Corrales Christmas Parade and First Snow

The first weekend in December is the Corrales Christmas Parade.  Corrales is a small village right on the outskirts of Albuquerque.  Despite being minutes from the city, it still manages to maintain a very small-town, rural feel.  A friend of mine has been recommending this parade for a few years now, and this was the first time we’ve been able to make it.  It’s very welcome-to-Mayberry.  Lots of tractors, trucks, church choirs, and firemen.  It was long enough to be worth it, but short enough that the kids never got antsy.  They have a bonfire afterwards, but it was a chilly night, and we called it good for Bridget’s sake.  She was not happy with us.   Adorable. Adorable. Tragically adorable.  Look at that pouty lip! St. Nicholas on a firetruck.  Does this seem weird to anyone else? Root beer floats after the parade.  Get it?  Floats?  Parade?  Clever, eh! That evening Cindy Lou Who put the star on the top of the tree.  Interesting fact: this is the first year we’ve had a star.  I could never find one I liked at a price I liked.  Thank you, Target.  You always come through. Two days later we had our first major snow.  I figured all other kids got snow days, so mine should too.  We made cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate and played in the snow (well, we didn’t play in the snow; I stayed warm inside like a sensible person).  We watched movies and ate popcorn and generally had a grand time.   Turns out my desert-raised kids have no idea how to make a real snowman.  I’m sorry to say that the final result didn’t look much different than this.