Christmas In July




 
  Driving past Dollywood, the Maze of Mirrors, Beyond the Lens, Pirate Cruise Dinner Show, Dolly’s Stampede, Pit Stop Go Carts, Ice Cream Palace, Crave Miniature Golf, live sharks, live alligators, amusement parks, and bumper boats…

We ignored them all.

Why? Because we had one mission. One very serious, very festive goal:

✨ Unique Christmas Square. ✨

Step One: Santa, of Course 🎅

The sign said it plain as day: “Santa is in for pictures today.”

Well, you can’t come to Christmas Square and NOT see Santa. It’s like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower.

I plopped down next to him and—ouch! I’d sat on a set of really long, old-fashioned keys. I shifted, laughed, and said:

“I better not sit on these. I really don’t wanna be magically transported to Santa’s sleigh and end up at the North Pole. We’re headed to Tybee Island!”

Santa chuckled, moved the keys to a safer spot, and smiled for the camera. Pam bought me the photo for my birthday (yes, it was my birthday). A perfect souvenir.

Step Two: Candy Decisions 🍬

Next stop? The candy store.

Choices, choices. A piece of fudge? A giant caramel apple called “apple pie”? A mudslide (that’s chocolate-covered marshmallows with pecans, in case you’re drooling)? Or maybe milk chocolate-covered cherries?

Who was I kidding—I took one of each.

Calories don’t count on vacation. (Someone should have informed my clothes. They shrank just a tiny bit on this trip. Imagine that.)

Step Three: The Incredible Christmas Store 🎄

If you can dream it, they had it.

  • Ornaments for every family member, job, hobby, and life event.

  • A room dedicated to Christmas Villages: Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, SpongeBob, Halloween, Victorian, Disney, Modern, and 1950s towns.

  • Wreaths of every size.

  • Yard decorations big enough to land a plane on—trains, pickups, even an airplane itself.

I searched high and low for something to add to my own little “Texas Cowboy” Christmas village. (Five years of collecting from Walmart specials, thank you very much.) I found a wagon with horses, but it was so big it made my saloon look like a dollhouse. Sad face.

And can you believe this? Not a single golf cart ornament. (Shocked face!)
I discovered this on the way home—and why a golf cart mattered? Well… let’s just say that story belongs to Tybee Island. Stay tuned.

Next Stop: Tybee Island 🌊

Bags of candy secured, Christmas cheer still buzzing in my head, it was finally time to leave the winter wonderland behind and head south.

We were ready for sunshine, sand, and whatever adventures Tybee Island had waiting for us.

✨ Sometimes the best way to start a beach trip is with Santa, fudge, and a reminder that calories (probably) don’t count on vacation.


   

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