Bentleyville opened this weekend at Bayfront Park in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. The annual “Festival of Lights” display is a major event for many families, who enjoy the free holiday event featuring millions of lights and holiday cheer.

Bentleyville’s opening weekend included the skydiving entrance of Santa Claus, a spectacle that went much better than it could have gone, given recent news.

We’ve made the 200-mile round-trip journey to Bentleyville for the past three years. Every year it’s a major struggle with our young children, full of frigid weather and some whining, and yet the kids always want to go back and we always hope it will go better this time. That’s the power of hope. That’s the power of Bentleyville.