Several times this season I had shown Senia Mae a video clip of the Del Rubio Triplets singing "Winter Wonderland" from Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. Their version of the classic, performed in their campy, tasseled mini dresses and white go go boots, has always been my favorite. Three blond sixty-somethings, strumming guitars and singing in harmony, " A beautiful sight...we're happy tonight..." It was now becoming one of my daughter's favorites as well.

Driving through Life College, Senia Mae started humming Winter Wonderland as we passed the Lasting Purpose lawn filled with colorful trees and stars. But she had apparently misunderstood the lyrics. Her version went like this: "A beautiful saaaaa, we're happy to naaaaa, walking in a winter wonderland." After we all stopped laughing, we tried to correct her and tell her the words were sight and tonight, but in her head we were just a bunch of jokers trying to mess up her song. To her it was very clear that the high pitched sopranos were saying saaaa and naaaa. Her "you obviously have no idea what you are talking about" look said it all.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly a winter wonderland. It was Tuesday night, we were running ourselves ragged trying to recreate Christmas memories, and it was fifty five degrees and pouring outside. My parents were in town for the holiday and we decided to drive down to Marietta and see the Christmas lights at my Alma Mater, Life Chiropractic College.



Back then, I remember loathing the light lookers as they blocked the access to the library. Now I was visiting with my own family, drinking lip scorching mint hot chocolate from Dunkin' Donuts, and excited to see the look of amazement on my four year old's face as we drove through the twinkling campus of low lit bedazzlement.

What seemed most thrilling to Senia Mae was that we allowed her to stand up in the car, her lips fogging up the glass as she smashed her little face against the backseat window trying to get closer to the outdoor led brilliance. We turned out our headlamps and followed the merry glow of blue icicle lights hung vertically against the wall of hardwoods lining Barclay Circle.

She kept on singing it her way and by the end of the night we were all singing, "A beautiful saaaaa, we're happy to naaaaa, walking in a winter wonderland!"