Saturday, November 30, 2019

Parties and Parades

A lovely, sunny morning began with breakfast and The Bernstein Bears' Christmas Tree. Much like Clark Grizwauld, Papa Bear is determined to bring home a real, special tree direct from the woods. Unlike Clark, he keeps choosing trees that are the homes of forest creatures. They chase Papa and the cubs away...until Papa spares a bird family and finally realizes what's really important about the holidays. The cubs think they'll never get their tree, but there's a wonderful surprise at their own treehouse when they get back.

Rushed out at ten of 10. Thankfully, I was only about 15 minutes late for the Collingswood Christmas Parade. This is the largest holiday parade in the Camden County area. Mummers, string bands, and local groups from miles around participate in this community event. I hurried along Haddon Avenue until I found an empty spot just to the right of the city offices at the old school.

I missed the first few minutes of the parade, but I did manage to catch most of it. For some reason, there were a lot of luaus this year. Two of the schools and Parkview Apartments had Hawaiian themes, with kids and residents sporting leis and grass skirts over warm pants and ski jackets. Another school did a sweet Toy Story float. As cute as Ovations Dance Studio's routine to "Jingle Bell Rock" was, the Irish step dancers in their traditional costumes were just having so much fun doing jigs to "Christmas In Kilarney." An Irish bagpipe group showed off their traditional kilts and spats. A group of mini-flag bearers, waving flags that were bigger than they were, danced to "Let It Go" from Frozen. One mummers group was dressed as golfers in glittering black and white argyle. Another were the Pirates of the Caribbean, with a genuinely spooky Davy Jones (complete with octopus makeup) leading. Stilt walkers dressed as an elf and a toy soldier did juggling tricks. Costumed characters, ranging from Frosty and Crystal to gingerbread people to the Grinch, high-fived the kids in the crowd. At least the wind had died down since Thursday, allowing the high school flag groups to do their routines with little trouble.

Someone on the parade route handed me a paper that advertised a train show at a church a block from the Collingswood Library. Since I wasn't far from the library and they mentioned cookies and hot drinks, I thought it might be fun to check out. Something different, anyway. I followed the crowds across the street.

The church was already fairly crowded by the time I made it there. I got into line and grabbed chocolate chip and white chocolate cookies and a cup of hot chocolate, then joined the crowds around the train display. It was huge, taking up most of the back half of the small auditorium. Kids and adults alike oohed and ahhed over the meticulously detailed landscape, with trains riding over hills, a small town with barns and farmhouses, a city with skyscrapers and a big fancy train station, a green countryside, and even a wide train bridge over a "gully."

After I left, I picked up my bike and headed back towards Oaklyn. It was a beautiful day by quarter after noon, bright, sunny, and chilly. Despite the nice weather and the light sparkling on the bottle-green waters, I was the only one I saw out riding in Newton River Park. Everyone else must have still been back in Collingswood.

I needed to stop and pick up a birthday present for my stepbrother Jesse on the way home. Grabbed a 15 dollar gift card for Dunkin' Donuts at CVS, but couldn't find a card I liked. I finally decided choosing was taking too long. He would live without the card.

Hurried straight home in time to make a quick lunch. Watched "A Scooby Doo Christmas" while I ate. In this episode of What's New, Scooby Doo, Mystery Inc find themselves stranded in the town of Winter Hollow on Christmas Eve after the nearby bridge washes out. Every year around Christmas, a Headless Snowman attacks residents, destroying their chimneys and their warmth and forcing them into a local inn for the holidays. The kids do everything they can to solve the mystery and bring a real Christmas back to the townspeople.

It was way past 2 when I finally made it to the laundromat. I couldn't put off my laundry anymore. I had a huge load, including the three towels I used to mop up the water from the freezer defrosting. Next week, I'll try to go much earlier. They were mobbed when I got in. I got one of the last two washers; had a far easier time with the dryers. Worked on story notes and half-listened to college football and the chatter around me.

Even hurrying back as fast as I could didn't make me on time. Jodie said to meet her at Dad's. I went past her on the road as I was riding over to Dad's, ten minutes late. I quickly dropped my bike at Dad's, then jumped in her car and headed off.

Even with all the trouble, we were only five minutes late for Jesse's big 30th birthday party at the Uno's Grill in Maple Shade. As it turned out, we,  Jodie's older son TJ, and his lover Eric were the only ones from Jodie's side of the family who went. Everyone else was from Jesse's biological father's side of the family or his wife Dana's. It was kind of boring. I mostly hid in the back of a table and messed with my cell phone, though I did chat with TJ, Eric, and Jodie. Watched Auburn play Alabama on the big-screen TV over the roaring fire - the former barely won, 48-45. Blue and white balloons, including a shower of white balloons with a metallic "30," hung in front of and to the side of the fireplace. Photos from Jesse's childhood were hung in a banner over the table with the cake, cupcakes, and candy.

At least the food was good. We enjoyed Caeser salad, celery and carrot sticks, baked ziti with breaded chicken strips, and pepperoni and cheese thin-crust pizza. Those who were brave enough had saucy hot wings...but one whiff of those were too much for me! They were really, really pungent. Just standing over them made my eyes water.

The cake and cupcakes had a flower theme; Jesse loves working in the small garden between his and Dana's apartment and the main house. The chocolate cupcakes were a little bland, but the buttercream frosting and vanilla cupcakes and cakes were amazing, creamy and moist and sweet.

After I got home and finally put the laundry away, I finished out the night with the 1997 animated Babes In Toyland. I go further into this holiday tale at my Musical Dreams Movie Reviews blog.

Babes In Toyland (1997)

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