Christmas at Hick's Place

I think Angie and I began talking about this year's Christmas with Hick the day after we went last year!  It was one of our favorite days of the holiday season, a day we won't forget for so many reasons.  It was the same weekend we participated in our first Christmas in Walnut and felt overwhelmed with the Christmas spirit.  That same day, we had this storybook snow that fell all afternoon long, creating the perfect (and quiet) wintery white backdrop for us to play last year.  We stayed for hours, sang Jingle Bells as loud as we could from the hayride, and won two games of Bingo because, well, we were the only ones there to play it! 

Although we may have been a little sad when this year's long anticipated weekend rolled around and there were no signs of powder, we made the most of our afternoon with Hick.  Cruz even drew him a picture before going, recalling some of his favorite things to do out there and writing "Hick's Place" in bubble letters.  He presented it to him when we got there and earned him a badge of honor all afternoon.  And what I really mean by badge of honor is that not only did Cruz get to ride a horse, a carriage, and a hay rack, but he also rode a cow.  Check that off the bucket list, buddy. ;)

We loved on baby calves that were a few days old, watched as Santa made his surprise visit on a horse-drawn wagon, had a lively (and a little scary) ride on Hick's hay ride, and played our fair share of laser tag.  Cruz ate his fair share of cookies, Mila drank her fair share of cocoa, and we all enjoyed our fair share of fresh air on a pretty Sunday afternoon.

I love this Santa setup so much.  We are invited right inside the cabin, where Mrs. Claus is baking homemade cookies in the kitchen and Santa is waiting to greet lots of little boys and girls by the fireplace.  He was a sweet Santa, but may have caused some confusion with the kids when he asked if their daddy's name was Beau, then proceeded to ask an insurance question or two!  I guess even Santa needs to make sure he has his assets properly covered before his big night!  

A pretty sweet scene taught on my camera!  Mrs. Claus giving Santa some love!