Woody the Talking Christmas Tree was in operation, chatting with small children who hovered somewhere between excitement and terror. Woody is an institution around here; he first made his appearance in 1977 and was immediately THE Christmas attraction in the area, delighting/scaring generations of tots. Then, about 15 years or so ago, the mall mothballed the 50 ft evergreen behemoth.
We made a quick trip to New Minas last Friday night to attend the Drive-Thru Nativity at my sister's family's church. Every year they set up the parking lot as the town of Bethlehem, with various shops, etc, culminating in the manger scene and an angel choir.