Peggy Crandell-Duff
A candlelight home tour, a wonderful meal at the historic Dove’s Nest and strolling through “Bethlehem Revisited” made for a great Christmas outing for 54 Road Runners.
Upon our arrival in Waxahachie, we were accompanied by a guide whose roots are founded in this quaint and historic city. As we rode through the streets of Waxahachie, our bus was filled with the singing of holiday songs. I even heard some voices who should consider joining our choir. Our guide narrated and shared the history of the city as we drove through glimmering Waxahachie. We then toured two homes with the assistance of local people acting as docents. Both houses were unique in their structure, history, holiday finery and actually spanned the Victorian Era to the 21st Century.
Time for a break and nourishment, The Dove’s Nest was ready for us with a scrumptious dinner served in their beautiful old building located downtown across from the historic courthouse. A few of us walked over to the courthouse to enjoy the beauty that has been preserved.
Everyone knows how women like to shop. Even though the Dove Nest’s gift shop wasn’t officially open, we had to walk through to get to the restroom. Well, all I can say is ladies can even shop when the store lights aren’t on. We had to finally announce, “The bus is leaving.”
After dinner we toured our third and last home. We were in awe of this magnificent house and the outstanding holiday décor; I overheard some of our people asking the owner if he would consider selling.
We then reboarded our bus to top off the day with Bethlehem Revisited. We stepped back in time 2000 years and walked the streets of ancient Bethlehem to observe the reenactment of the night of Christ’s birth complete with Mary, Joseph, marketplace vendors, craftsmen, tradesmen, clergy and live animals. When the three Magi rode in, several of us remarked that one of the camels was the largest we had ever seen; it was beautiful for a camel. There were Roman soldiers at every turn to closely observe the pilgrimage masses; they actually reprimanded a couple of us for petting the camel.
On the way home conversation abounded, sharing all the interesting and awesome things we had seen and experienced. It was truly a wonderful Christmas celebration.
We thank Gotta Go Tours and Birona Aswad for a perfectly executed event.