Christmas in the Capitol

We love visiting our Wisconsin State Capitol. During the summer the farmers market is held on the grounds of the Capitol square here in Madison, and it's always so much fun to visit. We tend to forget about the Capitol come winter, with the farmer's market being moved to an indoor location. This year we had the opportunity to sing in the Capital with our home school co-op group.

The Capital is beautiful this time of year. 

Especially in the snow.

Don't ask me why I let my boy leave the house wearing plaid and camouflage together. There are so words for this fashion offense.

We love the giant Christmas Tree in the Rotunda. It fills a 3 story space in the center of the Capitol. The tree was hand picked and trucked here from the very northern woods of Wisconsin each year. The star at the top is suspended in the air above the tree on a wire, and it makes the tree look even bigger.

Schools from around the state send hand made ornaments to decorate the tree with. They are so cute!

My kids look like they are a million miles away, I took this picture from the 3 floor of the building. It's amazing how big it is. I know it's a bit blurry, my phone doesn't work as well as it used to for pictures.

Our kids sang on the second floor of the building, around the Rotunda. It really has interesting acoustics, but microphones are still needed in order to hear everything. They sang lots of songs, but my favorite is a tune originally sung by Nat King Cole called "A Cradle in Bethlehem". I love classic Christmas music. This is really a neat opportunity to serve others. The Capitol is open to the public, many people wander into the building to see the Christmas tree including students, tourists, non believers, and the homeless. It's beautiful to hear Christmas carols echoing down the hallways.

Are you ready for the holiday? I still haven't finished cooking and our house is not as clean as I would like.We have visited with friends and family the last few days, which has been wonderful. More family and friends are on the way. My kitchen sink is clogged again, but it's the reason for the season that counts!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas from Wisconsin!

Designer Mom