Spending Christmas on the Gulf!

I just received an early Christmas present from my wonderful husband: we are headed to Gulf Shores & Orange Beach for Christmas! I mean, we will actually be spending Christmas day (and several days surrounding Christmas day) in a Gulf Shores Plantation condo. This is seriously the best gift ever!

This will be a first for my family—waking up Christmas morning to a Gulf-front view. We can make our Christmas breakfast in our fully furnished condo kitchen, then make our way outside for a cool (though certainly not cold) walk along the white-sand beach, maybe go for a swim in the indoor pool. It will be a unique Christmas day for sure.

But, of course, we’ll be there longer than just one day—leaving us plenty of time to enjoy all the holiday happenings in the area. Number one on my list of holiday events: Bellingrath Gardens Magic Christmas in Lights. Bellingrath Gardens is one of my favorite Gulf Shores attractions anyway, so seeing it all decorated with more than three million lights is an absolute must. We also have to try out the ice rink at The Wharf—how could we possibly pass up a chance at Orange Beach ice skating?

And finally, I really want to do the Wild Hearts “Sail with Santa,” which is pretty much as it sounds—go for a sail with Santa. My kids may be too old to sit on Santa’s lap, but I bet they won’t pass up an opportunity to go sailing on a 53-foot yacht, watch for dolphins, enjoy some holiday treats…and Santa will just happen to be on board as well.

Yes, it’s certainly going to be a Christmas to remember.