Kindness made the Lights of Christmas all the more amazing Saturday night.
As has been my habit through 28 years at The Herald, I’ve gone on local overnights and shared my experiences with readers. I am taking a buyout Dec. 31, so this will be the end of my overnight series.
We’ve been to yurts in Arlington, the rental house at Kayak Point south of Stanwood, log cabins at Flowing Lake in Snohomish, historic cabins at Cama Beach State Park and the Tulalip Resort Casino.
I am going to miss sharing the fun.
The Herald features a story about Lights of Christmas south of Stanwood most years, but a reporter hasn’t written about spending the night in one of the rentals. There are several types to choose from, including the Victorian Lighthouse Inns and Deer Mountain Lodges, which sleep four; the Mount Baker Rooms, which sleep 6; the Nutcracker Suite, which accommodates 18; the Kringle Kottages, which sleep 8; and, for large parties, the 33-person-capacity Trail’s End and Eldorado.
The accommodations range in price from $108 to $564.
I say they are worth every cent.
We chose one of the Mount Baker Rooms, $189 for six people. That includes your admission, activities on site and breakfast in the morning.
We took Kelbi and Peyton, our granddaughters, who are 7 and 5 respectively. Their mother had to work and their dad opted out of sleeping in a lower bunk.
Check-in was smooth. We drove up, I said my name, they had prepared a card for us with our keys, and a volunteer guided us to our parking spot right at the cottage. Our porch was right at the start of a lighted path that lead to the amenities. It couldn’t have been nicer.
They spared no decoration for our cottage. There was a felt stocking decorating the queen-size bed. Garland, snowflakes, beads on the mirrors, wrapped packages, antique rocking horses, mohair Teddy bears and a decorated Christmas tree made it all so jolly. There was a gift bag with sticky notes, a note pad, magnet, pen and candy.
Every touch said “Welcome.”
We turned down the thermostat, as the room was toasty. It was very chilly outdoors at 5 p.m., so the girls’ tops, sweaters and coats seemed a layer short. We put them both in one of our hoodies, then zipped up their jackets and added hats and gloves.
Hitting the grounds, we were mesmerized by the one million advertised lights. Every tree trunk was circled with colorful strings, blinking fish seemed to swim in a pond, reindeer flitted here and there and every sort of Christmas doodad had a featured home.
At its heart, it’s Warm Beach Christian Camp and Conference Center. One could take a jog along a pathway to a chapel for prayer, but the religious theme was not emphasized at every turn.
Our first stop was to get faces painted, $5 for a cheek and $12 for the full mug. The train ride was across the path and we opted to board later in the evening.
We passed by waffles but the girls wanted a $5 elephant ear at a separate booth. It was good to munch while waiting in line to talk to Bruce the Spruce.
Bruce is a talking tree. He knows who you are and cracks really bad jokes.
“Why does Santa wear a wide black belt?”
“To keep his pants up,” someone groaned in line.
Each family gets a chance to take their own snapshot with Bruce. Kelbi and Peyton were amused.
The petting zoo included llamas and sheep and hand-washing stations. The pony ride turned out to be mounts on full-sized horses that made two little cowgirl hearts flutter.
We paused to listen to carolers, then hit the cafe. It was like the kitchen crew knew I was on site. One of the few entrees was simply mashed potatoes and gravy. What more could a person want to warm their belly? The cafe also offered teriyaki rice bowls, chicken nuggets and chowder. Next door, Kelbi and Peyton made a spin-art ornament.
As you meandered along the path, bonfires bid us to stop and feel the heat. We rode the train and decided after three hours of walking that the cottage sounded great. Grammie was thrilled she didn’t have to drive home.
We never saw Santa Claus, did not try the coffee house for cocoa, missed out on the stage performances and did not visit the gift shop, but we felt like we had a fine experience.
The girls climbed on the sturdy bunk beds and crawled into jammies.
There is no television, which was fine, and we all drifted to sleep. Nice black-out curtains kept lights out of the cottage.
I wasn’t expecting much from the free breakfast. We felt like we were already well compensated for the price of the night, but we packed up and headed to a lovely large lodge at 8 a.m.
Kelbi recognized Olivia from her basketball team, so we dined with her family. The delicious buffet included fruit, cereal, yogurt, waffles, scrambled eggs and sausage.
The absolute highlight of the outing was the volunteer staff who work at the Lights of Christmas. There was nary a grump in sight. It was all about making folks feel welcome, service with a smile, and helpful hands, from the young man who hoisted kids onto the horses to the teen who helped visitors in wheelchairs find comfortable spots on the train.
Peyton, who is quite the daddy’s girl, is usually anxious to go home after a day with Grammie and Grampie. She woke up in her bunk, leaned over to our bed and said “Can we stay another night?”
That was a sweet capper to the adventure.
And I saw something, by peeking out the cottage window, that not too many folks get to see: At 4 a.m., the Lights of Christmas are dark.
Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com.
Lights of Christmas at Warm Beach
The Lights of Christmas runs Dec. 8 to 11, Dec. 15 to 23, and Dec. 26 to 28. Gates open at 5 p.m. and close at 10 p.m. at Warm Beach Camp, 20800 Marine Drive, Stanwood.
The event features holiday lights, treats, live music, storytelling and theater performances, a Nativity scene, a petting farm, and pony and train rides. Meet Santa and Bruce the Talking Spruce.
Admission is $9, $10 and $15; free for ages 3 and under.
Call 360-652-7575, 800-228-6724 or go to www.warmbeachlights.com.
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