Christmas Lights...

Last night as I was driving home from the Temple (at about 9:20pm), I noticed lots of houses decked out in Christmas lights. And I totally loved it. I actually took the long way home (and may or may not have gotten slightly turned around in the process), driving around (unfamiliar) neighborhoods and subdivisions to really revel in the Christmas spirit that was so prevalent in my heart last night.

A few days ago Nearly two weeks ago, I posted about the things I love so much about this Blessed Season...

I forgot to mention another O-fam tradition, started in the early days of my youth.

A few evenings before Christmas, my family would pile into the Ford Aerostar van, and we'd drive around town to look at the Christmas lights.

This picture was taken on my phone a couple of years ago
on a drive around town with Mom and Brent.
ISN'T IT AWESOME?! It's, like, a real-life gingerbread house!

Some of us enjoyed this tradition more than others.

Now, I'm not going to name names, but...okay, yes I am. MY DAD was one of the fellas who didn't particularly love this tradition. (To each his own.) But he was a good sport, and he was typically the one in the driver's seat.

I honestly can't remember exactly when it happened, but one year (was I still in elementary school?), Dad was particularly unexcited about driving around to see the lights. He didn't really grumble much (or maybe he did?); what I remember distinctly about this time in particular is that Dad drove by each house at warp speed, and the lights seemed more like a blur of colors. There was absolutely NO slowing down to enjoy the lights, not this time. The entire trip (which took in a good portion of my hometown) took a total of something like 15 minutes--including loading all seven of us into and out of the van.

It was a total bummer.

And we haven't let Dad live it down ever since.

Anyway, last night as I was driving around looking at the lights, I called my folks at home--and who do you think answered, but my dear Dad!

I told him that I had a stellar idea: to drive around Brigham City the evening I get home for the holidays. And that I sweetly requested his presence. He told me, "I'll consider it," no less than five times.

Then he handed the phone to Mom; I asked her if he told her of my awesome plan (which he hadn't, probably because he's not excited about the idea. At all). But Mom likes my plan. And she heard Dad say (no less than five times!) that he'd consider it!

I think between the two of us, Mom and I can coerce Dad into coming with us.

And one of the girls will be driving; Dad will have to passengate (that's a word Mom came up with on the spot: a verb, meaning "the act of being a passenger." I get my brains from my Mama).

I'm still a little over a week out from heading on home for the holidays, and I've been excited about it since, roughly, the day after Thanksgiving.

And I'm kinda getting sentimental for our upcoming drive around town to see the lights this year...