Jolly Creek Holiday Festival and Marketplace Through January 2, 2021

Looking to attend a masks mandatory, socially distanced, music-filled, Santa-on-an-airboat, Florida fun Holly Jolly Christmas event? The Jolly Creek Holiday Festival and Marketplace at Boggy Creek Airboat Adventures in Kissimmee hits all the right notes (figuratively & literally) and runs through select nights through January 2, 2021.



My family and I were invited to visit the Jolly Creek Holiday Festival*. The Music Festival was created and performed by furloughed entertainers of Disney and Universal, headlined by The Jolly Creek Society Orchestra.



The Jolly Creek Society Orchestra, comprised of former members of Disney’s Grand Floridian Society Orchestra, performs most nights. Jazzy arrangements of holiday favorites have fingers snapping and toes tapping. Lots more happy holiday music provided by The Vocalitas, a swingin’ trio and The Mistletones, by Caroling Co. Consult the event calendar for all the entertainment particulars.

Hungry? Bring your appetite for Florida favorites. On the menu: Feast Fries (think Thanksgiving meets French Fries), Florida Frosty (a vodka cranberry toast to the holidays), eggnog, hot chocolate and more. We tried the BBQ Beef Brisket sandwich, fried pickles, and Gator Bites, which I can confirm are some of the best, most tender, we’ve ever had!

For dessert, make some s’mores (I feel like I’m repeating myself!). For an additional fee, you can cozy up to the fire pit with marshmallow-on-a-stick in hand, and make the quintessential outdoor family treat. Additional craft kits are available, too.

Local goods can be found at the Merchant Village. We picked up some Elf Sweat (yes Elf Sweat, LOL) candles from Machado Farm Foundation and dog treats from Pet Wants Kissimmee for our neighborhood pups.

Since the event IS at Boggy Creek, you know you’ll see Florida’s past and present. In the Native American Village, you may see the Big Mountain Family members crafting or see a canoe that was hulled using primitive tools. Modern boats, airboats, are there including one piloted by none other than Santa, himself. An adventure package is offered, combining admission and a night-time airboat tour. We opted to arrive before the events, and scheduled a sunset airboat ride.

This gator was catching the last rays of sun before submerging.

What a sunset, on Lake Tohoopekaliga

Tickets start at $10 for kids (under 13), and $18.99 for adults, with a portion of proceeds supporting Second Harvest Food Bank. Dog tickets are available, too ($10), so fur babies can get their “paw-liday” picture taken, or just to stroll the holiday lights with their humans.

As a family, we’ve committed to attending only outdoor events this year, which has seriously limited our options. Jolly Creek Holiday Festival has been a welcome BRIGHT spot and festive find that provided a relaxed, Florida-forward evening to cherish.

Enjoy a short video preview here.

*Disclosure: We were provided 3 admission tickets to attend, in exchange for an honest review. All other expenses were paid personally. 

Firefly Moments at SeaWorld

Little boys are more like fireflies than kittens… lightening in a bottle, elusive to catch, a joy to behold, and radiating with a glow from within. Kittens are also a blur of motion, and tough to pin down, but sometimes, just sometimes they slow down enough to be held. I had that joy the other morning when my usually wiggly 3 1/2-year-old snuggled up with me in my bed and let me rub down his back, his arm draped over my neck.

Moments of pure unadulterated warmth and joy are ones to cherish. I’ve been thinking about special times like that a lot lately with the holidays fast approaching. We’ve had many of our special memories of the season at SeaWorld.

I think we’ve either spent Christmas day, or the day before or after, at SeaWorld my son’s entire life. (Not to mention at least two or three times during the month of December!) The crowds are not bad, and everyone is in a good mood. Holiday sounds and music echo through the air. And most importantly, I have beside me the most amazing little boy, holding my hand, curling up next to me as we watch the dolphins from the underwater viewing area, or giggling like mad at the cold, cold riders of Journey to Atlantis as they get soaking wet from the splash at the end. It’s especially magical to romp through the Polar Express.

At my son’s age trains, as you can imagine, are of paramount importance. (A certain little blue cheeky engine and his friends take center stage, um, I mean floor, at our house.) Christmas trains, however, hold a special fascination. Unlike the warm climate our mild winter offers trains and their passengers, the winter wonderland of the Polar Express Experience allows that train to chug chug through ice and snow in a place so cold you need hot chocolate to warm your insides. I smile watching my son’s chubby red cheeks try to grin and drink at the same time, his jacket now dribbled and dotted with cocoa.

Of course the train isn’t real, and you can’t actually ride on it except through either the visual and physical sensations of the simulator ride (this is, mind you, my son’s only complaint about SeaWorld: no “real” train), or by watching the movie in the non-motion version. It is, nonetheless, a place to imagine Chris Van Allsburg’s vision… followed by a chance to meet Santa Clause, adorned in the glorious costume depicted in the Caldecott  Award-winning book and Oscar-nominated film.

I look forward to the new wonders SeaWorld’s dreamed up this year. The Sea of Trees, 74 in all, will be lighted within and without, synchronized waters arcing over and through them as the seas around them come alive as they “dance” to the holiday music.

There will be an ice skating show, which I’m anxious to see, and fireworks to cap off the evening. My little guy will be, no doubt, snuggled up on my lap as we watch. I’ll rub his back and as he drapes his little arms around me and his dad. We’ll drink in the magic and enjoy every blessed minute. I’ll bet the sparkles and flashes above our heads look like fireflies in the sky….