A North Pole Christmas at National Harbor
By • December 11, 2025 0 494
You’re probably familiar with the concept known as six degrees of separation. But have you ever heard of a nine-degree attraction?
Nine degrees Fahrenheit, that is.
The Nice/Naughty Command Center in “ICE!” at Gaylord National. Photo by Richard Selden.
Though the outdoor temperature at National Harbor, Maryland, rarely drops that low, the thermostat is set firmly to nine in Gaylord National Resort’s annual “ICE!”-travaganza. Why? To keep the six or seven thousand carved blocks of solidified H2O from melting.
Not to worry: Just before entering, every visitor is handed a robin’s-egg blue parka.
On view through Sunday, Jan. 4, “ICE!” is a genuinely magical immersive experience for all ages (unlike the federal agency with a sound-alike acronym). Now in its 17th year at the 1,996-room hotel and convention center overlooking the Potomac, “ICE!” premiered in 2001 at Gaylord Opryland Resort in Nashville.
This year’s “ICE!” theme, “The Polar Express,” extends to items in the Christmas Village store. Photo by Richard Selden.
To create the holiday installations at all six Gaylord resorts, more than 40 master artisans are flown in from Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province in northeast China. In the path of Siberian winds, Harbin is known as “Ice City” for its annual International Ice and Snow Festival (Guoji Bingxue Jie), running from late December to mid-February.
Last year’s “ICE!” theme was “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and this year’s is “The Polar Express,” presenting nine scenes based on the 2004 animated and live-action film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks.
Mrs. Claus co-stars with Snowflake the Elf in a Christmas Village show. Photo by Richard Selden.
The original “Polar Express” concept and characters came from the mind and pen of Chris Van Allsburg, whose 1985 children’s book tells of a boy’s trip to the North Pole on a magic train.
Let’s get cracking. First, a photo is taken of you and your family in your snappy blue parkas. This extra layer helps, but remember to bring your own hats, scarves and — most important — gloves. Not that you’re allowed to touch any of the life-sized sculptures, though in your (possibly hypothermia-induced) astonishment you’ll be tempted to defy the piped-in reminders.
Glimpsable through your visible breath: a vintage Pepsi machine made of ice, an ice boy in his ice bedroom (with an ice window), an ice conductor, an ice hot chocolate waiter, an ice ukulele player, an ice passenger car you can sit in, a humongous ice locomotive, an ice Nice/Naughty Command Center, an ice Christmas tree in a circle of ice trumpeters in an ice pavilion and, to climb up to the two-story ice slides at Glacier Gulch, an ice staircase.
The 19-story garden atrium at Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, Maryland. Photo by Richard Selden.
Your Arctic-tinged ambling concludes with a gleaming group of unpainted figures and a monumental angel. After you dis-parka, your family photo (not included in ticket price) awaits, with an optional snow-globe version.
“ICE!” is the two-million-pound frozen centerpiece of a Santa’s bagful of attractions and programs at Gaylord National billed as “So Much Christmas.” Most of the goings-on take place within a Bavarian-style Christmas village anchored by an expansive selection of seasonal merchandise: ornaments, elf dolls, stocking-stuffers, branded winter wear and a variety of items connected with “The Polar Express.”
“Snowflake, my book if you please,” says Santa’s white-wigged spouse to her dutiful elf helper in “Mrs. Claus’ Christmas Traditions.” Geared to the little ones and their parents, the charming two-actor show, tucked away in the village, includes sing-alongs, word games, light comedy and a reading of “’Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Each audience member gets a large cookie and a small carton of milk.
Thrill-seekers can advance from the “ICE!” slides to Snow Flow Mountain, a steep tubing track. Nearby, at Snowball Build and Blast, an attendant will set you up with a bin of fresh, just-wet-enough snow to pack into snowballs and hurl at targets. There are also crafting opportunities in the village, such as Gingerbread Decorating Corner and Build-A-Bear Workshop.
Whiskey Revolution is one of several bars and restaurants in the hotel. Photo by Richard Selden.
Not to be missed: “Cirque: Spirit of Christmas,” a spectacular 35-minute show in the lower portion of the 19-story twinkling garden atrium. Framed as a young girl’s “Nutcracker”-like Christmas Eve fantasy, it features a radiantly talented troupe — a ballerina, a juggler, a ladder acrobat and two aerialists — introduced by a clown ringmaster.
Viewable from anywhere in the atrium, or from atrium-facing rooms and suites, is “Here We Glow,” a laser light show set to Christmas carols and amped-up holiday music. One more family activity: a Mistletoe Mile Scavenger Hunt to find Santa’s missing blueprints for toys.
Tickets to “ICE!” are available in combination with other attractions and shows in various bundles. Overnight guests can purchase Chill Passes, providing front-of-the-line access and other benefits.
Those seeking “the ultimate holiday experience,” should consider booking one of the hotel’s eight Christmas Dream Suites. Each suite’s furnished living room, dining room and kitchen come pre-decorated with a light-up tree, candles in lanterns, stockings and other colorful accoutrements of the season.
Strung with over two million Christmas lights — no tree, inside or out, is spared — the Marriott-managed Gaylord National, which opened in 2008, also contains an indoor pool, a full-service spa and fitness center called Relâche and a range of food and drink outlets, specifically: Old Hickory Steakhouse; Whiskey Revolution, an upscale tasting room; Pose, a rooftop lounge; participatory sports bar and restaurant Harbor Social; Capital Confectionery; and for grabbing and going, Potomac District Café & Market.
