If you have been following along with me on Instagram then you know that Cameron and I just got back from 12 days in Israel. It was truly a trip of a lifetime however that’s 12 long days away from our sweet 1.5 year old daughter Camilla! One thing that we were not prepared for upon returning to the states was for Christmas to smack us in the face like it did. Usually by this time I would have finished all of my shopping and decorating. Now as it stands, 10 days until Christmas and there are 3 presents under the tree and a hope and a prayer that the things I ordered on Amazon get to me by the 25th! We didn’t want Cami to suffer just because we had been out of the loop! The following weekend our little family headed to Kemah for a holiday cheer weekend and let me tell you it did not disappoint!
If you are looking for a great place for a quick holiday weekend trip for the family, Kemah, TX is your place! Just a hop, skip, and a jump outside of Houston (50 miles), Kemah is right next to the Gulf and there are loads of quaint little shops, restaurants, and an amusement park on the boardwalk. Last weekend there was so much Christmas-y stuff to do that Cameron, Cami, and I couldn’t help but get in the holiday mood!
We stayed at the Kemah Holiday Inn and I have to say it was one of the best hotel experiences I have had! Our family stayed in a suite which was complete with two rooms both with king-sized beds and a kitchen area. Cami had a whole room to herself and she slept so sound that WE were the ones waking her up the next morning…now that’s what I call a Christmas miracle! The pillows were so amazing that I asked the manager to give me the information on how I can buy one for my house and you better believe I put in my order this morning!
To get around we had a golf cart rental from Kemah Kruisers which was super convenient to cruise around the boardwalk, surrounding restaurants, and to our hotel. This also allowed us not to have to pay for parking #winning
On the night of our arrival there was the lighting of the town Christmas tree, and Santa himself made an appearance. Before the lighting we decided to grab a bite to eat so we hopped in the golf cart and high-tailed it to Kemah’s Sweet Spot. There you will find all things, sweet, fried, Ooey Gooey and delicious!
They even have the restaurant Christmas tree decorated with all kinds of sweets! While there, taste-tested a new margarita flavor of ice cream they were trying out, and it was super creamy and a little boozy.
After some good eats we went to the town tree lighting. I was so excited to introduce Cami to Santa as this is the first year of her existence that she sort of is starting to get what this whole Christmas thing is. Upon meeting him, she was pretty skittish. Santa did manage to get a hi-5 from her but that’s about it.
After a great night’s sleep, the next morning we had pancake breakfast with Santa and a few of his friends. Again Cami was pretty skeptical about all the costumes but she turned up super hard at the pancakes and the Christmas music, ‘ata girl!
cue dance break!
Breakfast with Santa was fallowed by a Christmas parade which would mark another first for Camilla. All it took was for the people in the parade to throw out candy and beaded necklaces and Cami was set. She refused to take off her parade necklaces for the rest of the weekend.
After a 3 hour nap (for both mommy and Cami…again…those pillows tho) we were ready to grab some lunch and hit the boardwalk. One particular restaurant was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to check it out. When you go to T-Bone Tom’s you’ve got to try the smoked sausage, Armadillo eggs, and shark eggs (which are cutesy names for jalapeños with different stuffings).
A quick pass by the ocean! The weekend was pretty cold and windy, but baby girl got a kick out of seeing the water.
The gifts kept giving once we got to the boardwalk and we were greeted by a herd of cows though cows are Cami’s favorite animal…again with the costumes and the skepticism.
Cami was loosened up when we got to the rides and it was such a joy to experience them with her.
As our fun Holiday weekend came to a close we ended with a bang with dinner at the Kemah Aquarium and a really great view of the Christmas boat parade. See the festive boats lit up in the water was awesome!
I would like to thank the city of Kemah for showing my family a great time this past weekend! I would have never known that a destination for the holiday fun was right in my backyard! This was truly a weekend full of holiday cheer!
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