Deck the Halls with broughs of hol-ree, Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra....
A Christmas Story is Ryan's favorite, favorite, favorite Christmas movie. Every year on Christmas Eve for a full 24 hours our television is devoted to the A Christmas Story marathon. Each year, Ryan receives a new A Christmas Story House for his A Christmas Story village. He loves Ralph, Flick, and Schwartz, the Red Rider BB Gun, the leg lamp, "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out", the Bumpous hounds, the Chop Suey singers, all of it. He laughs out loud every time he watches it. And I love that about him.
An amazing little status post on Faceb**k by KW, tipped me off to some available tickets to TPAC to see the TN Rep's version of A Christmas Story. Honestly, I had no idea that the play was at TPAC. So, I decided to pull a little Christmas surprise and get the tickets for the kids and I to take Ryan to see A Christmas Story - Broadway style. I called sweet Carolyn (Ryan's mom) and suggested that this would be an awesome Christmas present for us. She agreed, checks were mailed, tickets were purchased and the surprise was on. We were doing really well about keeping the surprise until Wednesday when Ryan happened to wear his "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out" t-shirt and Kendall happened to mention to him that he should save that shirt to wear on Friday evening. So, he knew that his surprise had something to do with A Christmas Story...he just didn't know everything.
Friday morning, I told Ryan that I would be home at 4 and we needed to be ready to leave the house by 5 for his surprise night out. I got home, got everybody changed into night out on the town clothes and he headed to Nash-vegas for our night of fun.
First, since my awesome mother in law not only gave us the tickets as our Christmas present, but she gave us some spending money for dinner out before the show...we got to go to dinner at everyone's favorite downtown restaurant...
Daddy and the kids looking over the menu before we ordered....Notice the cowboy hat in the background...remember we are in Nash-vegas...
What we love about Demo's besides the fabulous food, great prices, and fantastic service...is that my very picky eater kids both love, love, love the all you can eat chicken and rice soup...Here is Kendall finishing her 3rd bowl...yes, I said 3rd bowl...
And here's Reid shoveling in a big spoonful...
After dinner, we headed over to TPAC...Here is the obligatory shot in front of the TPAC Christmas tree...
And what is it about water streaming down a wall that makes 8 year old boys want to touch it?...
And then we managed to get into the theater and into our seats...which by the way...were on the front row of the Johnson theater...that's right I said front row...
The night was fantastic. The TN Rep Actors were phenomenal!!! The play was interactive so Kendall was in a couple of scenes...(made her year)...she was in the scene where Flick puts his tongue on the flag pole as an extra school yard child. She and Reid got to throw streamers when Ralphie won his award for his amazing Red Rider BB Gun English Theme. Kendall also got to hold the wrapped Christmas package that held Ralphie's BB Gun and then hand it to Ralphie. The play even included a few "scenes" from the Nutcracker Suite - which Bebe, Jenny and Kendall usually go to see during Christmas, but were not able to this year. Every scene from the movie was included even the Chop Suey palace waiters singing Deck the Halls....too funny!!!!
Interesting note about the BB gun that Kendall got to hold...it was the original BB Gun used in the movie. The owner of the gun loaned it to the TN Rep company to use during performances. We tried to get Ryan's picture made with the gun but by the time we got out of the theater, they had already "locked the gun up for the night".
We also got to stay after the performance for a one on one question and answer session with the set designer for the play. He was really cool, had some great prop ideas and tips, and even taught us how to make frosted glass on a budget, things that every 1st-6th grade Ministry Assistant and her set designing husband should know!!! The frosted glass lesson ended up being a great tip because on Saturday morning at the Student Dodgeball tournament, TJ asked Ryan to help him build a set this week...and it needed frosted glass...don't you just love how God works sometimes???
A wonderful, fantastic, magical Christmas memory was made by the Workman's on this "Daddy's Surprise Night Out". Thank you to KW, and Carolyn for your part in making this happen. I hope it is a Christmas tradition that we can continue throughout the years!!!
Melissa
P.S. If a Red Rider BB Gun is on your Christmas list....be careful...because you know what could happen...You can shoot your eye out!!!!
Many of you will not remember The Letter People but they were the staple of my kindergarten year at Bethesda Elementary. Miss Janet had blow up dolls of all The Letter People and once a week, she rolled in the library's TV cart, tuned the TV set to PBS and we would watch that week's episode of The Letter People. They all had amazing songs and this week I present to you the letter H featuring Mr. H with Horrible Hair.
This is Reid's hair after several, several, several days without a shower..."who needs a shower when you are just hanging out at home playing with all of your awesome Christmas loot?"
