There is something unique about Christmas in that, of all the holidays, it seems to inspire a sense of nostalgia.  One does not often hear of an old fashioned Easter or Halloween, and even an old fashioned Thanksgiving does not have the same ring to it as a good old fashioned Christmas.  Someone at sometime has probably studied and could explain this phenomenon, but understand it or not we fall prey to its wiles just the same.  It's no surprise, then, that the Holiday Nights festivities held on weekend nights throughout the season at Greenfield Village, are a very popular place to be.  Every year we have heard the ads on the radio just a bit too late to get tickets to this consistently sold-out event, so last December we added a reminder on this year's calendar, and quickly snatched up our spots well before Thanksgiving.  The only risk, of course, is that the night you have chosen will be a bad one, since the festivities are all outdoors, and tonight was most definitely frigid, but it was also dry and calm, and we were even treated to a few snowflakes to add to the overall effect.  It was absolutely magical to stroll the streets of turn of the century homes decked out in the trimmings of a Victorian Christmas.  There were carolers and mummers to add to our enjoyment, chestnuts roasting on open fires, old country stores, and even a visit from Santa Claus from atop an old house.  The evening was very much about the festivities, and we will have to be sure to make another visit to this wonderful park in the warm light of a summer day when we can better see the homes and shops, but we are so very glad that we finally got to join in this wonderful holiday gathering.  We hope to make it an annual trip, even.