During the month of December, I experience a whirlwind of emotions.
I reminisce about my childhood--past holiday seasons with my family before my parents got divorced. My most vivid memory is the five of us in our family room…if I close my eyes, I can see it now: my mom is playing "Sleigh Bells Ring" on the piano while my sister entertainingly sings every word to dramatic perfection. This, in turn, results in my other sister, father, and myself bursting into hysterical laughter until tears begin flowing down our face. That's probably the happiest memory I have of my family "all together;" it's bitter-sweet, but engraved in my heart.
My personal family dynamics have changed quite a bit; more so, I've morphed into mom and wife, and it's now my job to create memories for my children that will forever live in their spirit. I want them to recount our holiday seasons as nothing but celebratory, full of rich tradition, rituals, love, and laughter.
Sometimes it's hard to get in the holiday spirit. Yes, we've lit the menorah, decorated our Christmas tree and play non-stop seasonal songs, but really truly feeling the festiveness doesn't come so natural.
This year, I craved doing something to "feel the holidays," and so I decided to check out the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Christmas Spectacle. Like any mom of two under two, the thought bundling them up and taking them out on a chilly Arizona night exhausted me—their moods can be unpredictable—but I was determined we experience what everyone seems to be raving about on Facebook.
We ventured to the Princess on a cold Sunday evening. We had a busy agenda ahead: dinner, the light show, train, pictures with Santa, and ice skating. There was no way in hell we would check everything off our list, or so I thought.
We went to Ironwood Grill, the property's family-friendly eatery. Thank goodness they served mac-and-cheese keeping my two year old occupied and satisfied. Us adults indulged in plenty of food and red wine, warming our bodies and making us delightfully light-headed. At 6pm, we headed to the plaza for the light show, and to be quite honest, I simply expected the tree to sparkle to Christmas music.
Boy, was I wrong.
There was a crazy cool display featuring a projected gingerbread house, Santa, and snowflakes. The tree lit up and music played. But instead of watching the projector, my eyes were glued on my two year old. His face lit up—he was entranced, enamored, and clearly on cloud 9. He clapped his hands, danced, and watched with awe. And so did my 10 month old! Both my boys were drawn to the magic, and all of a sudden, it didn't just feel like a cold December night… it felt like the holidays.
Next stop was the choo-choo train— an adorable locomotive that took us around the property decorated to the nines with lit displays. (I highly recommend opting for the fast pass—it allows you to make the most of your time.) My son, once again, looked around with wonder…how blessed I was to witness my child succumb to the holiday spirit.
It was then nearing 8 o'clock— their bed time, but sleeping just yet was not in our itinerary. Instead, we ventured to see Santa. My 10 month old smiles with just about anyone, but my cautious toddler has yet to love Santa, so we were all surprised when he gave a slight sign of a smile for the photo.
We completed our experience with ice skating. Grandma watched my 10 month old, while we took my toddler to the rink.
Truth be told, this, for me, was like a father bringing his son to his first baseball game— I have dreamt of the moment I could bring my baby ice skating for the first time. The obnoxious mom tears filled my eyes, but my smile ear-to-ear didn't let the happy tears flow.
Can you believe they now make easy slip-on skates for little feet? They have dual blades for simple balance and attach right over your child's shoes!
I really thought my son was going to be petrified. I had expected a short-lived first ice skating experience full of cries and "all done." However, it was quite the opposite. He loved it. My husband and I each held our first born's hands as we went round and round the ice rink. It was the best. My heart was over flowingly full. I felt like a child— giddy and sincerely happy. I was creating memories for my children— there's nothing I want more than giving them the carefree childhood they deserve.
We didn't get home until after 9pm and the kids crashed from exhaustion. It was a beautiful night; more than a light show and train ride— it made me feel like the holidays had arrived, and I granted myself permission to embrace the magic.
For more information on Christmas at the Princess, click here.
Nadine Bubeck is a multi-media personality, author, blogger, PR pro, speaker, and blessed boy mom. The TV News anchor turned all things mama contributes to numerous publications and is often utilized on TV as a parenting expert. Her niche: everythingmom, baby, toddler, child, and family. She is the founder and owner of All Things Mama Media, LLC, the parent company for All Things Mama TV, BoyMamas.com, and more.
