By Ruth A. Hill
It was Clara's fifth time down the icy slide when she finally said she wanted to move on to see what else "Frosty the Snowman" had in store for her at this year's Gaylord National Resort ICE! attraction near Washington, D.C.
From one frigid room to the next, the dazzle kept all of our three-generation group engrossed in what has become an annual family tradition: welcoming the holiday season at the hotel whose multistory glass atrium centerpiece overlooks the Potomac River.
Christmas sacred and secular remains alive and well at all four Gaylord resorts, which also include Nashville, Tennessee; Grapevine, Texas; and Kissimmee, Florida; and there's something for everyone of any age to love. The awesome carved ICE! attractions, dining and celebratory events and activities will continue through early January.
Professional artisans from Harbin, China, create the colored ICE! attractions from millions of pounds of colored ice, and this year they are at work inside a couple of the refrigerated attractions on the Gaylord circuit. Besides Frosty, other beloved tales such as "The Nutcracker" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" are also represented.
Ice slides and snow-tubing inside the attractions are such a hit with both kids and adults that some don't want to return to outside temperatures. After all, everyone gets insulated with padded parkas to walk, slide and glide through 9-degree environments.
Capping off the colorful fantasy arrays are nativity scenes in sparkling, lighted ice or outdoor sculpture displays enhanced by audio narratives that remind visitors of the real reason for the Christmas season.
Besides all the frigid fun, there are other activities from which to choose in warmer Gaylord spaces, including VIP behind-the-scenes tours, wedding proposal packages, gingerbread house decorating, holiday dining, live concerts, resort shopping and more.
Gaylord's original resort, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, pioneered its Christmas spectacular 31 years ago, and it continues to bring in guests from around the world with new lures.
This year ICE! in Nashville features "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" cast in 2 million of pounds of colored ice. Also on the property are thousands of twinkling lights, horse-drawn carriage rides and visits with Santa.
The Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the Radio City Rockettes at the nearby Grand Ole Opry House provides more entertainment, as does the must-have country music component, "Restless Heart: A Season of Harmony Dinner and Show."
Guests may also enjoy a free, self-guided tour of decorated Christmas trees throughout the resort. Country artists and other celebrities have specially decorated trees featured, and each tree's decorations and prizes are available to the highest online bidder as a way to benefit favorite charities.
A lighted outdoor nativity display that includes an audio presentation of the Christmas story rounds out the Nashville Gaylord's seasonal experiences.
Headlining the seventh Christmas on the Potomac celebration at Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center down river from Washington, D.C., is the ICE! attraction featuring "Frosty the Snowman" - - one of childhood's perennial stars. Guests see Frosty come to life and march through a town square, ride a train to the North Pole and lure them into a two-story ice-slide room. New this year is a "Frostbite Factory" where Chinese artisans are demonstrating their ice-carving skills.
The finale space holds a lighted clear-ice nativity sculpture overseen by the angel Gabriel.
Various dining events for Christmas on the Potomac season include a Christmas family feast at the resort's Pose Rooftop Lounge with its views above the Potomac River of Washington's national monuments. Free nightly fountain shows highlight the hotel's 60-foot-tall glass Christmas tree with music, lights, a dancing fountain and an indoor snowfall.
"Frosty the Snowman" is also bringing in guests of all ages at Gaylord in Grapevine, centrally located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The Frostbite Factory with its Chinese master ice-carvers gives visitors the memorable experience of watching colored frozen sculptures emerge before their eyes.
Those familiar with the Gaylord Texan's snow-tubing experience will enjoy four more tubing lanes this year — for a total of 12 — that delight guests of all ages. Double riding tubes are available for parents with small children.
The Texas ICE! experience concludes with the wonder and majesty of the nativity in ice.
Also on the Gaylord Texan's holiday celebration roster is the resort's Festival of Trees display throughout the hotel and convention center that features more than 20 extravagant trees decorated by elves who work on them year 'round.
Gaylord's Florida guests encounter Clara and her Nutcracker prince through the icy magic of "The Nutcracker" in ICE! Guests relive favorite scenes from the classic ballet, which is accompanied by the original Tchaikovsky musical score.
More ice-carving artisans from China are at work on sculptures in the Frostbite Factory here, too. And new this year for Florida's Gaylord hotel is "Snow Tubing in the Alpine Village." Eight lanes deliver fun for kids of all ages. A nativity scene in lighted, clear ice also concludes this ICE! experience.
"Luminescence," a live stage show featuring holiday music that gets nearly everyone's feet tapping, is part of the nightly tree-lighting ceremony. Included in the St. Augustine atrium show are carolers, lights and the show's centerpiece, a massive 54-foot-tall Christmas tree.
WHEN YOU GO
Event tickets and sleepover packages for the four Gaylord resorts are available at www.christmasatgaylordhotels.com. Packages for groups and individuals include event and attraction tickets. Hotel guests have guaranteed event and attractions admissions and savings based on inclusions. Room rates and activity fees vary for each location. It's best to purchase event tickets before your arrival because some events are sellouts. Entry fees for the ICE! attractions are highest on weekends. Military, senior, and group discounts are available. Children under age 3 are admitted free.
Ruth A. Hill is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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