Christmas Eve in D.C.

December 24, 2016

     We went down to DC to stay at Esme's cousin Jess' house for Christmas this year with lots of family.  At one point, I remember thinking that it would be a little crazy to come all this way and not visit The Mall or any attractions, but we were having a great time at the house.  I'd even given up on the idea as it was moving towards dusk, but that's when the crew rallied.  Before long a crew of seven were headed for the Metro.

     As we reached the Metro station near their house, there happened to be a group just coming out.  The were apparently connected with the Coast Guard or National Guard or Homeland Security, but they encouraged the youngest girl of their group to walk up to Esme, wish her a Merry Christmas, and give her a stocking filled with gifts.  Several in our group were brought to tears by the presence of the Christmas Spirit, which choked up a few in their group.  We parted filled with the joy of the holiday season.

     I explained to Esme about the ticket gates and the blinking floor lights on the side where the train is coming.  We waited with anticipation as the whoosh of air from the train arrives just before the train itself, and stepped on when the train arrived.  It was dusk on Christmas Eve, so the train was pretty much empty, but some of our group stood while others sat.  Esme decided to stand.  (To my knowledge, she has never sat down on the Metro.)  She loved the need to hold on tight as the train started and stopped, squealing with laughter and delight when she tried not to hold on but found she absolutely had to (nearly giving Jess a heart attack on several occasions).

     We took the time to stop off at Eastern Market and grabbed two bananas for a hungry Esme who had used up her meal walking to the train station and playing on the train.





     Then we headed the rest of the way into DC proper and walked around the White House block (which at this point was blocked off all the way around the Treasury Building, too.  Which ended up being lucky as Esme said she needed to make a pit stop.  The best place we could come up with was a fancy restaurant with 15 foot tall Nutcrackers on either side of the door.  Esme loved it.

     When we finally made our way to the Washington Monument side of the White House, we merged with the crowds.  Throngs.  (Melee may be too strong, but I swear I was in a rugby scrum at one point.)  After we made a circle of the state and territory trees, I tried to get another photo of Esme with the White House in the background.  She did not really want to balance on that fence, nor was she a fan of me stepping back while holding her hand to help her balance just to snap a photo.  But a picture is worth a thousand words (and I think several dozen of the ones this one's worth have been redacted).

     Time to head home and Esme's nothing but excited to get back on the Metro.  Most of the rest of us are excited about getting a taxi or an Uber and getting home to eat.  So we sent some home by car while five of us made the trek back to a Metro station and on to home.  On the way, a sketch artist started working on Esme, who was busy being the center of all attention as she played precariously with balance and grip strength on the train.






     A final walk home brought us back to fabulous food and family.  What a special day in DC, possibly with memories to last a lifetime for Esme.