Yankee Candle on the way home (July 1st, 2008)

It was time to head back home from Boston. The kids did not want to leave. At least we had one more stop to make. We had heard about this really big Yankee Candle store in South Deerfield, MA. It wasn't much out of the way so we thought we would stop there for a little bit. It is supposed to be like the biggest Yankee Candle Store ever. Of course we were thinking....how big could this store really be?
We got our answer - HUGE!!!!! This place was HUGE!!!!! It wasn't just a candle store. There was a restaurant, snack shops, a Christmas shop, a toy shop, and on and on and on. We started out by getting some lunch. Next on to dipping candles. This was really cool. There was a whole wall of white candles to pick from. Syd picked pillar candles and Tatum picked ballet shoes. Then over to the colors, where they dipped them into hot colored wax to coat them in colors.




Dave and the kids watched a jamboree show of musical characters on a stage while I shopped a bit in the kitchen and dining areas. The kitchen section just kept going on and on. There was everything from utensils and cookbooks to linens. Lots of those little dipping sauces and jams and jellies to taste test also. Yum!!
The kids spotted a super brightly colored room next. Turns out it is just like a Build-a-Bear. Customers pick out an unstuffed animal and take it to the machine, push the pedal on the floor and stuffing goes into the animal until it is just the right squeezlebleness for the child. Sydney decides to make a hippo named Humphrey and Tatum makes a polar bear named Poley Bear. They both pick out t-shirts for the new family members, print out adoption certificates and we are on our way to the Christmas rooms.




Here are the girls in Santa's workshop. There were toys EVERYWHERE!! There was a track with toys hanging from the ceiling that they were moving on. Every 15 minutes or so the track would stop and then this group of stuffed people near the ceiling would start to sing some sweet little Christmas tune. There was a glow-n-the-dark area too. They wanted to wear the hats.



Then switch hats.....


We went to more Christmas rooms and more Christmas rooms that had all those houses and villages that people get to decorate their homes with for Christmas time. The ones with ice skaters, lights on in the windows, gondolas going up and down the mountains, etc. It even snowed in one room every 4 minutes!

This is the castle area. There was a waterfall and stars on the ceiling.



Tatum had just about had enough shopping and fell asleep on Poley Bear. We still didn't see everything, but I had to work in the morning and we had a long ride home yet. So goodbye Yankee Candle store.



We got home just about 1:00 Am. I think the kids were a little tired out from their exciting weekend in Boston. Time to finish unloading the car so I can take a nap before work. At least Dave and the kids have off.