Whooo hooo! We actually got out of the house and did something. What a novelty!

Anyway . . . we rented a car and, after spraying half a can of disinfecting spray all over the interior and then wiping the car down with disinfecting wipes, we made our way to Celebration in the Oaks, a holiday lights festival in City Park. According to the signs at the entrance, there were over one million lights.

This year, it is a drive through affair only. And, boy, are there plenty of angry people who don’t own cars, who can’t afford to rent cars (but who apparently can afford to pay the roughly $20 admission fee), and who want to bike or walk the route and who can’t do so (no doubt for liability reasons). No, it isn’t because of covid because you can drive around with your windows down without wearing a mask and if you pay even more money there is a train you can ride if you first drive around in your car and there is hot chocolate to drink if you first drive around in your car and there are roasted marshmallows to eat if you first drive around in your car and there are photo stations with Mr. Bingle and Santa Gator if, you guessed it, you first drive around in your car.

OK, rant one over and on to rant two. Celebration in the Park wasn’t very holiday-y. Yes, there were decorated trees and a Santa and other vaguely Christmas stuff. Yes, there was a menorah and two dreidels.

But . . . there were also dinosaurs

and insects

and lizards eating insects in a field of mushrooms

and a whale

and a steamboat.

Even if it didn’t feel very much like a holiday celebration, visiting Celebration in the Oaks was the first time we have been out after dark since returning to the U.S. in March (other than sitting on our own patio), so that was enough to make me happy even if we didn’t even get out of the car.