Countdown to Christmas: Day 3: Love Your Community!

Today was pure Christmas awesomeness in Downtown Bangor. Our city celebrated Downtown Holiday Festival Day in a big way! So very much celebrating/crafting/socializing to participate in. Isaac and I parked our car around noon ... hiked all around downtown ... from one great event to another ... and didn't make it home till 7:50! A day very well spent ... and it went something like this ...

... Isaac told Mr. and Mrs. Claus what he wants for Christmas ... a blue lightsaber, a red lightsaber, and a microwave. Yes, a microwave oven. He wants to be able to cook microwavable macaroni and cheese ... just like Grandma makes. True story ...

(He also asked Santa for a new baby brother ... but Santa didn't seem to hear him ... and so Isaac later put this request into a letter)
... And no one is ever too big to sit on Santa's lap. Mrs. Claus was generous enough to offer the idea for this photo ... the three of them together. Wonderful! Thank you to the Downtown Bangor Partnership and Bagel Central for bringing Mr. & Mrs. Claus to Bangor --- for free photos ... AND for homemade cookies ...

... You should have seen the spread at Bagel Central ... Icings, sprinkles, frostings, nonpareils galore! What a great idea!

... Proud of his creation ...

... And so yummy ...

... Then to our friend Tree Heckler's studio for some Zombie Elf Ornament making! Another true story. ZOMBIE elves. Now that is Christmas :)

... Wish you could see one? I will post a pic of Isaac's creation after he gifts it to his Daddy. And also, Tree will be selling these soon ... so will post a pic when she has some ready. They are creepy and awesome. Of course ...

... After Zombie Elf making, we made our way to the UMaine Museum of Art for lots more gift making and artistic pursuits. Again, I can't show pics of some of Isaac's creations till after he gifts them to his Daddy :) ... But I can show you one of my fave pics of the day ...

... YES ... this pic made my day! Priceless ...

... Then ... off to the PARADE! We met our friends Melodi, Daiken, and Peter in front of the Children's Museum ... to enjoy some hot cocoa, cider and pastries ... compliments of the Museum (thank you all!) ... and to catch a great view of the parade ...

... These goofy guys had such a great time together! ... The parade was the best one yet. The floats were so great ... the bands were awesome ... and the dancers/gymnasts were a pleasure to watch ...

... And THIS float was my absolute favorite!!! I mean, could it be any cooler??? When Isaac spotted it, he turned to me and shouted, "Mom! It's like they knew you were coming!". Indeed. I was beaming. And I loved sharing this moment with sweet Daiken, who loves sharks as much as I do ...

So, that was our day ... with lots of other fun stuff in between ... Smiles and Hugs shared with our fellow community members ... A surprise visit with my Dad on Main Street ... the tree lighting ceremony ... And so much more. I ***LOVE*** my community ... and now I wonder ... HOW DO YOU LOVE YOUR COMMUNITY? What sorts of things do you cherish about your community at this time of year? How do you all get together to celebrate? PLEASE SHARE in the comment section below (on blog if you are reading this on Facebook) ...

Thank you for reading. And thanks to the Bangor Area Childrens' Choir ... who put on a lovely holiday concert last night! Another wonderful celebration in our community. Will post those pics tomorrow.

 Love, Jodi