Christmas in Nashville

Christmas in Nashville is…well… it’s not like Christmas in Alberta. For starters, the weather is about like September in Calgary – ie it may be frosty in the morning but 15 or 16 degrees (Celsius, obvs) and sunny by the afternoon. I had multiple patio evenings and days without jackets this December, and only put on a scarf one morning when it was -4, and that was mostly just because I missed my scarves. Now, I don’t say this all to brag, because the thing is it’s a little hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit with no snow to be seen, and when I hardly even have an excuse to wear a sweater and a scarf.

Lights on Broadway - they try to be festive!

For this reason, my coworker Kellie and I spent a December Saturday at Gaylord Opryland (yes little brother, snicker away), which is Nashville’s main Christmas attraction. Essentially, it is a massive hotel a little outside of Nashville by the Grand Ole Opry, which is a year-round destination for tourists, families, and conventions. At Christmas it is decked out in literally millions of lights, inside and out, plus horse drawn carriage rides, festive shows, an ice sculpture park (indoors, due to those temperatures), a hall of Christmas trees, and I’m sure Santa was there somewhere too. Funnily enough, the whole Christmas shebang is Shrek-themed, which I’m sure is the commercialized result of a sponsorship between Gaylord Resorts and Dreamworks, but meh. It’s 2012. Everything’s sponsored.

The hotel itself was pretty incredible. Think a mash-up of West Edmonton Mall and Devonian Gardens. Walking through it was atrium after atrium of beautiful landscaped interior gardens, with little gazebos for weddings (we saw one!), shops, a Louisiana riverboat canal, and at least 7 different restaurants built into the landscaping. Designed for tourists for sure, but hey – I’m a tourist. So I thought it was pretty cool. Outside in the warm evening there were no snowmen, but they did have bonfires built and were selling s’more kits, which I thought was pretty cute. Also, the main attraction was the Radio City Christmas Show on the Grand Ole Opry stage – one of the only two cities outside NYC that hosts the show every year. Having already seen the show once this year I decided to pass, but maybe next year.

Some of the interior courtyards...picture doesn't do justice

A sampling of the amazing outdoor lights

Ginormous poinsettia tree in the resort

Overall, fun day, but I’m still pretty happy to be sitting on a plane right now headed to Calgary for some real winter! Who thought I’d say that? Well, for 36 hours, until I head to Maui for the annual family Christmas trip! That’s a Christmas tradition all on its own. But I am hoping to get to Canmore after New Years to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate staring at the snowy mountains with a fire burning. THAT is winter.

Post-post Update: After writing this post on the plane on Tuesday, I have now spent 30 glorious hours in cold, snowy Calgary, with a Christmas tree, sweets, carols, gifts, cards, and many of my favourite people! I even fell asleep last night under the tree with the view of my favourite city kights, and that makes me so happy! I also hoofed it 14 blocks in -15 degrees...got my fill of Calgary chill! I am truly and 100% now in the Christmas spirit, and sooo happy to say that!

Off to Maui for another Christmas tradition in 8 hours, but join me again in 2013 when my Adventures in Nashtown continue!