Popping in with a quick Travel Tuesday post because I haven’t done one in a long time and we just did a fun little excursion with my family.  Today is all about The Ritz Carlton Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee in east Georgia.  My sister actually had her wedding here twelve years ago almost to the day and I’m sad to say that I had not been back at Christmas since.  We’ve popped in here a few times during summer trips to Lake Oconee with friends, but I hadn’t seen the resort in all of its holiday splendor in over a decade.  I won’t make that mistake again!  We started our day at brunch with Santa, which was a delicious buffet and a nice low key approach to visiting with the big guy.  Whenever the kids felt like they were ready with their lists, they simply walked up to Santa and paid him a visit.  I had to get a picture of our little family of four, plus one of my sister and me with our children, our mom and our 91 year old grandmother.  Four generations! After brunch the adults parked themselves at the bar at Gaby’s, which is the outdoor restaurant during the summer, but during the winter it is given makeshift walls and stays nice and toasty.  We enjoyed some beverages while the kids swam in the outdoor heated pool.  I did a TERRIBLE job taking pictures because I was having too much fun chatting with my sister, but after swimming the kids headed up to the ice skating rink.  They skated for over an hour before we had to drag them out of there.

I can’t recommend this Ritz location enough!  It’s about an hour and a half from my families’ houses in Atlanta and about two and a half hours from our house in Greenville.  It’s the perfect distance for a weekend getaway, or even just an overnight.  Plenty for the kids to do and wonderful dining and spa services for the adults.

Here’s another elf update:They were inspired by hubby’s wall of fame and decided to do a little skiing.  I picked up these ski ensembles at Target last year.  Worth every penny.

Eight days until Christmas!  Eeeek!  My sink is ready.