on the eleventh date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... the national christmas tree.

on the tenth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... the lights at the national zoo.

and i managed to resist getting a bag of cotton candy. a christmas miracle!

on the ninth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... the new sherlock holmes movie (a game of shadows indeed), at the alamo theater in winchester.

we went to visit AWD's family this weekend and celebrated an early christmas since we'll be with my family on the actual holiday and i finally got to go to the alamo theater. AWD and his sister have been telling me about it for ages. it's one of those theaters where you sit in really big, comfortable chairs and order food while you watch a movie. or, in my case, a root beer float. anyway, it's a winner and i was glad to finally get to experience it.

and, though i think i am in the minority here, i liked the movie, too. though it's hard to go wrong with robert downey, jr. and jude law. i mean, come on.

on the eighth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... a charlie brown christmas and popcorn in bed.


even on the little laptop screen (i was too lazy to walk downstairs to watch it on the TV), a charlie brown christmas is the greatest.

on the seventh date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... a night out on the town with EH.

AWD has been sick the past couple off days, so like any good and devoted wife i left him at home alone with his cough drops and orange juice and hit up the downtown holiday market with EH.

we browsed the booths, got some empanadas and mini donuts from the vendors and then, because it was delightfully and unseasonably warm, ate them al fresco on the steps of the national gallery. we imagine that must be what celebrating the christmas season in california or hawaii is like.

bliss.

on the fifth date of christmas my true love gave to me...

... the national philharmonic orchestra playing handel's messiah at strathmore.

we were recently introduced to strathmore and we've decided it's a top-notch venue. and this performance was superb, especially the orchestra and the choir. wowie. i got a little teary-eyed during the"hallelujah chorus" and i am not afraid to admit it.

in the first presidency christmas devotional, president monson (the prophet of our church) said that the spirit of christmas is the spirit of christ, which is something we can enjoy now and every day of every year. i have been trying to think more of christ this christmas season, and the messiah is always a great reminder of what i am most thankful for.

good times at hard times

half-price burger monday at hard times cafe in old town went down like this.

frances: whiskey river barbecue cheeseburger with bacon and onion rings

AWD: black and bleu burger with my extra tomato

emma: bacon cheeseburger and a dc

eric: chili cheeseburger, medium

everyone: happy and full. and not eating again until lunch tomorrow.