CONGRATULATIONS TO THESE WINNERS OF THIS GIVEAWAY!

Julie Williams, Mary Davis, Cindy Marshall, Heather (no last name), Patricia Bryant

All winners have been notified via email. Many Southern Plate Family members share the same name so please check your email to see if it’s you. Thank you!

CONTEST CLOSED, Thank you for entering and please enjoy the post!

Family Adventure Days began when my husband and I realized that while we were all together at home on the weekends, we weren’t actually tuning into each other as a family. With the temptations of video games, tv, and the internet at home, we decided to set aside one day each weekend that we are able to leave the house and get out and have some fun together as a family. This began last September and has been the best thing that ever happened to the Jordans!

Okay, I love y’all and I’m gonna rely on you loving me back when I go for full out honesty here – I really wanna be in Disney World right now. It’s not just me, my husband and my kids really wanna be in Disney World right now, too. But lets face it, in the grand scheme of family outings, taking a trip to the local park is on one end of the expense spectrum and a family trip to the happiest place on earth lies waaaaay on the other end. In other words, visiting the mouse ain’t cheap but staying home is – and there truly is no place like home!

There are some WONDERFUL things right here in my hometown for Christmas and I bet there are in your hometown, too.

Christmas is the one time of year that most every city seems to go all out. Pulling out lights, decorations, and loading up with more fun events and activities than you can shake a stick at. There are so many in our town that I don’t think we will even get to do all of them this year. At top priority on my list, though, is Santa’s Village and hopefully the Galaxy of Lights. (Surprisingly, Santa’s Village does not have a direct website, but it is in Huntsville Alabama if you are nearby and you’ll LOVE it!)

Over the Thanksgiving Holidays, my in laws were here to visit so we got to have a very special Family Adventure Day* to Nashville and one of our favorite Holiday places, the Opryland Hotel. The hotel was seriously damaged due to the recent Nashville floods but they reopened on November 19th, so getting to go see their Christmas lights was even more special htis year.

(To read more family adventure day posts with inexpensive ideas of things to do with your family, please click here)

I’m going to be including a lot of random pics from inside the hotel for those of you who have never been there. They have more rooms than you can shake a stick at but we usually just go to visit because staying there is a wee bit on the expensive side. (Dont worry, half of the country just goes to visit and they are very gracious and welcoming ot everyone!).

This is one of the areas you’ll walk through just after you come through the lobby.

And this is one of many beautiful waterfalls in the hotel. You can actually go through a little cave tunnel behind this one. The kids always like that.

This is us about to walk through the tunnel (I’m that white blob wearing a red coat)

Looking down on one of the many restaurants in the hotel. They even have a couple of food courts. The real story here is the lights, though! Look up!

Isn’t that beautiful? We haven’t even touched the tip of the iceberg!

I’m typing this post out on a new computer. It is more efficient and pretty much better in every possible aspect, but it is new to me and I don’t understand it yet. Therefore I am torn between continuing to type and pausing to take this lovely new computer an bang it repeatedly against the wall just to show it that I am supposed to be the one in charge here. Any of you ever have new computer frustration like me? ~takes a deep and supposedly calming breath~ Okay, back to my little photos..

This is just another view of that same room. There are several wings to the hotel and each one is more breathtaking than the next

We saw these children wandering around and they looked so cute I asked if I could have a picture taken with them…

Just kidding. They’re really mine ~giggle~

This is my husband Ricky, Brady, and Ricky’s parents Rick and Linda

I had grandparents so heavily involved in my childhood that I really try to give my kids as many opportunities as possible to spend time with theirs. With Rick and Linda living four hours away and my parents an hour away, we work a little extra to make that happen. To some folks having grandparents a few hours away may seem pretty close but you have to keep in mind that growing up, all of my grandparents pretty much lived within a ten or fifteen minute drive.

Ricky was taking a lot of random pictures….

Oh, those shoes are so comfy by the way…

This is a photo of one of the little plaza/food court areas in the Delta part of the hotel.

Us walking…Check out the poinsettia tree!

This is a gorgemous tree, too. You can ride a boat that goes all back up in here in the Delta part of the hotel. The line is pretty long around the holidays though, but well worth it if you haven’t been before.

To the left is where folks get on the boat

Just another view from inside the hotel. It’s an entire city in here, so stinking cool. All of Nashville is cool, really, but the Opryland Hotel is one of our favorites.

Bradybug

Rick and Linda

We ran into Mrs. Claus!

I could look at Christmas lights my entire life and never get tired of them.

The lights outside are just as impressive as those inside. We didn’t get to take too many photos out there, but here is what we got!

Back inside (it was cold out!) Brady and I are sitting on one of the many benches in the gardens that you walk through as you enter and exit each section of the hotel.

And headed home :). We had a great time and spent a few hours at the hotel but then it was time to get back home and work on our own Christmas light display!

I want to hear about what your town does for Christmas!

In the comments below, tell me the one thing or list of things you

are most looking forward to during the holidays in your town this year.

I’ll choose five comments to win a Nestle Coupon Pack

with coupons for all of the items below FREE!

This is gonna be a quick giveaway because the coupons expire at the end of December so I want to get them out to you as soon as possible.

Winners will be chosen Sunday night (Dec 5th) and announced Monday morning on this post and on facebook.

To enter, leave a comment below and tell us what you are

most looking forward to in your town

this year and be sure and tell me what town that is in case any of us

want to check it out, too!

Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for this post but the good folks at Nestle are providing the coupons for winners, because they are so nice. I can’t stand to wear shoes or socks indoors and I really want a new hair dryer for Christmas – oh and a Swiss army knife to replace the one I graciously donated to TSA while on my book tour. I’m done disclaiming, have a great day and good luck!