Our Black Friday~

I'm not big into all the Black Friday shopping craziness...although there are some pretty good deals out there.  

Last year we went to The Franklin Institute for a museum day.  We thought the place would be quiet because everyone would be out at the mall...boy, were we wrong...but it was still a nice day for our family :)

This year we decided to head into Philly for the Christmas Village market and a couple of other "city" things...we brought our own elf with us :)

Baby Gracia's in the Christmas spirit!

The 58 story Comcast Center~

Our first stop was the Comcast Center to see the Holiday Special on their big TV.  Steve had told me about the TV...it was big, the biggest one he had ever seen, it covered an entire wall of the lobby, it has a nice screen.  We are not a family who is big into TV and I pretty much couldn't figure out why Steve thought this thing was so cool.  So what...it's a big TV, it has a nice screen...whatever~


Well, let me just say that I was IMPRESSED!  I just couldn't comprehend how neato it really was...it's a 2000 sq ft HD LED screen...whoa!  The girls thought it was the coolest thing they had ever seen :)

The TV at the Comcast Center~

Here's a video clip of part of the show...so neato!



Then we wandered over to LOVE Park for the Christmas Village.  

You know, I always thought this sculpture was much bigger~

Love Park, Philadelphia~

This outdoor seasonal market is only open during the holiday season...it's loosely modeled after the Christmas markets in Germany, but it features vendors selling wares from all over the world (and some cheesy stuff that has no place in a Christmas market).  The main attraction for us, though, are the German and European Christmas ornaments and decorations.

The Kathe Wohlfahrt tent is by far our favorite!  We love the German ornaments and carousels...the workmanship is wonderful :)

Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas exhibit...how do you pronounce her name anyway?

We also enjoyed sharing a German sample plate from Brauhaus Schmitz...the kids didn't care for it as much...that's okay...more for Steve and me!


Then we continued on through town...by beautiful City Hall and the Occupy protesters...on our way to Macy's.  

City Hall, Philadelphia, PA

The Christmas Village is usually here, in front of City Hall...it moved across the street because the Occupy folks were here~

And we came across this tidbit of history...you learn something new every day~

Thank you, Anna Jarvis!

The downtown Macy's is located in the old Wanamaker building...the same building mentioned in this plaque.  Wanamaker was the first department store in Philly and one of the first in the US...he also invented the price tag (another history tidbit for your trivia pleasure).  The building is so beautiful...it was added to the registry of National Historic Landmarks in 1978.  We didn't go for the shopping, but for the pipe organ.  Yes, the world's largest working pipe organ is right here in Philadelphia.  At Christmas, they have a light show...the girls loved it.  Steve and I loved hearing that organ...wow!  

Wanamaker Pipe Organ

Baby G got excited and wiggly when the light show was playing :)

A bit of history about the organ~

I just had to get a picture of this ceiling in part of the Macy's/Wanamaker building...isn't it beautiful!

Here's another video clip...this time of some of the Christmas show at the Macy's...enjoy!



Then we decided to walk through Dicken's Village at Macy's...sadly, this is where our day quit being fun.  We were herded like cattle through an animatronic version of A Christmas Carol.  The cheese factor was off the radar...even our girls thought it was pretty lame.  It might have been interesting if we had time to read and explain the story to the kids, but the "cattle herding" part of it kind of nixed that opportunity.  I did point out the period dress of the characters...a home school mom rarely misses an opportunity to fit in some learning :) 

Charles Dickens himself~

Ebeneezer and Belle~

All in all, it was a great day...a day spent together in a city we will miss~


Now I'm off to do some more packing~
Rach