Leaving Bethlehem After Finding Space at the Inn

For our aforementioned trip to Bethlehem, we weren't forced to find shelter in a manger, but instead stayed in a Microtel Inn in nearby Allentown. I've experienced the entire spectrum of overnight accomodations in my lifetime, from motor lodges through the Four Seasons, and I found the stay pleasant enough, with clean new beds and the free continental breakfast handy for feeding the kids. We have not, however, mastered how to get our family of four to sleep well together in a single room. If either of the kids wakes up, the other kid will wake up, and then putting them back to bed in an unfamiliar environment becomes a massive challenge akin to drinking water with a fork.

So we eventually made our way to the Christkindlmarkt, which I had already had less than high hopes for as mentioned in my previous blog. It wasn't so bad, and actually brought back some family memories. Growing up, my mom found (and still finds) antiques and trinkets charming and enjoyed browsing and splashing down some money when something tickled her fancy. My father, on the other hand, absolutely hated (and still hates) not just the pastime, but what he saw as a completely irresponsible waste of money. At some point, he'd lose his temper, get red-faced and yell at my mom, at which point my mom would get infuriated and shout at my dad (tirade of "how I can possibly live with this man" optional), and we'd all drive home in tense silence. Good times.

Thankfully, I've learned to internalize my conviction that antique and crafts shopping is a waste of time and waste of money, and channel my anger into something positive - namely retaliating by secretly spending the mortgage on personal electronics, sports paraphernalia and vintage comic books. But seriously, family time is rich simply because it's family time, and there's so much around us which is seemingly mundane that's quirky, funny, and enjoyable just because of the company I'm keeping. For example, as I was trying to stroll Sophia to sleep, I got to hear a trio of septagenarians from the North Penn Singers (what did you expect in Bethlehem, PA, Andrea Bocelli?) sing The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late). It was absolutely hilarious - intentionally or not. Daniel and I got to watch an artisan with a chainsaw make ice sculptures, during which I kept making comments to my son like, "Don't you try that at home," and "If he starts walking towards us with that chainsaw, Daddy's running away."

So one way I decided to find balance in the universe, or at least make up for whatever money Sarah was spending, was to become a sample "mooch", a skill which I've refined at Costco. I innocently made my way towards the herbs and seasoning booths and ever so subtlely picked a generous handful of pretzel sticks and sampled every single dip two or three times, rotating between booths making sure that I returned only when someone else was manning a particular section (Note: this is very hard when you're one of four Asians in a sea of caucasians). Naturally, I came armed with some good questions like: "Now would you recommend sour cream or mayonnaise for the base?" and "Mmm... that's really good - is that taragon that I'm tasting?" and "So it seems like this Texas Ranch seasoning works great as a dip. Any other ways you'd use this?" I think I consumed at least fifty or so samples when the day was done. Lest you think I'm a complete monster without virtue, I did end up buying a $4 packet of Mexican seasoning.

The excursion ended with us visiting a local Railway Museum, which I'm certain was Daniel's favorite part of the trip, and an exhausted and not-well-rested Daniel repeatedly crying "I don't want to go home, I want to stay at the hotel" for an hour as we drove home, to which I replied, "If you like hotels, you can become a management consultant just like Daddy was. Believe me, it gets old really fast."

All in all, it good clean family fun and we got to bond with some friends. I probably should have gotten the Zesty Garlic seasoning.