Your presence is the greatest gift you can give
I firmly believe that the best gifts I can give to my children are my time, attention, and presence. The best gifts are truly priceless. Throughout the year, I focus on experiences over things. For my kid’s birthdays we travel as opposed to lavish gifts, and the same is true during the holidays. In today’s video, I am sharing our festive holiday fun. Incorporate some of these activities into your next holiday adventure. Remember, your presence is the greatest gift you can give your children and your family.
At the Gaylord National Harbor.
This hotel is a Marriott property and I was able to book with a rewards promotion.
This resort has several on-property amenities that the entire family will enjoy!
ICE! featuring “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”
This experience was amazing. Our itinerary is below.
Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite Christmas adventure has been.
We ventured off-property to explore the National Harbor Waterfront. There were various shops to explore and a fun city center park perfect for children.
We stopped at a local Boba shop, a hot sauce store, and a candy store. There were waterfront several restaurants and cute shops.
I finished up some Christmas shopping at the Zaaf Collection.
Our Travel Itinerary
Our travel day started at 3:45 AM. Yes, 3:45 AM. We traveled from our home in North Carolina to Maryland. My goal was to arrive early to make the most of the experience. We had reservations for 2-days and 1-night. I wanted to make the most of our time so I booked our activities spread between the two days. As a Marriott Rewards member, I was eligible for late checkout (based on availability). I took full advantage of this perk and requested a 2pm check-out. This helped me to manage our day 2 activities without the hustle and bustle of rushing to check out.
Day 1
Day one was focused on getting settled
- Arrival/Check-In
- Lunch at Potomac District Cafe & Market
- Exploring the Hotel
- Exploring the Waterfront area outside of the resort
- Snow Ball Blast
- Cirque: Spirit of Christmas
- Arcade
Day 2
Day two was a full day of adventures and festive fun
- Breakfast at Old Hickory
- ICE! (Pro Tip: Dress in LAYERS to stay warm it is COLD!)
- Snow Tubing
- Hot Chocolate to warm up
- Back to explore the waterfront
- Scavenger Hunt (this is a MUST do activity)
To Wrap it Up
This is by far one of my most favorite adventures to date. There are five (5) Gaylord properties across the US and they are located in the following locations, Nashville, TN; Kissimmee, FL; Aurora, CO; Grapevine, TX; and National Harbor, MD. This year, in 2024, the ICE themes at the different locations were as follows:
Nashville – Polar Express™
Kissimmee – A Charlie Brown Christmas
Aurora – A CHRISTMAS STORY™
Grapevine – Dr. Seuss’ “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
National Harbor – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer™
I’m looking forward to taking my kids to another ICE celebration at a Gaylord property. This may become a family tradition for our family over the next few years while my children are still young.
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