Key West Holiday Parade and caroling on the Conch Train, these letters are one of my favorite Key West Christmas traditions.

The girls wrote their letters and I got them to Bob, meeting him at his truck when I heard its distinctive rumble out front. And the night before we left for points north, a letter for each appeared in our mailbox. I packed them away and surprised the girls with them here at my parents' house in Pennsylvania. I bet the neighbors down the street heard their squeals of delight....it was awesome. Santa was thoughtful to include details from their letters in his replies, advising Mari to be sweet to Josie, and vice versa, to stay on the 'nice list' throughout the upcoming year. Advice I hope they take to heart.

So as I sit at my parents' dining room table this morning, with my coffee in a Christmas mug and a plate of their killer cookies nearby, I am happy to be here physically but with the spirit of the holidays in Key West in my heart. It certainly doesn't snow on our little island, but there is a special Christmas spirit to make up for it.

Merry Christmas to everyone reading this! With a special holiday shout out to our favorite mailman, and to the super awesome person who makes the time to answer Santa letters during the postal service's busiest time of year.

Countdown to Christmas

I just logged into the US Postal Service website to put my mail on hold for two weeks. That makes it officially official....we are leaving town and heading north! The girls are completely excited, and I may be even more completely excited. I am really looking forward to getting away after an especially busy fall. And it's Christmas!! We haven't made the journey over the holidays since our first year here. That trip scared us, to be honest. In the few days before we were set to leave, each of us got a simply horrendous stomach bug. First Mari, then Josie, then me, then John. Fortunately, it was brief for each of us, so we headed north a few days later than scheduled. And by the time we arrived, the adults were really feeling the strain of being sick and driving 24 hours. That holiday break went by in a feverish blur. The girls are older, and those germs brought home from school are pretty rare. We are ready to give it another go! And after living in Key West for five Christmases, we have all missed the nip in the air and the seasonal delights of being up north.

We are all hoping for snow. Just a little, to arrive during the week we will be at my parents' home in Pennsylvania, so that we can watch it through the windows. Other than some flurries, John and I are certainly hoping we don't see much snow through the car windows until we reach our destinations. First up, a few nights in Maryland to say hello to friends and take up a big table at La Paz. Then to my family in Pennsylvania and hopefully the girls first ski lesson and some ice skating. On the way back to KW, we are going to Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. I can't wait to show the girls one of my favorite places from my youth. And our stay at the Williamsburg Lodge came with passes to something called 'Christmas Town' at nearby Busch Gardens, which I'm sure they will love, whatever it is.

Key West has some of the longest school breaks around. It seems like we were just on Thanksgiving break. We've actually had three weeks of school since then, but it has gone by quickly. After this full week, the girls won't return to school until January 6th. So even after our travels and holiday celebrations, we will have the best part of the week here at home to get centered and rest up before 'real life' starts again. That may be the best present of all this year. Time away, and time at home. I am looking forward to relishing both.

I love a parade :)

I do! And so do my kids, my husband, and just about everyone else I know. What's not to love? It's like the whole town comes together to pat each other on the back and celebrate the common good we all work toward every day. This past Saturday brought the Key West Christmas Parade. Every year it starts with the roar of the KWPD motorcycle patrol, with the officers decked out in lighted necklaces. Next comes the mayor, city commissioners, local dignitaries...all waving and tossing candy to the kids lining the streets. Let's cheer for the Boy Scouts and the Key West High School Marching Band! As a parent, I'm clapping for all the time I know those kids' parents spend getting them to and from meetings, practices, and special events. Since we moved here, we've had several people say things like 'how can you raise kids on a party island?' Those people should come to this annual event to watch the display of life beyond Duval Street. Just about every church on the island had a lovely float filled with kids and families. The Boys & Girls Club, a group that assists many local children after school and during the summer, had a float just bursting with holiday cheer. Farmer Jeanne walked with the MCSO Animal Farm's two miniature ponies dressed as wise men, and the local ASPCA brought big cheers just because who doesn't like to see a bunch of dogs wearing antlers? I know I do. Bob the Mailman jumped down from the USPS float to directly hand the girls some candy, and one of their teacher's (marching with the Butterfly Conservancy float) crossed the street for hugs. The Old Town Trolley and Conch Train carry many groups, with lights strung around all the windows and waves and more candy coming from the people inside. And, of course, being a small town, we've got some fire trucks. And boats! Lots of boats. There just really isn't anything more festive that a lighted boat in this town. This year featured lots of 'Frozen' themed floats....aren't we about done with that? Not by the look on the faces of the young ladies in the crowd. They just really aren't ready to 'Let it Go.' And bubbles! A few floats had huge bubble wands, sending glistening orbs into the air. We were lucky enough to watch the parade from nice chairs in front of my hair salon on Truman Avenue. The girls filled two bags with candy, and John and I enjoyed stuffed mushrooms, shrimp, antipasto skewers, and other yummies passed by servers in pink Santa hats. We rode our bikes the short distance from our house to the salon....it still feels like a luxury to do that in December. On the way over, I passed groups of neighbors on Catherine Street mingling on front porches with Red Solo cups of cheer, probably an annual tradition before parade viewing. On the way back, the side streets were abuzz with families walking back to their cars, kids running around with excitement over all that candy. As my daughter Mari said, it was awesome.