A Dickens Christmas

If you ever get the chance, and need a scenic little town to visit

Check out the little town of Skaneateles in North Eastern NY

Fantastic little town in the summer

And just charming in the winter.

Every weekend between Thanksgiving and Christmas

The streets are full of tourists 

And the townsfolk all come out dressed as characters from old England

It's a Dickens Christmas!

You're sure to run into Scrooge...with all his "bah humbug",

The village constables, Bob Marley in chains,

Dozens of carolers, Charles Dickens,

and lots of yummy smells wafting from the cafes.

We took the kids into town a couple weeks ago,

As a final last "hurrah" before baby comes

And our lives get turned upside (in a good way!).

There is the old village inn, in its Christmas finery.

The wagon and carriage rides had long lines of people

Waiting to mosey through town.

I adore the colors of this inn.  If I ever built an "old" farmhouse, these would be my colors of choice.

We got drawn into a hole-in-the-wall cafe, 

By the smell of donuts wafting onto the sidewalk.

The place was comletely overrun with tourists,

But the donuts and hot chocolate (with all that luscious cream)

Were well worth the jostle of the crowd.

 

 The cream on that baby is making me salivate all over again.

Real, just whipped, and miles high.

And those donuts...hot out of the fryer, crispy on the outside

And so soft and warm inside.

Yes, my pregnancy cravings are kicking into high gear.

 The kids weren't too sure about the whole "sit on Santa's lap" thing,

But I had to have a picture of Father Christmas.

Isn't he adorable?

 There was an impromptu play by Charles Dickens,

Bob Marley, and an unnamed passerby.

Full of good humor, but at this point the carriage rides

Called more loudly to the kids, than standing on the courthouse lawn,

Listening to classic literature.

 There were carolers in the gazebo,

And lots of good hearted chatter from all the jolly townsfolk, acting their parts

 The kids had the high seat in front on our carriage ride,

And a birds eye view of the big horses derrieres.

Worth the 20 min. foot stomping wait.  By this time, our toes were feeling the chill.

 We left town just as dusk was settling in, and the lights were coming on.

There are some grand old houses sitting up on the hill,

Looking down over Main St and the lake.

On the trek home, we complained about how cold it had been,

How badly we needed to pee, and how hungry we were.

You know kids...if they're warm and fed, they're happy.

If they're not, it tends to destroy any sentimentality or romantic notions

Of a day well spent back in time.

So we stopped at Bass Pro to watch the fish, 

And warmed our bellies over food at Chili's.