A Holly Dolly Christmas

We were back to the Dollyverse one more time this year, and yes, this completes the four seasons of Dollywood in 2023, where we visited the park at least one time in each season, really getting a bang for our buck as far as the season passes go.  We were here in the fall, in the summer, and in the spring too!  

Obviously, we were here for the Christmas in the Smokies celebration, and given that we got here so late, the idea was just to drop in for a few hours at night, see some lights and then head back to the hotel.  But we managed to time things so perfectly tonight.  Right away, we went over to the glorious train, Cinderella as they call her.  There's a high demand for this train at night, given that you can go through the park and see the lights, and they have the train even decorated with lights too.  The turn-around area up there with the cabin in the woods is decorated with trees and polar bears, and all the while up you're listening to Christmas music and special holiday greetings from Dolly herself.  We managed to be the last people to squeeze on that train when we got up there, with many others left behind, so we were pretty grateful that we didn't have to wait a long time for that next train.  It was a wonderful ride, as any train ride usually is.  Maddie got some great pictures with her phone.

We hopped off the train, and went through a gift shop, and then got some pizza at the Iron Horse Pizza as we decided what to do next - the plan was just to wander up and around to see the lights.  But that's when we saw the wassail and hot chocolate place nearby.  The three of us each got some hot beverages to enjoy for our journey:  toffee hot chocolate for Mom, mint hot chocolate for Maddie, and wassail for Daddy.  All three were perfect!  And sure enough, once again we ran into someone we knew from church right there in the park.  

Anyway, we were walking up the hill somewhat when we saw we were just in time to see a show at the Valley Theater, one called "O Holy Night."  We sat down there right towards the front and there was a small wait, but it gave us time to sip on our drinks and enjoy them a bit.  And the production itself was nice, a recreation of the Nativity Story mixed in with another side story as well.  We enjoyed it, and of course it was a Christmas story so that never hurts.  They made the announcement that just up the hill, the Candlelight Carolers were performing soon, so once again, we timed things just right, making our way up the hill and into the Robert F. Thomas Chapel once more.  This time, the performance was inside.  And as we arrived, someone gave us small battery-powered candles for a candlelight experience.  We were seated in the pews as the singers walked in and gave us a really, really good performance.  And how fun that "Here We Come a Wassailing" was one of the songs.  And our theme song for this Christmas was there too, "Go Tell it On the Mountain."  That's the song that closed out our Grinch production, and it just keeps popping up more than other Christmas songs lately.  Anyway, it was a nice experience, given that we didn't get to really participate in our own candlelight service upstairs at the church.  

So we walked up from there, exiting the park the long way around, just so we can see the lights.  No hurry - no goal, but leaving really slowly and enjoying the scenery as we did so.  But we walked up on the Wonderful Christmas light show, right as it started, again with amazing timing.  This is the fifty-foot Christmas tree with LED lights all over that tells a story of a bear's travels this season, and it ends with snowfall from above.  There weren't as many people here to see all this, so it was pretty awesome to enjoy the show for ourselves.

From there, it was all downhill.  Literally.  We saw more and more lighting, and just gradually found ourselves going out the park through the gift shop, and back to the trams once again.

It was a great visit tonight.  And it was a decent day too - it was so rainy up until Tennessee.  The highlight of the travels may have been the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains, where we saw maybe fifty or more elk all together alongside the road.  The traffic was packed for that one little area, everyone slowing down to see them.  But it was quite a few elk.  Maddie stuck her head - and phone - out the window to snap a few pictures, but the amount of elk spread out over such an area was too big to capture with just one photo.  It was a lot of elk!  We went up the mountain after that, and into a cloud.  No spectacular views this time around, but there was the "Great Smoky" part of the park name fulfilled.  

Anyway, it was a good day today.  We got back, watched an episode of "What If...?"  And then we read from our book, because some things can't be interrupted.  We said our prayers, and slept pretty well tonight.  

 

Joey the Porg was with us, enjoying a nice hot chocolate!

Everything trimmed with lights, even the train's water source!

The view from the train looking down into the park.

At the turn-around, the area was decorated with lights.

Here's the traditional place where the train lets off a little steam.

More decorations by the tracks as we sang Christmas songs on the train.

Maddie took this photo along the train ride.

Joey enjoyed the train ride too!

Joey got to see all the decorations and lights

Ah, and here he is at a Christmas tree inside the park.

Joey's arrival at the hotel was festive!

While I'm checking us in, Joey's checking out the decorations.

Maddie took pictures of elk alongside the road in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Numerous elk grazing, resting, and possibly posing for pictures.

The lights were all glowing bright at Dollywood!

Mom walks along the tunnel of lights - pretty!

Here's my two girls at the end of the night.

Maddie stops at the entrance of the tunnel of lights.

Polar bears along the water.  Be careful!

Mom and Maddie nearby the 50-foot LED tree.

Maddie just got this shirt for Christmas!

Another shot of Maddie in front of the LED tree.

...and another...

Okay, one more. Might as well make it a fashion shoot!

Ah, here's the tree show - and there is the Coat of Many Colors!

The light show was very nice, of course!

Maddie amidst the glow of the tree.

Not many people here - a quick rain shower must have chased everyone away.

My favorite section.  The sounds and lights are beautiful.

The Robert F. Thomas Chapel at Christmastime.

The Candlelight Carolers were magnificent.

Nearby the chapel, a nativity stands for all to see.

We took this picture at the end of the "O Holy Night" presentation.

We had basically front row seats here, and enjoyed the show very much.

I took this picture to get ideas for future sets at KidPak...

This was the other side, where the Nativity scene would fold out.

We stoped to see the lights at classic Dollywood mill.

Maddie at the light wall near the train tracks.

We sat there waiting for the train to come down the tracks to take some photos of it.

We had a nice time riding the train - we managed to get right on.

This was the number one thing we wanted to do tonight... nailed it!

People keep a-coming but the train done gone.

Mom enjoying her hot chocolate with toffee. 

Snowman at the half-way point of the train ride

Dollywood's trees are all lit up for Christmas.

Maddie took this one of our favorite lighted area.

Joey enjoyed "O Holy Night."

...and the Christmas Carolers...

THE END