Family

ICE! returns to Gaylord National Harbor

BY GINA GALLUCCI-WHITE

Special to The News-Post

“You’ll shoot your eye out!”

“I triple dog dare ya!”

“He looks like a deranged Easter Bunny.”

“Fra-gee-lay! Must be Italian.”

If you know what iconic holiday movie these lines came from, then run like Skut Farkus is chasing you to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center for their annual Christmas on the Potomac celebration.

One of the most beloved parts of the event is ICE!, featuring a different iconic holiday story each year. The carvings, made up of scenes from the selected story, are created from over 2 million pounds of ice, spread across 17,000 square feet and kept in an enclosure set to 9 degrees. This year’s theme — one certainly even Miss Shields would approve — is “A Christmas Story.”

Some of the scenes depicted in the dyed frozen statues include narrator and main character Ralphie in his pink bunny outfit, as well as him getting his mouth washed out with soap after saying a cuss word. Guests can also see his friend Flick getting his tongue stuck to an ice-covered flagpole and Ralphie’s family enjoying Chinese food on Christmas morning. Probably one of the most popular displays will be the department store Santa visit, which features three ice slides that guests can zoom down.

For two years, ICE! was not held as a part of the Christmas celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“ICE! has become a tradition in this area not just for hundreds of thousands of families but also for us, our team and our community,” said Jennifer Cerasani, Gaylord National’s marketing and public relations director. “Being able to welcome it back after two years is just a breathe of fresh air. We are all so happy about it.”

The Gaylord provides comfy, large blue parkas for guests to wear while inside the ICE! section, but be sure to bring a hat, gloves and warm clothes as the

Courtesy photo

ICE! at Gaylord National Resort

When: Through Dec. 31 Where: Gaylord National Harbor, 201 Waterfront Street National Harbor, Washington, D.C. Info: nationalharbor.com

temperature is well below freezing. You don’t want to have to run through the exhibit, which also features a nativity and angel scene at the end.

The 1983 movie has been in the news recently. The sequel premiered recently on HBO Max and the house, where some of the original was filmed and which was later turned into a museum, was recently put up for sale.

“‘A Christmas Story’ is an iconic classic now. This exhibit debuted in another property three years ago and people loved it, and we are just so excited to bring it here to the D.C. market,” Cerasani said.

But ICE! is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the nearly two dozen events that are a part of Christmas on the Potomac. In the atrium, folks can watch the daily acrobatic show “Cirque: Spirit of Christmas” and “The Greatest Story” stage show telling the story of the birth of Jesus Christ from the perspective of the three wisemen. All ages can enjoy activities like a snowball build and blast, ice bumper cars, mountain tubing and ice skating.

Adults can take the Holiday Hosting 101 class with a resort chef teaching how to make three appetizers for your holiday gathering.

There is also a huge gift shop filled with a wide variety of holiday ornaments and items, “A Christmas Story” memorabilia and a Build-A-Bear workshop.

“I hope [guests] are filled with hope, happiness, excitement and the power that comes from people being together and spending time together,” Cerasani said. “The past two years have been hard, and being able to bring people together to enjoy these traditional Christmas experiences and activities is just magical.”

Before heading back home, the National Capital Wheel is just a short walk from the resort. The gondolas are completely enclosed and heated and offer a great spot for birds-eye views of Washington, D.C., including the Washington Monument and National Harbor. If you still need to cross off some items on your shopping list, the Tanger Outlets mall is also located there and features a number of retail stores and restaurants.

Multi-Dimensional Fun!

Boutique Bowling • Laser Tag • Escape Rooms XD Dark Ride • Arcade • Full Bar and Restaurant

Check out our website for Birthday Party and Family Fun Packs information. HOURS: Mon –Thurs 11am-10pm Sat -9am –Midnight | | Fri –11am Sun –9am –Midnight –10pm

4725 Arcadia Drive, Frederick Md 4dfun.com 240-651-0160

Hallmark movies are like a cup of hot cocoa and warm, fuzzy socks

BY CRYSTAL SCHELLE

Special to The News-Post

You have to give it to Hallmark. When it comes to Christmas, the company owns the market — cards, ornaments, wrapping paper and more.

And through the end of the year, you will find me plunked in front of the TV trying to keep up with this year’s 40 Christmas movie premieres. Yes, 4-0.

The good news is that they are spread over two channels with two themes: Hallmark Channel’s Countdown to Christmas and Hallmark Movies and Mysteries Channel’s Miracles of Christmas. Of course, that doesn’t make the number of movies any less, but I don’t mind.

Why? Because they make me as happy as a good snickerdoodle cookie. And in a world of Dumpster fires, it’s nice to know that, within two hours, love always triumphs.

The movies might not contain the most original storylines. They usually go something like this: The spunky, bigcity businesswoman has to go home to help the family’s Christmas tree farm, reconnects with her high school boyfriend, and quits her high-paying job for a simpler life. I can’t remember if that’s an actual plot, but it’s pretty close.

Every year, the movies seem to premiere earlier and earlier, bypassing Thanksgiving and Halloween themes to push Christmas. This year, the first movie premiered Oct. 21. But I would like to point out that Hallmark starts instore displays of Christmas ornaments in July.

However, the self-imposed Hallmark movie lover that I am, I have my restraints and will record them and wait until I feel more Christmasy to start watching them.

To keep track of all the movies I need to watch, Hallmark has an app called the Hallmark Movie Checklist. It helps you add movies you want to your schedule, get reminders, info on plots and main cast members, as well as a button to check it off your list. It’s pretty gratifying knowing you have made it through your list before the end of December — because I have yet to finish them all before the end of the year. The app also conveniently lists all of its available movies.

There used to be a time when Hallmark movies would only run a few times a year, usually around holidays. The movies, referred to as Hallmark Hall of Fame, would be sandwiched between Hallmark commercials that made you cry, only to return to the movie that made you cry harder.

Albert Camicioli/Hallmark Media

Ella, with the help of Griffin her ex-boyfriend, encourages her family to celebrate Christmas and Kwanzaa and to heal their past wounds before it’s too late in “Holiday Heritage,” starring Brooks Darnell and Lyndie Greenwood.

David Scott Holloway/Hallmark Media In 1958, heiress Maggie heads to New York City to pursue her dream of dancing with the Radio City Rockettes in “A Holiday Spectacular,” starring Ginna Claire Mason and Derek Klena.

Hall of Fame movies are in a class by themselves. They’re well-written because often they are based on books. They have stellar actors — Glenn Close in 1993’s “Skylark,” Matthew Modine in 1997’s “What the Deaf Man Heard,” Kathy Bates and Elizabeth Perkins in 2002’s “My Sister’s Keeper,” Kerri Russell and Mare Winningham in 2005’s “The Magic of Ordinary Days.” The list goes on.

Hallmark launched its channel Aug. 5, 2001. A little more than a month later, we were trying to understand the reasons behind 9/11. Then the Hallmark Channel started running “I Love Lucy” back-to-back. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz made us laugh. The silly comedies also helped us heal.

Soon after, Hallmark quickly made films where a boy meets a girl, something puts a wedge between them, they lose contact for years, only before one returns to their hometown to realize they never fell out of love with each other. Do they get together in the end? Yes, and that’s the best part.

Even I can be critical of the plots, usually rolling my eyes at yet another female lead as a spunky journalist who has to save her job by finding the best Christmas story ever. It is plain to see that the writers never worked in a newsroom, and it shows.

Or a few years ago, when the powers that be decided no one would notice the fake snow they used looked like someone overfilled the dishwasher. Suds, not snow, was shown scene after scene, sticking to hair and pants as if these characters had just stepped out of a rave.

Eventually, Hallmark diversified and brought in leads who are Black or gay or Jewish. It’s wonderful that their selection of stories involves the kind of people I have as friends, allowing me to root them on as they fall in love.

Some fans, and unfortunately some of the actors, disagreed with this more diverse way of thinking, so they have gone to the new Great American Family Network. It’s run by a former Hallmark Channel executive Bill Abbott who exited after the handling of a commercial run by marriage registry Zola that featured a lesbian couple.

Some of the actors from the channel have left for GAC, including one of Hallmark’s favorite Christmas and mystery series actresses, Candace Cameron Bure. A devout Christian, she recently received backlash after saying that GAC holiday movies would be featuring more “traditional marriages.”

A few years ago, Hallmark launched a Movie Now app, allowing Hallmark lovers to catch up on movies and original TV series. I found the app not to be user-friendly because it made the user wade through older films to find new ones. Good news: This year, Hallmark paired with Peacock, and I’ve found it easier to find films I’m looking for on the streaming device.

In the end, what Hallmark has given me are two leads who usually have good chemistry and a storyline that just makes me feel as happy as a good cup of hot chocolate and warm, fuzzy socks. So this year, under the glow of the Christmas tree, you’ll find me cozied up on the couch to escape the stress of everyday life for a couple of hours of good, old-fashioned romantic Christmas fun.