How Jesus and Santa Wound Up in the Same Story at Our House

I was that child in preschool. You know, the one who says “Santa isn’t real!” Yes, in preschool. *FYI, my parents were called about it. Haha.

My Dad told me at a very young age the truth about Santa. He used to tell me that he thought it was wrong of him to lie to me, but it gradually turned into something so much more.

Growing up, and even to this day, nothing Santa Claus is allowed in my parents’ house. At first I agreed with the logic. We don’t want to contribute to the "fake" story because it might take away from the true meaning of Christmas. Obviously, Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate Christmas. That being said, for those people who do not believe in God or Jesus, I’m not sure why they celebrate, and for that matter they probably shouldn’t. It’s a religious holiday to celebrate the birth of our Savior… it’s not about Santa, or presents, or family. *Yes, it bothers me that atheists celebrate CHRISTmas. But, it's not my place to judge.

As I got older, things got uncomfortable when it came to Santa and Jesus. I tried to explain to my friends and coworkers why we do nothing “Santa.” Even when I moved in with Gene, I still didn't (he was a good sport). No cards, decorations, no stories, etc. I always watch the movies, but that was only happening once I moved out really. Anyway, people used to almost snicker about it. Like we were wrong to not participate in the whole Santa gimmick. Mind you, this was well before I had even thought seriously about having children. I just brushed it off, but it kind of hurt each time it happened. It’s just how WE do the holiday.

My Dad got a little crazy with it later down the road. “Rearrange the letters in Santa and it spells Satan. Santa was created by Satan and it is a way to take the holiday away from Jesus.” I get it, I do, but I’m not sure I’d go that extreme. He once was on the verge of telling all the kids in line to see Santa that he wasn’t real. To hear him tell story he did tell them, but I don’t know that he would actually do that. I mean, he has a heart so I wouldn’t think he would devastate the children like that. However, now that I have children, it’s a constant battle with his truth telling. Emma came up to me just last week and said “Pawpaw said that Santa is bad!” When I confronted him he said “I told her that he’s evil because he is.” Don’t get upset, his heart is in the right place.

But here’s my “beef”: Without getting into the whole “she’s my child not yours, so it’s not your place,” because I don’t necessarily feel that way, I feel like all we are doing is confusing her.

Her friends and the teachers at school are all telling her he is real. If we go around telling her that he isn’t, what is she going to think about Jesus? Here we are telling her that Jesus is real, and how He was born to save us all, yet she can’t see him in person and we read about him in a Book. See where I’m going with this? "If Santa isn’t real, is Jesus?" I can see the question brewing. How would I be able to explain that to my three year old?

So, for now, I’m allowing Santa. I’ll tell her the truth one day, and why we went along with the whole “Santa thing” in the first place, but for now I’ll let her buy into MY VERSION of it all. You see, I’ve told her a different version of the story, and I show her pictures that I come across of Santa worshiping Jesus so that she can see it with her eyes. It’s important to me that she knows why we celebrate Christmas and why we give each other gifts. I want her to enjoy the holiday and enjoy it for the right reason. I don’t want to fill her head with doubt.   

For those of you curious about my version of Christmas, here it is:

Christmas is a birthday celebration; we celebrate the birth of Baby Jesus. But because Baby Jesus isn’t here with us, we give presents to the people that we love or that have taken care of us in a way (think teachers, mailmen, neighbors, etc.). Plainly said, we give gifts to each other because we can’t give gifts to Him. One day, a long time ago, a man named Santa wanted to make sure that every good boy and girl got something on Christmas morning for Jesus’ birthday, so he brings one present to each girl and boy who loves Jesus and does the good things that Jesus would want us to do (pray at night, be good to our parents, don’t be mean to friends, take care of our belongings, etc.).

And that’s it in a nutshell. We’ve always had a birthday cake and sing Happy Birthday to Jesus every Christmas, and this will also help Emma understand that it’s His birthday we are celebrating. The gift from Santa won’t be wrapped under the tree, so that she understands the wrapped ones are all from us, not from Santa. I’ll set up the manger Christmas morning before they’re up and I’ll let her put Jesus in his bed (it’s breakable so I don’t dare put it out now). I’ll make sure that we read the story of Baby Jesus and Christmas so that she knows it’s not all about the presents she is getting. I’ll basically do whatever I can to make sure she knows why we do all of it.

Now, my Dad will still be hard-headed and try to assure us that his way is the right way, but I will continue on and do Christmas exactly as I’ve outlined. My girls won’t lessen their chances of going to heaven just because of a "man" named Santa bringing a toy. Gene and I will continue to teach Emma and Alice about Jesus and when they’re older and can understand more we will tell them more stories of Him and how it all relates to their lives and the world today. We are doing the best that we can right now, and I’m pretty sure that Jesus Himself would be happy about it.  

I hope that you and your family have a very Merry Christmas, and that you also share the story of Jesus’ birth with your loved ones.

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The Last Month, In a Nutshell

Whew! What a month!

Well, you haven’t heard from me, like REALLY heard from me in quite some time now. A month I think. It’s been a doozy. Let me fill you in on everything I’ve been up to.

I had a week-long vacation in November, and I planned on doing a lot of stuff with my blog then. However, as it goes for me, everything fell apart. That first Friday night, once it was officially my vacation, I turned on my laptop to nothing. A blank screen. The thing was completely dead. Not powerless dead, but dead-dead. Go figure.

Saturday night I took it to Geek squad, and I’d be paying so much to have it looked at that we’d be better off buying a new one. So we did. And we had them transfer my stuff from the old one to the shiny new one. I didn’t get my computer back until Tuesday night! I got home and went to get onto the internet to do a blog post, and wouldn’t you know it, our router died. I bought a new one on Black Friday, the hubs got it up and running on Saturday, and we had plans all weekend. So not a single blog post, or anything really for nine days straight.

Thanksgiving was good. We went to the Lococos’ house to eat Thanksgiving dinner and play games. It’s always such a good time. I love that family! But of course, my Mom and I have a standing tradition to go Black Friday shopping (which is now on Thanksgiving). It’s a good thing I see that side of the family a lot, otherwise it would really stink to have to leave them.

I went to the ballet for the first time. It was beautiful! I was seriously mesmerized the entire time. It was also my first time at the Fabulous Fox Theater (or at least that I can remember). It would be so neat to go with Gene sometime. Make a fancy date night out of it. Dress up, get dinner somewhere new, and see a show. Wishful thinking with only one date night a month.

My Dad’s birthday came and went on December 2^nd. I can never pick out anything good for him, so of course I got him something he didn’t like, and it’s sitting in a bag waiting to be returned or exchanged. He never really seems too thrilled with anything I get him, but maybe he’s just a bad gift receiver like me. Even if I really love something, I don’t think I ever express it the right way. Maybe it’s that “resting bitch-face” I have.

Gene and I went to a concert on a Friday night. It was a pretty good show, but I worried about my Dad watching both girls. He had watched Alice already for a few hours, then we dropped Emma off with him so that we could head straight to the concert. I worried about him being overwhelmed, so much so that I could barely enjoy myself. I probably won't be doing that again. But, the first few people/bands were pretty good! Can't remember any of their names, but I do remember that the last band was Three Doors Down and I was less than amused. I made Gene leave at the fourth song that was heavy stuff; I didn't have the patience to wait for their oldies.

My Dad and I sold his signs at a craft fair one Saturday morning. It was the first one they ever had there, but it was a great turnout! And we did a pretty good job money-wise! I'll definitely do it again next year. I like doing those things. 

We have a Secret Santa thing going on at work (Wednesday of this week is the last day for it), and I drew someone I really know nothing about. I also don’t like to ask for hints, but instead I creeped on Facebook to kind of get an idea what she might like, and I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants. I hope I didn’t screw up too bad. I like the way we do it; it’s one day each week, for four weeks. The first week is something edible, the second week is something DIY (a lot of people cheat and buy a craft), the third week is something $5 or less, and the last is a $10 gift. I mean, I gave all stuff that I would have liked to get, so hopefully she liked it too.

A few coworkers got together for an “Ugly Sweater Party” at Trainwreck at Westport. It was a great time, but unfortunately everyone bailed by 9pm. Boo! I guess I had bigger expectations. I was ready to go all night! It was definitely a change from our Crown Vision all-nighters 8 years ago. It was easy to drop $100 in one night with those crazies. I guess we’re all too old now. Or maybe too broke during the holidays.

I went to my first professional football game! I’ve been married to a sports fanatic for over ten years now, and this was the first football game he has ever taken me to. I guess I thought it would be louder and more of a to-do (like maybe what you see on tv), but it was half-empty and the “fun stuff” was sub-par. It was still great to get to experience it for the first time, and the nachos were super yummy! Almost better than Busch Stadium nachos. I said almost.

My cousin’s little boy had a bowling birthday party a couple weekends ago. It was so cute. The kids all played in the arcade, ate pizza, and bowled seven frames. Haha. They couldn’t even keep their focus on bowling long enough to finish an entire game. Their patience was tested though by waiting for eight kids to take turns, so I can’t blame them. I had thought about doing that for Emma’s fourth birthday, but now I’m second-guessing it only because of that fact. We’d have to only put like three kids on a lane to make it go faster. Then how many lanes would I need? Oy. I’m seriously teetering on Chuckie Cheese!

Then there was the Morris Family Christmas brunch, which is always a good time. We got to catch up with each other, and see those family members that you only see at the holidays. Everyone got to see Emma and meet Alice, and we played “Rob Your Neighbor.” The gift I took was a hit – a Selfie Stick. Haha. I took home a set of greeting cards, an ornament, a bottle of wine, and a puzzle (I may have claimed Gene’s gift). Emma got some chocolate coins too, which she immediately ate in one sitting. All in all, it was a good time.

Alice had her 6 month check-up last Monday. She’s nowhere near as big as Emma was, but she’s still a big girl. Something like 76^th percent for weight. She got all of her shots, including a flu shot, and hated every second. I do have to say again that her doctor is phenomenal. Well, he’s both her doctor and Emma’s, and he’s very holistic which means he tells me not to use Vicks, or Tylenol, or cough medicine, but he knows his stuff so I usually stick to what he says. He reassured me that the lump in her chest is completely normal and will be there until she’s into Kindergarten more than likely. He told me all about what it is, and it made me feel so much better to hear it all from him. It was a good visit. I felt so bad for Alice though with all of those shots, and then I had to send her home with my Mom so that I could go to work. She probably hated me that whole day. FYI - she is a full crawler now, can pull up and walk herself with help (think couch, walker, etc.), she's eating yogurt bites, and so much more!

The Pinterest party that a lot of us girls do annually was last Thursday. It was okay. I don’t really fit in anymore. I mean, all of those girls are such close friends because they go out with each other all the time. I can’t go out like that anymore, so it has really put a damper on my friendships. I can never even join in on the conversations because I don’t know the people they refer to, or I can’t judge a person’s character enough to joke or kid with them. This might have been my last year doing that since I don’t really see my free time expanding anytime soon to better those relationships. And let’s face it, even if I do get more free time, it would be used to do things like see movies, get pedicures, try new restaurants, go to the mall… things like that. My days of hitting up the usual bars on off hours are over I think. I sometimes miss it, but I also miss all the little things other ladies (without young kids) take for granted. 

Saturday was our big Puder Family Christmas at my parents’ house. I had a prior engagement that morning, but as soon as I could I headed to help Mom with the preparations. My Mom and I are nothing alike. I enjoy hosting parties and don’t find it stressful usually; okay, maybe mildly stressful sometimes. But my Mom, man she gets so stressed out over the silly stuff. Her house is always so clean, but she has to deep clean it top to bottom for an entire week beforehand. Then, she worries about what people want to eat, what they want to drink, having enough, etc. I’m the type of person to make sure you can’t see my dust bunnies, clean the toilet well, and then the food and drinks I buy are what you get. Haha. If my house wasn’t so teeny tiny with a torn apart basement I would just have it there. But I couldn’t, so my Mom was in hell and I was there to feel her wrath. We survived though. Barely. ;-)

And here we are at Christmas week. I have a ton of presents to wrap still, and one more thing to find for my Dad, but overall I think I’m in good shape. The annual Christmas Eve Lococo Bash is always a highlight so I’m really looking forward to that. Again, I just love that family! I’ll make a special breakfast Christmas morning, we will open presents and place Baby Jesus in the manger under the tree. Then, after all that is said and done (and who knows, maybe even after naps), we will head on over to my parents’ house to do it all again. It’s sure to be a long and drawn out, semi-boring day. But, it’s not about fun or presents, right? Right! It’s about Jesus being born to later save us all.

Can you just imagine being Mary? You had a baby boy who will grow to be the Savior of us all! I don’t know that I would even feel allowed to reprimand him if need be. Or was he even a typical little boy? Okay, I’m off topic.

Needless to say, I’ve had a lot going on and I’m looking forward to having some downtime after the holidays. I don’t have plans yet for New Years Eve, but Gene and I were going to have our date night that night. Although I haven’t even heard of anyone making plans yet, so who knows, maybe we will do our own thing, or maybe cancel altogether and do date night another time.

So that’s it. My last month in three pages of 11 sized font. Good thing I took out all the fine detail, otherwise you’d be reading for an hour I’m sure!

Are you as busy as I have been?   

Emma and Alice having fun!

Emma's Preschool Picture

Daddy and Alice playing!

Incredible Pizza Company for Toddlers | Review

I posted a while ago about how much Emma enjoyed herself when we took her to Incredible Pizza Company in South County. I had a few responses about other kids enjoying it too, but one stood out to me; a Momma friend said that she didn't know it was for children of Emma's age (she too has a child around that age). That sparked my interest even more for reviewing this location. I want other Moms out there to know that they can take their small children there for a good time.

I'm only going to discuss our most recent visit there (which was only our second time).

I looked up the hours of operation ahead of time, and saw that they opened at 11am on Saturdays. We decided to avoid the rush and the nap time meltdowns, by arriving right when they open. Well, low and behold, we were later than 11... I'm still not a pro at getting both kids out the door in a reasonable amount of time - something always happens. Not to mention is was raining outside and Emma had to play with her umbrella for a while.

We had to wait in a small line once we got into the establishment (even though the line was small, it was an exceptionally long wait... speedier staff would be helpful). Once up to the counter, a young man helped us decide the best course of action for what we wanted to achieve that day - lunch, go kart action, and games being our top priorities. We went with an eat and play combo at the price of $23 and change, and an extra buffet for an adult. We had started with just $40, so we had him add the rest to the game card. Once it was said and done we had two adult buffets, two kids buffets (although Alice didn't eat), four attraction passes and $14 and change on a game card. Not too shabby for a family of four with a $40 budget!

Once we got past the front counters, it was just a short trip through the buffet area before we reached the arcade. Lots of lights all over the place, but it was pretty quiet in there since we were one of the first few. Emma headed straight for her favorite thing - the go karts. We walked to the go kart counter and it was unattended. There was a sign on the table that said go karts start at 11:00 am and run for 15 minute intervals, every 30 minutes. That didn't sound right to me, but after I found someone to help me, I discovered that the sign was for weekdays only, and on weekends go karts don't even start until noon for some reason. Bummer.

We filled our time with lots of games. We started in Tiny Town. It's games just right for toddlers. It seems as though Tiny Town doesn't get as much attention as the rest of the arcade, because there were two games broken, and two that had "issues" with them. But other than the broken ones, Emma was completely oblivious to the "issues." They do have an area that they can climb up into as well (this is free), but Emma has never been big on heights so she went a few feet in and came right back out. The games in Tiny Town were $0.50 or $0.75 each, so your money lasts longer in there and the games seem to last longer as well. There's one that you even get a printout of your coloring page and a picture of the artist. Cute.

The "big kid games" started right outside of Tiny Town, and progressively got more difficult as you headed to the other end of the arcade. I found that there were not many games that offered a lot of tickets. Maybe I should reword that... they offered lots of tickets, but were nearly impossible to get. I would normally expect this, but for a kids establishment, I would have thought they would give you more. But, kids don't see that. Only the parents. ;-)

There are tons of claw games which we love, but they are very difficult and were $1 or more per try. I did see a girl walking around with one toy from each machine, so I guess it just might not have been our day. Very cute toys and stuffed animals in them... not the cheap stuff.

We took a break from the games and we headed to the buffet to eat. Tons of options here - Salad, Pizza, Hot Dogs, Chicken Bites, French Fries, Soup, Tacos, Nachos, Dessert, Ice Cream, Slushies, Tons of Drink options, etc. Emma loves salad, so she had lots of it, some pizza and some chicken, and then way too much ice cream, slushy and lemonade. At this point, I could just picture the sugar meltdowns that will happen when we try to leave. Haha.

After lunch, Alice fell asleep and we headed to the go karts again. The line was long and slow. It took about 40 minutes for Emma and her Daddy to get to ride. Emma loves go karts. If it wasn't so busy we would have used all four attraction passes right then and there. But, after the first time, I couldn't wait through it all again.

We played more games and looked at all the other attractions which were either too "big" for her or too busy at that time. Bowling, bumper cars, a 3D real-life type of ride. I cannot wait for her to get bigger and be able to do those things!

We were already an hour past nap time and running out of money, so we decided to go ahead and cash in our tickets for some prizes. After all the games we played, we only had 120 tickets. I didn't really see anything exciting under 100. Another bummer. I let her pick them herself (even if they were silly). She felt like a big girl shopping for her own things. It was too cute.

Walking out, we saw that a balloon artist was there making animals for tips. So we stopped and he played a little trick on her and then made her a balloon bunny rabbit. He's there every Saturday afternoon and he's great with the kids.

Emma had such a good time. I'm telling you, for the little amount of money we paid, our family of four (counting Alice who is 5 months old) spent three hours having a great time. Emma is still talking about it!

I'm sure we will go back numerous times. Maybe even have a birthday party there if Emma wants. I just love to see her happy, and this place does it.

If you have children 2 years and older, you should give it a try! You don't have to eat there, you can just play, but why not eat too because the pizza is soooo good!

LIMITED TIME OFFER - Get a 99 cent All-You-Can-Eat Buffet with a $15 Game Card Purchase at America's Incredible Pizza Company. Not valid with any other offer or discount. CLICK HERE!

I received a gift card to this establishment to visit and review. I was asked to give my honest opinion and have done so above. My thoughts and views have not been swayed, and I was not told to give a positive (or negative) review in any way. I received this opportunity through US Family Guide.

My Christmas Wish List - 2015

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Christmas songs on the radio, holiday displays in all the stores, pretty twinkle lights on houses... I'm as happy as can be! I seriously walk around humming Christmas songs all day. My Dad always says that people who hum songs, that don't realize they are doing it, are the happiest people. 

I don't feel like I'm a picky person at all when it comes to receiving gifts. Granted, my husband is I think the worst gift-giver ever. Even with hints he never gets it right. I keep telling myself that it's the thought that counts. Yes, it's the thought that counts. Haha.

We all know that the true meaning for celebration is Baby Jesus, right? Good. Now that we got that out of the way, I wanted to share with you my Christmas Wish List. *This is just a short list of the many, many things I would like (but don't necessarily need). Hahaha!

1) Wide-Calf Boots. I'm usually a fan of grey boots, and suede-like ones as well, but this year the brownish ones caught my eye. I like this pair from Famous Footwear because it's basic and has a feminine touch with the gold accents. Not to mention it's wide-calf so it would fit my "Morris" legs. I don't care to spend too much on shoes, and especially retail, so I'd wait for a good sale to come along to get this pair. 

2) Silver Statement Necklace. I think I might have an addiction with Charming Charlie. It's a good thing I don't live close to one (closest is West County I think)! This necklace would be perfect for New Year's Eve, or really any holiday that gives you a reason to get dolled up. 

3) Blanket Scarf. I'm not usually one to keep up with trends, but I like this one! A giant scarf, some with fringe, that you can wrap around your neck or wear as a shawl. The plaid patterns seem to be very stylish as well. This is another Charming Charlie find.

4) Tiffany & Co. Ring. Is this pink color not gorgeous?!?!?! Oh I love it. It's a bit out of our price range, but a girl can dream can't she? That Tiffany & Co. really knows what they're doing. 

5) Long Dangle Necklaces. Okay, last Charming Charlie one. I own one loooooong necklace, and lately I've been loving it. I really like the look of it with blazers and sweaters. I wouldn't mind one or two more to mix it up a bit. And let's face it, Charming Charlie has the right prices for women on a budget like this Average Momma.

6) Pilot G-2 07 Pens. I am a pen snob. I only care to use a "G-2-oh-7" pen, as I call them. Pilot makes their G-2 pens in various "thicknesses" but I really like the 07 one. I had purchased a pack like this about 2 years ago, and wouldn't you know it, they all "walked off."  I also like to have multiple colors because I use checklists, and move products, and it's helpful to have multiple color options. Also, if you're a note-taker, it's easy to switch up thoughts or subjects on the same page by switching colors.

7) Sharpie Markers. I have this weird obsession with Sharpie markers. I don't even really have a use for them, but I want one of every color, in every thickness. Hahahaha.

8) Pioneer Woman Cookbook. This lady can cook! And her recipes aren't "weird" or impossible. I pin as many as I can on Pinterest, and I've made almost all of them. But, unfortunately, a lot of her recipes aren't public and you have to buy her cookbooks (which are like $25). I'm kind of cheap with stuff like this, but I figured if someone buys one for me, that would be okay, right? ;-) Seriously though, if you haven't tried her recipes, you should!

9) Tongs. I need a good pair of cooking tongs. Not metal, but silicone. This pair is a Rachel Ray version found at Target, and it's nice because you can set it up off the table because of the "feet" or put it on the side of a pot. They also don't lock which is nice for an uncoordinated person like myself.

There you have it! A little peek at the things I'm wanting this year. I might just do up a list for the things that I want to get the girls this year too. It's so difficult to find gifts for your children sometimes. 

Do you think there's anything I should add to my wish list? Do you have a wish list of your own? Tell me in the comments! I love seeing peoples' personalities through the gifts they'd like to receive! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
REMEMBER - JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON

Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker at The Fox | Review

My best friend Holli and I decided to have a girls night out on Monday, and we went to see the Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker. This was both of our first times to not only see a ballet, but to see anything at the Fox Theater. We really enjoyed ourselves.

The Fox Theater isn’t hard to find. It’s right off of Highway 64 on Grand Boulevard. Of course, it was half raining out, and dark as could be, so there was traffic everywhere and since we had never been before we were clueless for where to park. Our 38 minute drive ended up taking us an hour. But, we made it nonetheless.

The Fox at Christmas time is beautiful! I’m sure it is all year round, but with all of the lights and festive decorations, it really shines. When we walked in, they had images of the ballet flashing on the screens above the bars, and a table in the middle set up for souvenirs. We made a pit stop at the restroom and then headed to our seats. *FYI, the bathroom was just as majestic as the rest of the Fox!

Our seats were pretty close to the stage, and we were dead center. I was really excited. It was almost elegant in there. In fact, it WAS elegant. The ceilings were adorned with jewels and elaborate artwork and what looked like empty wading pools of water. There were pillars on the sides of the large outer walls, and the stage curtain had a print on it that was detailed and elaborate. Just being there made me feel… special.

The ballet was about to begin, and they announced a “pre-show” of the prima ballerina and a local cellist. It was called “The Swan” and it was beautiful. She was so graceful and delicate; on her toes the entire time. At that point, I knew I would enjoy myself.

The ballet began and it opened with a man (the Uncle) and his toys. He was like a magician. He made the toys come to life. Let me tell you, it has to take some skill to both act like a toy and dance ballet at the same time. It was awe-provoking.

Next there was a party where a little girl (Masha) received a Nutcracker doll from her Uncle. I was expecting the nutcracker to look like, well, a nutcracker. Instead, to me he looked like a toy soldier. Anyway, a little boy broke the toy, and that night, in her sleep she dreamt about the doll coming to life.

There were rats with a Rat King, snow legends, emissaries of Spain, Africa, Europe and Russia, and lots and lots of dancers including a swan made of two people. It was captivating. There was never a dull moment, and I found myself tapping my foot along to familiar melodies like the Waltz of the Flowers. I wonder if the dancers are as delicate in real life as they are on stage.

In the second act, one couple seemed to steal the show, and it wasn’t the prima ballerina (although she was the best to me). This couple was one of the emissary groups and they did tricks that you’d see on X Factor or something. It was crazy. How they get their bodies to move that way and balance on each other is beyond me. There was one point where I thought I saw the woman’s foot turn completely around! They received the loudest applause of the night.

The prima ballerina was by far my favorite. She was probably up on her toes for 90% of her performances. I can’t even imagine the strength she has, or the amount of pain she can withstand! All I could do was stare at her feet the entire time. She was wearing a beautiful tutu with jewels in patterns all over it and a tiara that glittered in all of the spotlights on her. What word can describe her and her performance? Beautiful just won’t do. Exquisite. Heavenly. Immaculate. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it.

One of the best parts of this ballet was the children. Yes, the children. This production gets in touch with a local dance project in the city that they are in, and local children join in on the performance. It was cute to watch the children of all ages. The times they’d forget a step, the way their short little legs looked extremely cute doing little toe-taps, the gleam in their eyes as they enjoyed themselves, and the way the Russian dancers guided them and enjoyed their company as well. There was one point where I teared up watching a little girl pulling a sheep up and down the stage as she danced ballet the whole way. It was the sweetest thing, and made me think of my daughter doing something like that one day.

When it was all over, and the performers took their bows, they received a standing ovation. It gave me goose bumps. There wasn’t one slip-up, one error. It was perfect and it showed in that applause at the end. I would love to see this ballet again. I would make it an eventful night, dressed to the nines, and invite friends and family to attend as well. It truly is something that will stick with me for a long time.

I hope that you get a chance to see Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker when it’s here again. It won’t disappoint.

*We weren’t allowed to take a camera in, so I had to rely on my phone and the pictures aren’t very good. Sorry I couldn’t show you more.

I received two tickets, free of charge, to see this performance and give my honest views and opinions. I was not encouraged in any way to give a positive (or negative) review. I was given the opportunity through US Family Guide.