The jolly guy made his entrance in style at Henry Ford Museum last night for the annual Members Lighting Ceremony. Santa and Mrs. Claus were passengers in a very quiet, state-of-the-art 1922 Detroit Electric car.

Santa and Mrs. Claus with the Ann Arbor Boys Choir

Once five-year-old Lillian spied him, she proactively informed me that there would be no lap sitting in her near future…but she was all smiles when he and Mrs. Claus greeted the eager audience and magically made the huge and spectacularly decorated Christmas tree sparkle with light.

The Ann Arbor Boys Choir shares some beautiful music at the annual Members Lighting Ceremony.

We enjoyed the beautiful sounds of the Ann Arbor Boys Choir, some hot and cold cider, fresh sugary donuts and the spirit of the night as we happily bopped from place to place.

Lillian would greet other little girls and share her admiration for their fancy dresses (the more sparkles, the better), although her favorite by far was the pretty pink dress trimmed with white fur worn by a girl we met waiting in line to sit on an antique sleigh.

Lillian finishes her letter to Santa while Henry and some boys admire the LEGO mailbox.

Big brother Henry helped Lillian compose a letter to Santa to ask for a doll and some “krafts.” She placed her note in the mailbox made completely of LEGOs, which was fascinating to just about every child (and adult) who approached it.

Lillian watches (from afar) as Santa visits with some children.

We took a peek at Santa as he visited with other children, but only on the strict terms set out by Lillian that I wouldn’t suggest we do the same.

In addition to making sure we checked out all the special holiday-themed stops of the night, Henry and Lillian asked for a walk through the Heroes of the Sky exhibit and the neighboring With Liberty And Justice For All exhibit to get a glimpse at the Rosa Parks Bus. Lillian carefully made a crayon rubbing of the bus to take to the sharing basket at Montessori school.

Lillian admires the Rosa Parks Bus during our holiday visit to Henry Ford Museum.

I’m grateful my children have such a connection to the museum and that we could kick off our celebration of the joy of the season in that remarkable place that continues to feed our family’s joy of discovery.

Holidays in Henry Ford Museum officially begin this Friday, November 25. There’s all kinds holiday-related, just-right-for-kids cool stuff to do in the museum. There’s no additional cost to museum admission, and it’s free to members.

Kristine Hass is a writer and a long-time member of The Henry Ford. She frequently blogs about her family’s visits to America’s Greatest History Attraction.