“A Country Christmas” at the Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville is a stunning, joyous, magical wonderland that visitors flock to from hundreds of miles away.

The adulation is warranted.

In its 41st year at one of the finest resorts in the country, “A Country Christmas” defies a simple description. More than 5 million holiday lights shine brightly every day and night during the Nov. 8-Jan. 4 event at the hotel resort.

To understand the grand magnitude, one must grasp what the Gaylord Opryland Resort is to begin with. This 2,800-room resort includes 9 acres of lush indoor gardens under glass atriums with cascading waterfalls and a meandering river that includes Delta flatboats beneath the glass roof. Stunning architecture, sumptuous on-site dining, and terrific shopping accentuate the property.

Now, imagine that setting with top-rate holiday lights, oversized hanging décor (including holiday guitars and other music-related works), and beautiful Christmas trees throughout those 9 indoor acres. Oh, and don’t forget about the outdoor lights, too.

Hold on, we’re only getting started. “A Country Christmas” is more than just lights. It’s also ICE!

ICE! is literally a frozen winter wonderland. Jackets are supplied for this sub-32-degrees experience that is a hit for all ages, especially children. Wind your way through 11 walk-through scenes with larger-than-life sculptures. To make this magic come alive, 2 million pounds of ice is used, including 6,200 ice blocks that weigh 300 pounds apiece.

Every year, the theme changes, and this time it’s Frosty the Snowman. Visitors can witness Frosty putting on a top hat and coming to life, zoom down six two-story ice slides, and navigate cool ice tunnels. The entire attraction is hand-carved by artisans who have traveled from Asia.

The final ICE! scene is not about Frosty but about peace: an awe-inspiring, ice-carved nativity scene.

“A Country Christmas” also includes a fantastical outdoor space that is the liveliest element of the attraction. This outdoor space features a skating rink, a 15-foot-high ice-tubing hill with four lanes, a “Snowball Build & Blast” where participants throw at interactive holiday targets, and bumper cars that promote lots of sliding and gliding. It’s a happening, delightful scene!

A 12-minute private horse-drawn carriage ride offers a unique way to enjoy the outdoor lights and decorations throughout the spacious grounds. Additionally, an outdoor nativity display features lighting effects and an audio rendition of the biblical story.

Back indoors, even the normally offered riverboat cruise morphs for the holidays. The Delta Riverboat Christmas Cruise includes special holiday narration as the boat winds through the resort’s Delta Atrium on a quarter-mile-long river. The cruise adds new perspective to the holiday décor than just walking through the grounds.

More than a dozen other activities can be experienced during “A Country Christmas.” That’s not even taking into account the resort’s full-service spa, swimming pools, and the four-acre water park called SoundWaves. The water park includes lazy and fast-moving rivers, water slides, play structures, and a two-person FlowRider.

The holidays are for feasts, and restaurants inside the Gaylord Opryland Resort don’t disappoint. The breakfast buffet at the warm, inviting Cascades American Café under the atrium includes a pancake bar with a wide array of syrups and toppings, made-to-order eggs, loads of fruit, plenty of meats, and a biscuit bar that includes “chocolate gravy.”

Hurry to “A Country Christmas.” It will set you directly into an uplifting holiday mood that will last the entire season.