I was concerned about taking my...ahem...energetic 5-year-old to the Nutcracker Ballet on Saturday night. I knew my old daughter would be enraptured by the show, but I feared my always-antsty younger daughter would grow bored with it.

I needn't have worried. They were both captivated. (Can't say the same for the husband. He fell asleep -- three times. I kept waking him up and then, thought, forget it...just don't snore.)

The girls were familiar with the story and the music and, as Lauren sat on my lap, she narrated the entire thing in what she thinks is a whisper (but is more of a low talking voice) ... "Oh...that's the Godfather," "Where are the mice?," "It's the dancing flowers, mamma," "Why he have no pants on (tights)?" -- she was pretty funny, actually.

Fortunately, we were lucky to have a mother and daughter duo in front of us who were highly amused by her (most others might be annoyed). They turned around to talk at intermission. The mom -- who looked to be in her late 40s, early 50s -- said she used to bring her daughter when she was Lauren's age. Then told me that her daughter (who looked to be 16 or so) bought their tickets that night as a gift to her mom.

And, I looked at my daughters ... in their fancy Christmas dresses ... and knew that we'd be coming to the Nutcracker every year from here on out.

Can't say the same for the husband.