In January, a lot of us dream of Florida’s sunny beaches. But for Floridians Kristian and Ingrid Yanez, a snowy Newfound Gap was their dream come true. Even with Saturday morning’s chilling 17 degrees atop the Smokies, sibling rivalry is rarely this much fun.

At 5046 feet elevation, Newfound Gap’s temperatures are usually 10º–15º cooler than Bryson City. And it receives much more precipitation, making it the best place to find snow. But before heading out, please check the road conditions.

For updated road and weather information call the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at (865) 436-1200. Once you hear a voice, dial extension 631 for road information or extension 630 for a weather forecast.

You can get that same information via the Internet by going to twitter.com/smokiesroadsnps to read recent road notification postings. This is a Twitter website maintained by the Park, but anybody can access it at any time without having to establish a Twitter account. The webpage is updated 3-4 times a week.

Best wishes for a safe and happy holiday from the Bryson City / Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

Yesterday’s 37th annual Christmas parade had everything you would expect — colorful floats, music, fire trucks, celebrities and, of course, Santa. Even the green ‘Grinch’ received applause. But the biggest cheer went up for the Swain High Maroon Devils football team – 2011 State 1AA football champions and Grand Marshals of the parade. Led by homecoming queen Mary Shell, our local heroes proudly held their trophy high throughout the parade. The entire county shares your pride, guys.

Wearing pajamas is part of the fun and tradition of riding the Polar Express train, although the practice is normally reserved for the children. Normally.

Based on the popular book and movie, the 1-1/4 hour Polar Express excursions continue thru Christmas Eve. And after Christmas, December 26–29, four additional excursions will be taking Santa back to the North Pole.

For more information, visit the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad website, or download this PDF flier.

Hoyt Lucas pedals his unicycle in a recent Bryson City Christmas parade. Since the 1970s, the town has celebrated the Christmas season with a parade, and on Saturday December 10*, the 37th annual edition will circle through town with floats, fire trucks, bands, classic cars, beauty queens and lots of candy for the kids. The parade begins at 2 pm, and later at 6 pm, Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the Train Depot for visits and photos. The evening concludes with a candlelit walk through town singing carols prior to the lighting of the tree on the square.

There’s a lot more about “A Bryson City Christmas” on our website.

NOTE NEW DATE: The Parade date has changed from the 3rd to the 10th to show support for our own Swain County High School Maroon Devils playing in the State Championship game on December 3.