SoCal Road Trip~Part 2~Universal Studios- (A Very Late Hanukkah Present)

 

During the pandemic, our family, like all others had to put holiday celebrations on hold.  We are not a religious family. We know that religion is archaic and in many cases, does more harm than good to the heart and soul. We are however aware of our spiritual nature. That is quite different than religious dogma. And still, we enjoy celebrating some traditional holidays with family. It's more like meaningful family get togethers, than honoring some outdated religious practice. We enjoy Christmas Eve with Don's family and we also celebrate Hanukkah and Passover (where we modernize it with more more spiritual inquiry) with our  family.  But in 2020, we had to nix all of that.  We had quiet time at home, which to be honest, which was a nice change of pace. But, we did not nix the Hanukkah gift giving. Like years before, we opted to do one big gift instead of 8. Since we normally celebrate Christmas at home and Christmas Eve with Don's family (which means a lot of loot for the girls), we have long come to realize that the girls don't need more stuff from us during Hanukkah.  For the past few years,  Hanukkah gifts have included one big event, like tickets to the Lion King,  Shin Lim, things that have the kids would enjoy much more than if we gave them small tchotchkes they'd soon forget about.  This year was no exception but there was an exception. We gave them a day to Universal Studios. They were besides themselves, running around, jumping up and down.  They were going to go to Universal Studios where there was Harry Potter world. Yippee Yahoo! But....we were in a pandemic.  When the heck would we be able to actually go? That was the million dollar question.

When we planned our Socal road trip, Don thought it might be a good time to surprise them by cashing in their 9 month old Hanukkah gift. While we had been traveling during the summer, Covid was still a big deal (still is) and we were never in crowds like those we might encounter at Universal studios.  So there was some concern.  We were all long vaccinated,  but we did not want to wait in long lines so close to others.  After a couple of days of whispered discussion, Don and I opted to go for it .  We told the girls and they got loud!!  We ended up doing the express pass to make things a little better. It would be an added expense but we were aware we were fortunate to splurge and it just felt that it would be safer and much more enjoyable to not have to worry about those close quarter lines as well as wait times. It turned out to be a wise investment.  We were able to enjoy the park much more than had we not.  It turned out to be very hot as well so not waiting was great. And, we went on multiple rides multiple times. 

The girls and Don were especially excited about Harry Potter World. They had read the books (Amara not all but Don and Havana had together) and all I had heard about for years was Harry Potter World.  I was not too  interested in reading the books or Mr. Potter in general,  but once we go to Universal Studios, I too got hooked. It really was magical. The girls and their dad had to try butter beer (I opted out) and Havana who once dislike roller coasters, went on the  Harry Potter one about half a dozen times with her sister in tow. We explored all the shops, with all the decorations and the girls (and Don), were over the moon. Just watching them was the best part for me. 

We enjoyed the other rides as well, the studio tour and I especially LOVED the Hello Kitty store, complete with Hello Kitty outside for photo ops. One ride was too scary but the little kid ones were not too little for any of us.  We also got to meet Scooby Doo, Homer Simson and a host of others.  In really was a magical day, one for the soul (inner) child to let lose and have fun.  We left tired, hungry and with sore feet but with smiles and very happy hearts.