The children were ready to leave the car by the time we pulled into the parking lot of the National Zoo. As with most holiday events in D.C., getting there took longer than we thought it would. But temperatures were above freezing (barely) and everyone was excited to see the lights.

Which we did. Sort of. At least I snapped a few photos and can enjoy them now, in the warmth and safety of my home office. But at the event itself, well, it was all about keeping tabs on the kiddos, who ran ahead, lagged behind and otherwise gave me heart palpitations.

Because, of course, the Zoo Lights only shine at night. And though the displays seemed endless, there were stretches in between where it was, well, dark. And keeping track of three bouncing preschoolers in the dark is even more difficult than keeping track of them in daylight. (At least we didn’t have to hunt for the babies, who were ensconced in separate strollers.)

Zoo Lights features a maze, a light tunnel and a carousel, as well as lions and tigers and kangaroos and pandas. Not the real animals — they slept through the festivities — but replicas in light and plastic. We barely skimmed the surface of the offerings.

As we walked, the moon rose, adding natural light to the equation. But I still found myself counting kiddos every few minutes. It was that kind of night. Beautiful, but not serene. Kind of a zoo, you might say. With lights.