Christmas – Just Get in the Car https://justgetinthecar.com Local finds and family adventures Fri, 15 Nov 2019 22:34:46 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://justgetinthecar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Untitled-design-4-75x75.png Christmas – Just Get in the Car https://justgetinthecar.com 32 32 Miracle of Christmas at Sight and Sound Theater https://justgetinthecar.com/miracle-of-christmas-at-sight-and-sound-theater/ https://justgetinthecar.com/miracle-of-christmas-at-sight-and-sound-theater/#respond Fri, 15 Nov 2019 22:21:48 +0000 https://justgetinthecar.com/?p=992

Our kids love Christmas. They get it honest – I love Christmas. I love the cozy, warm and fuzzy feeling you get with the twinkling lights and fun music. I love spending time with family and eating delicious food. I love the traditions, and the memories. For me personally, Christmas is a season – not just a day- and a family centered holiday. Yes – Christmas has become commercialized, but as with all things, I believe the pendulum will swing back. Families are attempting to reign in their children’s demands for bigger and more elaborate gifts in lieu of experiences that create meaningful memories. 

In that light, we were thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to kick off the holiday season at Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA with their production of the Miracle of Christmas. What a wonderful way to keep the ‘reason for the season’ in our children’s minds as we embark on more secular and family based activities in the coming weeks.

For those not familiar with Sight & Sound Theatres, they are a religious based theater that puts on very well produced shows, with locations in Lancaster, Pa and Branson, MO.  As it says on their website, they are “Passionate about Bringing the Bible to Life.”   Besides Miracle of Christmas, other shows include Samson, Jonah,  Queen Esther, and the life of Jesus.   Each production is a 3-4 year endeavor-  and results in a stage set and quality performances that enable the audience to be transported to biblical times.   

Miracle of Christmas Kids

We were provided tickets to this show in exchange for our coverage. The opinions are 100% our own.

Mary

The Miracle of Christmas is not your kids’ preschool Nativity scene – the production values are Hollywood-esque.  But the storytelling is not.  The Miracle of Christmas tells the Biblical story of Jesus’ birth on stage.  Though they add some dialogue and scenes to advance the story, there is nothing that alters the Biblical tale you are probably familiar with.

The exterior of the theater itself is quite impressive, and the very long line to enter the parking lot indicated the popularity of Sight & Sound. Inside, it resembled a large auditorium, but on the outside, it resembled a church.  As you can imagine, many churches and organized groups attend shows at this venue. As you can see from our picture, simple but beautiful lights and wreathes adorned the façade of the building – providing us with that warm and fuzzy feeling I mentioned above.

Sight and Sound Theater Outside of Sight and Sound

The inside lobby of the building did not disappoint, either. There was quite a bit to look at inside the entrance. Statues, signs for the shows, a sky on the ceiling – which our three-year-old loved. And the smell of roasted candied almonds was pretty irresistible.

Sky inside

Not a family to forego snacks, we did indulge our kids and ourselves at the snack bar before heading to our seats. There is a full concession stand with an impressive selection to choose from. We had eaten before arriving, but we could have found something at the theater. And yes – we got some almonds, which did not disappoint!

almonds

Finding our seats was very easy, with separate entrances for A,B,C, and D. Seems insignificant, but with a large theater it is helpful to know exactly where to go. Ushers showed us right to our seats, and they were in a great spot.  Once we settled in, a staff member came over to our children and made sure that they could see, and offered a booster seat, which our ‘big boy’ declined.

To open the show, a group of acapella singers wowed us (well me anyway) with a rendition of Joy to the World. I am always impressed when people can sing so beautifully without any instrument accompaniment! Very impressive!

The show began with a starry sky appearing all over the ceiling, and that was a huge hit with our children.   It felt like we were outside, not inside a theater.

Throughout the production there are plenty of things to keep the kids engaged – singing, dancing, moving around, stages on three sides, flying actors, and live animals.  Considering the ages of our kids, they did not get restless during the show.

Mary on donkey

If you are a believer in the story of Jesus – historical or religious, I think you will find the show very detailed and true to what is taught to Christian believers.  The story captures many of the stories you are familiar with: The Annunciation by the angel Gabriel, the story of John the Baptist’s parents, the trip to Bethlehem, the birth of Jesus in the manger, and the Three Kings. 

It also adds in some other tales you may not be as familiar with, such as the betrothal of Mary and Joseph, which opens the show.   It also provides some background to life in Galilee at the time of Jesus, as there are scenes depicting life under Roman rule, rebellion against the Romans, as well as the dangers Mary faced being accused of adultery.   

The story is also very family friendly.  Despite some minor violence, some of the more difficult things to explain to little kids, like the Massacre of the Innocents, is not depicted. 

Given the thoroughness of the story, it is quite long, running over two hours. A 15-minute intermission was helpful for a bathroom break and some fresh snacks to sustain our kids for the second half.  But like we said earlier, our guys did not get restless during the show, which really surprised us.

I won’t spoil any particulars, but our middle son thought some of the special effects (can we say lightening zaps) in the second half were quite entertaining, and the meaning behind them certainly seemed to impress many audience members. In fact it was evident that this portrayal of the story of the birth of Jesus was quite moving for many people in attendance, and quite enjoyable for us.

It is easy to find family activities around the Christmas season.  But if you are like us, you probably need a break from multiple shopping trips, Hallmark movies, Christmas cartoons and Santa visits.  Do yourself and your family a favor this Christmas season: kick-off your Christmas season with the Miracle of Christmas.  Then do the things that are really important this holiday season: help out the unfortunate, visit a sick or lonely relative, spend time with your loved ones, and be thankful for all the blessings in your life.

Jesus, Mary and Joseph

-Kristin

]]> https://justgetinthecar.com/miracle-of-christmas-at-sight-and-sound-theater/feed/ 0 Making the Thanksgiving turkey: Logic, ease, and simplicity https://justgetinthecar.com/making-the-thanksgiving-turkey-logic-ease-and-simplicity/ https://justgetinthecar.com/making-the-thanksgiving-turkey-logic-ease-and-simplicity/#comments Tue, 27 Nov 2018 21:32:03 +0000 https://justgetinthecar.com/?p=520

Turkey day 2018 is behind us, and I’ve finally had a chance to recover.

Just kidding, I really didn’t do any of the hard work, even though we hosted my mom’s side of the family in our home. And also, the house is still in disarray, so I can’t say I’ve really done much to move on from the chaos that any gathering creates. 

I had the enormous help of many people,  including my mother who made most of the side dishes, everyone who brought something with them, Monique who made one million desserts, and Torrie — who made.my.turkey. Yep, I’m a lucky gal. (You might remember that Monique and Torrie are here to help my grandma, but they often times help me in ways that are way beyond their job responsibilities). Even my daughter Claire chipped in, making place cards for all of our guests.

Thanksgiving Table

When I offered to host Thanksgiving – to give my mom and her family the opportunity to celebrate with my 95 year old grandmom, who we live with – I intended on doing the turkey and the trimmings myself. I mean, you can’t offer to host something and expect everyone else to do the work. Right?

Wrong!

Like I mentioned in my pre-holiday post, I’m not an idiot. When everyone started listing off what they were going to do, I did not argue. I could have insisted on doing it all myself, but that would have caused turmoil, and then in the end, I’d still be making a turkey. And, I have never made a turkey before, so why start now HAHAHA.

So I rolled with it, and I am glad that I did.

As with the eclairs that Monique made for a family gathering, the turkey making seemed pretty straightforward. But also as with the eclairs, I didn’t really have to do much. Torrie did all of the work. To be fair though, she did keep telling me how simple it was.

So even though Thanksgiving is behind us, I hear that some people eat turkey at Christmas. Perhaps you are one of those people, and you have been searching for a way to keep the process simple. Perhaps you don’t have a Torrie to do it for you.  Well, you are in luck.

Here is a straightforward and rather simple guide for creating a beautiful Turkey for your holiday feast.

Of note – we were not stuffing this turkey, and the preparation was as simple as it gets with vegetable oil and salt.

I’m sure you could add any spices or flavorings you deemed fit. I would suggest also checking cooking times if you are stuffing your turkey, as those suckers need to bake longer.

Prepare yo’self:

  • Clean out your sink and move everything out of the splash zone.
  • Have some kitchen shears and a sharp knife nearby.
  • Place a roasting pan with rack near to the sink (see the picture above).
  • Have your seasonings ready, which will vary depending on your tastes. This turkey was simple, with just vegetable oil and salt.
  • We used a Reynolds Oven Bag – you’ll want one of those, or a similar oven bag.
  • You’ll need regular all-purpose flour to cover the inside of the oven bag.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Prepare the oven bag by dusting the inside with all-purpose flour. Situate it on the rack, in the roasting pan, ready for the turkey to be placed inside.

Floured oven bag

Wash and trim the turkey, cleaning out the inside. As I’ve noted before, this is not a recipe blog. I can’t give you much more instruction on cleaning out the turkey or ‘washing it’ appropriately, but I can direct you to this helpful video.

Once the turkey has been appropriately cleaned and trimmed, transfer it to the oven bag and center it on the rack.

After the turkey is situated inside the bag, sprinkle the vegetable oil on, and rub it in. If you’re the skeevy type, you could always throw on a pair of gloves.

Generously salt the turkey, inside and out.

Tie the bag, and cut slits to vent.

Oiling the bird Sealing the bird in the bag Turkey in the bag Going in the oven

Put the turkey in the oven -and voila. The hard work is done.

There is no basting when using an oven bag – yay!

With the use of the oven bag, and the absence of stuffing, the cooking time was under three hours. Use a meat thermometer to assure that your turkey has reached a safe internal temperature – at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

I must admit that we made our turkey the day before thanksgiving, to make things a bit less crazy day of. While it was cooking, the house smelled amazing. Don’t worry, heating up the gravy and side dishes will provide the same ambiance, if you are concerned your guest will miss that.   

The turkey came out smelling and looking amazing.

Torrie showed me that making a turkey was manageable. Next time I host, I think I can handle it on my own! Thanks, Torrie!

Although there is something to be said for presenting a beautiful turkey as a centerpiece to the holiday table, there is also something to be said for making it a day early, cutting it, and cleaning up the mess so as not to have to do it on YOUR holiday.

Life is all about choices, and I tend toward logic, ease, and simplicity.

Are you a turkey virgin? Do you have a story to tell about your attempts or successes with preparing a holiday meal? Share!

-Kristin

]]> https://justgetinthecar.com/making-the-thanksgiving-turkey-logic-ease-and-simplicity/feed/ 1 Christmas Cheer with Beer https://justgetinthecar.com/christmas-cheer-with-beer/ https://justgetinthecar.com/christmas-cheer-with-beer/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2018 05:05:30 +0000 https://justgetinthecar.com/?p=505

I like beer.  I don’t have the most sophisticated pallet for it, but I like to try different things, go different places, and see how all the different microbrewers around make their craft.  My wife likes food.  I can usually convince her to go to most microbrews, because they usually have a restaurant on site or at the very least a food truck with some good offerings.  That still leaves one problem: kids.  Since the law frowns upon us leaving children unattended, we usually have to figure out some way to bring them along.  Especially this time of year, when all they want to do is see decorations, meet Santa, and other yuletide B.S.  We need a way for everyone to have Christmas Cheer, even the beer drinkers among us!

Well, luckily for you, I have taken the liberty of checking out some of the local breweries to see what kind of family friendly offerings they have this holiday season.  That way, you get beer, wife gets food, and the kids are entertained.  Everyone wins.

Nov 23-Dec 31: Christmas Lights and Beer Garden at Longwood Gardens

  • Check out the holiday lights and enjoy a Cherry Oatmeal Stout from Victory Brewing.

Nov 23 – Nov 26: Cape May Brewery – Shop ‘Til You Drop Weekend

  • Black Friday sale on all kinds of swag. While you are there, check out the lights all over Cape May, and make sure you try their Boughs of Barley – an Imperial Stout that spent a year aging in cognac and scotch barrels.

Nov 25: Punk Rock Flea Market at Root Down Brewing in Phoenixville

  • The kids will get a kick out of checking out all the eclectic stuff for sale. Maybe you find some cool Christmas gift for someone.  The wife can dine on the cauliflower chickpea tacos, while you sip on the BA Darkroom Stout, which has been aged with Sagamore Spirit Rye Whiskey.

Nov 27: Cookie Day at Town Tap by Conshohocken Brewing

  • We go here a lot. They have a kids menu for food, and on this day, they also have Koffmeyer’s offering some cookie & beer pairings, along with fried cookie dough, cookie sundaes and beer floats!  Try some Robust Porter, or maybe the just released Winter Madness!

Dec: 2: Santa .5K Run at Evil Genius

  • A run anyone can finish! Its 0.5K, not 5K, so it’s only around the block.  Even my lazy kids can do that!  Get some exercise, then come back for a swag bag and some beer (tickets needed).  The Slide into the DMS White Chocolate Mocha Latte Amber Ale sounds interesting to me.

Dec 2: Fundraiser for Homeless Malvern Families – Locust Lane

  • A kid friendly event! Pay it forward while enjoying some beers.  This fundraiser is to help out families that lost their homes in a recent storm.  Try some of their beers dedicated to the victims of Duffy’s Cut, and have some food from the Vida Food Truck.

Dec 7: Phoenixville Christmas Parade; Cookies with Santa – Iron Hill Phoenixville

  • Iron Hill always has a great food menu, and is kid friendly. Stop by for the Christmas Parade, and watch the kids have cookies with Santa while you sip on a Philly Special IPA.

Dec 7: Ugly Sweater Party Multi-Tap – Iron Hill Media

  • Wear an ugly sweater, feed the family and get a sampler of the Winter Warmer, Scrooge IPA, Reindeer’s Revenge and Santa’s Little Helper.

Dec 8: Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market – Neshaminy Creek

  • Kids 10 and under are free. Check out the eclectic offerings, take Punk Rawk Santa pictures, and grab some lunch from the food trucks.  Get there early, and get a swag bag.  Or come when you want and have a J.A.W.N. Pale Ale.

Dec 9: Brunch with Santa – Victory Brewing

  • The kids get to meet Santa, the wife gets a special brunch buffet, and you get to sip on some of the best beers in the area. Santa is at all locations, so you can swing over to Kennett to avoid the Downingtown crowds, or Parkesburg, which is just a little closer to Delco than the North Pole.

Dec 12: December to Remember Beer Dinner – Iron Hill Ardmore

  • Take the wife out for a 5 course meal. Each course is paired with one of their beers.

Dec 14-16: Crime + Punishmas Holiday Bazaar – Crime and Punishment

  • Let the family check out some arts and crafts vendors, while you sip on an And My Axe heavy.

Dec 15: The Dark Side Party multi-Tap – Iron Hill Wilmington

  • Star Wars parties may not be Christmas theme, but who cares. Let the kids check out the nerds in costume, while you sip on a Kryptonite Imperial IPA.  See if any of the Trekkies notice!

Dec 16: Carols and Beer – Kennett Brewing Company

  • Kids can order from the kids’ menu, the wife can turn of carols from B101 in the car and start listening to them live, and you can sit back, relax and enjoy a Hopmongus Double IPA.

Dec 20: Sugar Plum Release – Brick Works

  • Head down to Smyrna and let the kids eat off the kids’ menu. Stick around for their Sugar Plum sour release. 

Dec 21-22: Last Call Holiday Haul – Philadelphia Brewing Company

  • Get some of those last minute gifts while listening to Christmas music and sipping on a Kenzinger.

Dec 22: Christmas Carols all day – Wilmington Brew Works

  • Family friendly brewery with chalkboard walls, toys and snacks for kids. While the kids keep themselves busy, and the wife relaxes to some Christmas tunes, enjoy a Theoretical Holes West Coast IPA and get ready for the pending Christmas chaos.

 

We have been to a few of these places already, but not all of them.  Which are your favorites?  And what are your favorite beers from them?

This is not a complete list of the family friendly breweries in the area.  For a more detailed list, check out this link.

- Shawn

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