Holiday Highlights (December 2025)
Trip to Detroit
During the first week of December, I made a solo trip to the Detroit area to visit with my mom and drop-off our old minivan to a family member. On the way up I saw some snow in Ohio and Michigan. While in Michigan, I was able to shovel about an inch of snow. After dropping off the minivan, I flew back home on a very early morning flight. After I arrived home, I discovered my family in Michigan received about six inches of snow a few hours after I left. That’s pretty good timing.
Granddaughter’s School Choir
Our granddaughter’s public-school choir had a Christmas concert held at a local high school auditorium. It was standing room only. Our granddaughter and her classmates did a fantastic job singing. I was personally a bit disappointed that the choir director put together an entire Christmas concert without one slightly religious song.
The Christmas Child Play
We attended a local theater group’s production of The Christmas Child. The Academy of Arts is a “local Christian organization dedicated to impacting our culture by making the Bible come alive in minds and hearts through gripping storytelling for stage and film. As we boldly and excellently craft stories that challenge the mind and engage the heart, lasting lessons of truth are planted into the soul.” We attended the play with our church’s senior group. It was a very good play about reconciliation and redemption. After the production we had dinner with the group at Mythos Greek and Italian Restaurant in Taylors, SC. The food and the fellowship were excellent.
Grove Park Inn
We travelled with our friends Bob and Shelley to Asheville, NC to have lunch at the Grove Park Inn and to tour the grounds. We had their Seasonal Lunch Buffett which meant we probably ate just a bit too much in order to try as many things as possible including a very nice dessert bar.
After lunch we toured the grounds and spent time viewing the National Gingerbread House Competition. It is amazing what artists can do with gingerbread. We also got to take a picture with Santa.
Downtown Greenville, SC
Greenville, SC has a beautiful downtown. We were able to spend an afternoon with our granddaughter visiting some wonderful Christmas displays downtown.
First, we stopped at the Greenville Gingerbread Exhibit at the Marriott Springhill Suites and Residence Inn. We were able to view some really amazing gingerbread creations. Many of them recreated famous sights and building around Greenville.
Our second stop was at the Hyatt Regency to see the Festival of Trees. Various organizations, businesses, and schools decorate trees and then have them on display in the Hyatt’s amazing lobby and atrium. It definitely will get you in the Christmas spirit.
We ended our afternoon on a beautiful 60-degree December day by having ice cream at the Kilwins Ice Cream Store. Because it was such a nice day, we ate our ice cream on the Hyatt Regency’s Terrace. On our way back to our car, we discovered one of the Mice on Main. I think we are going to make this outing a yearly tradition with our granddaughter.
Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
We spent Christmas Eve with our grandchildren, our daughter, and our daughter-in-law and her family. The grandsons also attended the Christmas Eve service at our church with us. We spent a quiet Christmas day with our daughter. On Christmas night we went to the Winter Lights display at the North Carolina Arboretum near Asheville, NC. It is one of the best walk-through Christmas lights display I’ve seen. They also have several places to buy hot chocolate. This particular Christmas day it was an unseasonably warm 75 degrees during the day, so we had a very pleasant walk through the lights display on Christmas night.
