Dickens of a Christmas

Last year I found out about the town of Franklin's Dickens of a Christmas street festival when it was too late.  It's been on my calendar for a year and I'm glad I finally got to go, although it was face-numbing cold that day.  There are lots of street performers, vendors and people wandering around in clothing from Dickens' time.  That was my favorite part.

Busted by the bobbies!

The Cratchits after the pay raise?

A Dumbledore-ish Scrooge chatting with a black bear?

Even the dogs dress up.

The Opryland Hotel

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel is a great place to spend a cold wintery day, especially around Christmastime.  My mother-in-law and I were transported from freezing Nashville temperatures to a tropical sauna within minutes.  It's hard to believe that just 1.5 years ago much of the hotel was inundated by the "1000-year flood".

The indoor gardens were immaculate and beautiful, filled with thousands of poinsettias.  We learned from one of the indoor gardeners that there are 16 indoor gardeners and 16 outdoor gardeners.  By the way, the indoor gardeners were "hanging loose" in Hawaiian shirts while the outdoor gardeners were bundled up like Iditarod mushers.  Anyway, here are a few pictures of "the tropics" in Nashville.  I just realized that I didn't get any pictures of the poinsettias or the Christmas decorations.  Doh!  I just might have to make another trip out there before 2012.

Dancing with an iPod

This guy, Preston Leatherman, lives in Nashville and he's going viral.  It will make you smile, I promise.  

I'm going to track his views.  Right now he's at 539,534.  He uploaded it onto youtube on November 28, 2011.