Gaylord National Resort

We had such a great time at The Gaylord National Resort, 

there is much to see and do.

I am going to try to pack the rest of what we did into this last post, 

I think I can do it.

This is the National Christmas Tree

The colors and patterns change as music plays.

There was a sled in front of the tree which made for a great picture.

I really love my new white coat but it is so impractical.

This is the entrance to the ICE display, I wrote about that here.

This cottage was for making Gingerbread Houses...

and here you could visit with Santa.

He was out feeding the reindeer when we were there.

This was the daytime view from our room at Gaylord...

at night, this was the view.

This is all indoors, the guest rooms on the outskirts of this "village".

Twice per evening there was a fountain show, followed by "soapy" indoor snow.

In this picture you can see the red seats for the Cirque du Soleil Show, right behind the fountains.

You had to pay extra for tickets and the show was amazing.

I shared pictures from the show here.

The hotel had a Merry Snoopy Christmas Scavenger Hunt for the kids, but of course I had to participate.

When I tell you this thing was hard, it was hard.

We "may" have cheated in order to finish it!

Inside the resort, by the restaurants, looking up, you can see the guest rooms.

It was all so magical!

The Gingerbread Display At Gaylord National Resort

During the holiday season at Gaylord National Resort,

 there is always a gingerbread display in the lobby.

It always has a different theme and it is always magnificent.

"This year the theme was "Bridges"

Starting in the summer, the pastry teams begins planning every detail of their gingerbread creation.

They then start creating the masterpiece, a labor of love that is baked, built, and decorated 

while still making pastries for the resort.

Nearly 20 culinarians from over 10 countries, with a combined 90+ years of experience,

devote over 2,000 hours to this creation.

This years gingerbread uses 40 lbs of Rice Krispies, 

50 lbs of fondant, and 100 pounds of royal icing, totaling over 250,000 calories."

The sign did not say how much gingerbread?

The smell of gingerbread permeated throughout the lobby and the details on each structure were amazing.

This was really special!

How To Enjoy & Embrace A Snowy Day

 

Saturday Critters #576

I really love the area of New Jersey where I live.

When we leave our neighborhood, if we turn left we are 10 minutes from the beach.

If we turn right, we are 10 minutes from the country.

We see beautiful horses when we drive past the many farms on the "back roads".

We pass these horses in route to Allaire State Park

I took these pictures in mid November on a beautiful, sunny day!

Sharing today's images with Eileen at 

Viewing Nature With Eileen 

for Saturday Critters

 

Walt Disney Christmas Parade

I like Disney...

I am not a Walt Disney World fanatic but I have fond memories of taking the boys there.

I didn't enjoy the crowds, but overall, most people were very happy.

The parks are lively, 

colorful and I enjoy the Disney stories and rides.

We visited at least once per year because Chuck's dad lived in Orlando.

On Christmas Day I watched the Disney parade on television and was surprised that

I enjoyed it more than the Thanksgiving Day parade.

Of course, I took some pictures to share...

Elton John...he was wonderful, it was a great way to end things!
 

So This Was Christmas...

I was lucky to have a couple of wonderful days...

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day both filled with so many happy moments.

We build a gingerbread house every year...

this is always so much fun...

BUT some workers take things a little more serious than others.

 

On Christmas Eve we did our

Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

The hubs won with 32, he was only missing 2.

I came in a pretty close 2nd with 29 and Mike had 28.

I decided this year I was not going to take pictures,

I wanted to just enjoy the ride, the hot chocolate and the lights.

Plus, I was in charge of my list and the hubs list.

I did that and we must have seen 50 homes that were decorated to the max.

I took these 10 pictures at the last few homes we saw, all were in my neighborhood.

We sure do have a lot of Christmas Spirit in our town.

We stayed home on Christmas because I have a really bad cold.

I missed seeing everyone but I did not want anyone else to get sick.

My KC Chiefs won, clinched the number one AFC seed and home field advantage for the playoffs.

They will also get a buy for the first week of the playoffs.

We played really well on Sunday!

The hubs and I made snacks for the game and a Pot Roast for dinner.

Having Mike home was the best gift I received, he goes to " his home" tomorrow!