My baby son and I had such a great experience at the Holiday Open House in downtown Hartsville on Nov. 20, 2014. The weather was about 40 degrees when we got there around 7:30pm. We immediately drove there once my son woke up from his much needed nap. He was refreshed and ready to take in his first holiday celebration.
We parked in the parking lot near Centennial Hall, which was what I did when I went to the Trunk or Treat event last month as well. It makes it so much easier to get in and out and it is so close to the main festivities. I recommend anyone parking there for any downtown event.
After getting in line for our free cookie and milk at City Hall, we got in line to get a free picture with Santa (thanks to Image by Jessi). The instant I put him in Santa's arms, my son cried really loud. I felt so bad! He was about 9 and half months old and was finally starting to recognize strangers. Bless his heart. I am also glad he is starting to recognize strangers so an unknown person can't just try to quietly try to take him. There are a lot of crazy people out there in this world.
After getting his snapshot with Santa, we walked to Centennial Hall to see the Christmas tree again and I realized they were using a machine to produce fake snow for the little ones right there. The carolers were also singing and many people started to line up for the free Horse drawn carriage. I contemplated whether we should get in line for the horse drawn carriage or not because my baby still looks a little upset about Santa. He wasn't crying but just had this pouty face. He is observing his surroundings right now so I decided to order a Mexican hot chocolate from the food truck.
The lady at the food truck was so nice and did such a great job explaining what a Mexican hot chocolate is, I really got into a big Christmas spirit and thought, this is Tyler's first time at a Christmas event, we really need to take advantage of this free horse drawn carriage. The horses are beautiful! We put our name on their list and waited. About half an hour later, it was our turn. With my baby on my lap, we took a ride around the block and I thought, this is actually my first time on a horse drawn carriage too! What a beautiful experience! My son and I shared our first experience together. This Holiday Open House was so eventful and had so much to tell my husband when he got home.
We really have to thank the City of Hartsville for planning this beautiful event! We thank you and had a wonderful time.
See upcoming family-friendly events in Hartsville.
As a veteran's wife whose husband works in the nuclear field, moving every several years seems to be part of our life path. We have lived in Hartsville, among many other cities.
Getting acclimated to a new town means starting over each time for us and to help myself and my family, I do a lot of research on things to do and have compiled everything I've experienced in Hartsville here on HartsvilleMom.com. I hope this will help you too.
