It appears as though I have developed a new theme for posting in 2011: the “random inconsistent posts of months past and present”. This is what happens when 1)you become a Kindergarten room parent, 2)live in a state with lots of winter and never say no!!! So, to keep the new theme consistent…below you will find a post about some really fun Christmas lights we toured during our visit to Duluth, MN over Thanksgiving break.

Welcome to Bentleyville! This walking light tour used to be just outside of Duluth and was always put up by one family. Since it has been such a big hit the last several years the family and the city of Duluth decided it would be fun to make it front and center—right smack dab on the shores of Lake Superior in Canal Park.

It is incredible! I have so many great pics from our walk through that I thought I’d just post the pictures and let you ooh and ahh at your own pace. I might surprise you here and there with some spotty commentary too.

It was nice and warm—perfect winter outdoor weather.

This is a replica of Duluth’s drawbridge and one of the many boats passing through.

oooh…psychedelic…

Somewhere in the center there was a Santa Claus and a really long line. We decided not to stop.

A close up view of Santa’s throne.

We decided to meet up with Mrs. Claus instead. I decided she is probably the real driving force behind all of those toy deliveries!

You could even roast marshmallows over an open flame!

I don’t know if it’s clear in the photos, but the blue tree is HUGE!

I think Gran’Mary needs a set of these lights in her yard!

We also met Rudolph and shook hands…although Nolan was worried that maybe he wasn’t as “in shape” as he should be!

Technically the tour is free (with free cookies, coffee and hot chocolate), but there are donation boxes scattered around to help cover the teeny tiny electric bill.

And while the band played…

we danced until out of sight!

During the trip Nolan spent a lot of time helping Grandpa Sam and Grandma Kathy dust off their Uno brains.

And Grandma Kathy kicked mine and Kelly’s butts at Scrabble! We’ve finally added Scrabble to our home game collection so hopefully next time we’ll have a more interesting match! Enjoy the photos! Now all I have to decide is whether I should actually post some February pics soon or wait until March! :) See you next time!