Rudolph's nose was never so bright

Santa admiring Lola's cool North Face jacket

Every year, about a week before Christmas, Santa himself visits the Ridge Volunteer Fire Department in order to make the rounds through EVERY street in town on a sleigh they provide for him. With sirens blaring and carols playing over a loudspeaker, Santa's sleigh is led by an escort of fire trucks, ambulances and the "stump jumper". We hustled outside when Santa arrived at our street - he gave us a big HO HO HO and a candy cane.

Grandma's Birthday Brunch

Henrietta's Table - winner of best brunch in Boston for several years

Another big event during our last visit north, was celebrating Grandma Magdalena's birthday! It was decided that Henrietta's Table, located in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge's lofty Harvard Square, would be the venue. It was a lovely spot with an extravagant breakfast spread - they certainly lived up to their reputation for putting on the best brunch in Boston.

Happy Birthday Grandma

We all ate too much food and had a good time in each others' company. Lola snacked on waffles, yogurt, and a bit of butternut squash, showing a lot of interest in what everyone else was eating and ran the gamut from high chair, to laps, to her car seat for a bit of peek-a-boo with grandma.

Lola all dressed up for brunch

I still regret that I showed such restraint when confronted with a delicious mound of bacon at the meat station. C'est la vie! I am very sure we'll be back there.

mmm mmm good