A Jaeger Day was mom and dad’s best kept secret. They excitedly planned the whole thing without any of my input, but somehow created the perfect tradition that is all about me. Here’s how it works in case you want to try this at home:

Step 1: Drop Genesee off at daycare so I can have the parents all to myself!

Step 2: Book VIP lounge seats to watch Frozen 2 on the big screen. Popcorn and sodas are required even though it’s a 9:00 a.m. showing.

Step 3: Take a stroll through Riverside Park and feed the ducks.

Step 4: Enjoy a Hibachi lunch experience at Sho-Gun restaurant.

Step 5: Play ALL the arcade games at Shenanigans.

Step 6: Jump for joy at Jump Start Adventure Park and be extra careful so my worst-case-scenario mother doesn’t have a heart attack.

Step 7: Pick up Genesee because we have to.

Step 8: Stop at Build-a-Bear Workshop to make a new stuffed animal friend and randomly run into Ashlee at the mall! (A pleasant surprise addition to the agenda)

Step 9: Order a mint shake at the Culver’s drive-thru and fall asleep before it gets delivered to the window.

Step 10: Repeat annually for the unforeseeable future; consider making this a national holiday.

Christmas 2019: No captions or explanations needed.

Thank goodness Genesee is still in daycare so we can continue to attend the annual family pajama holiday extravaganza at Children’s Treehouse!

I loved seeing some of my favorite former teachers, a few of my 4k best buds who now attend different schools, and most importantly, my main man, SANTA. Although Genesee was terrified of Santa, the walking reindeer, and the real-life Frosty the Snowman, and consequently spent most of the night clinging to dad and hiding between mom’s legs, she did have a few highlights of her own. Genesee was excited to find her BFF, Arlo, she enjoyed being a “soloist” during her entire Christmas concert, and of course, frosting homemade cookies was like the icing on the cake …literally, until she licked it all gone.

Luckily, we were able to convince Genesee to partake in a family picture with Santa so I could tell him how deserving I am of a pop socket and matchbox cars. Genesee was scared stiff the whole time but managed to yell “Baby doll… bye!” as we were leaving the room.

Upon entering the hallway, my eyes welled up with tears. Everyone thought it was soooo cute that I was sad to leave Santa’s side, but really, I just forgot to tell him that I wanted legos, too. Fortunately, my meltdown was averted when we found a Santa letter-writing station and mailbox right around the corner.

It’s hard not to have the Christmas spirit after a party like that. Thanks, Children’s Treehouse!

Do you know when it’s the best time to peruse the Rotary Lights Display at Riverside Park? Approximately 9:05 p.m. on a seasonably mild Saturday night when the crowds have gone to bed.

Do you know when Santa goes to bed? Yeah, neither did we, but apparently, he hits the sack at 9:00 p.m. because he can’t hang with us night owls.

Still, there’s something magical about this family tradition, so after recovering from the initial disappointment of missing Santa, I decided to enjoy all 3 million lights the only way I know how: by skipping, singing, running, dancing, jumping, and repeating. That is, after all, the proper protocol if you want to feel the magic.