More About a Branson Ozark Christmas

I want to make an amendment to my previous observations about a Branson Ozark Christmas. Yes, Branson does exhibit a LOT of Christmas spirit, but you’d better take advantage of it early. The Christmas season around here is Nov. 1- Dec. 6 and then it starts tapering off. Some of the shows shut down about then: Tony Orlando and the Lennon Sisters—done. Andy Williams—done. A few more shows ended the next week—Dino’s Christmas Spectacular, Shoji Tabuchi, just to name a couple. You could have experienced the Ride the Ducks Land and Light Tour until Dec. 13th, but you can ride the Showboat Branson Belle until Dec. 31st.

Silver Dollar City shut down last week but opened back up from Dec. 26 through the 30th. In my opinion, SDC, is a must see during Christmas in Branson. They have 4 million lights, an enormous Christmas tree whose lights react to the accompanying music, great Christmas shows like Dicken’s Christmas, Frosty, and The Living Nativity, the best hot chocolate and wassail, great food, rides, craftsmen, and a contagious “Merry Christmas” atmosphere. It is a place where whole families come to experience Christmas, and by my observations, they have a GREAT time together. I saw multigenerational families laughing, singing, skipping, hugging, eating and shopping together. Now who can resist that?

Some great shows will still be going on until Dec. 30 and some even up until Jan. 2nd. There are a number of shows putting on special New Year's Eve performances, and  many of those will be providing special food and party hats. Some examples are Legends, Jim Stafford, The New Shanghai Circus, Dixie Stampede, and The Haygoods.

All of this is to say that if you ever think you want to come to Branson for Christmas, come early and fight the crowds or come later in the season with the realization that you may not get to see the show you really wanted to see. The nice thing about coming later in the season is that the restaurants, the shops, and the Strip won’t be nearly as crowded, but you may also have to worry about the weather, which can be very unpredictable this time of year. This particular year, though, you actually would have been much better off here than in other parts of the surrounding area. Just ask my daughter, Lisa,  who took 6 hours to get home from work on Thursday and whose car was still sitting in the middle of Hefner Parkway in OKC on Saturday, or  my niece, Katie, who spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day stuck at the OKC hospital where she is a pharmacist.

The only Christmas show we saw this year was The Haygoods. They put on a spectacular high energy show, and I highly recommend it. They have a tremendous sound system and a light show that may rival those in Vegas. The Haygoods are a very talented family of 7 young men and their one sister.  They sing, they dance, they play a multitude of instruments, and they do it all very well. They do their own arrangements and their own choreography.  This year they even moved into their own theater.  That’s a lot of talent for 7 “kids” between the ages of 29 and 16. Mom and Dad are around, but at this point, I think each of the siblings is gradually taking on responsibility for a different aspect of the business. I was impressed with their abilities when I first saw them about 6 years ago and their talents have grown as they have grown. I do have to add a disclaimer,though—the show we saw also had a particularly talented drummer who made sure the show was high-energy from start to finish. This drummer is our son, Daniel Dossey. While he definitely added to the quality of the show on this night and several other nights during the season, they do just fine with their regular drummer, Dino Phillips. Dino has done a magnificent job of playing for them for at least the last 6 years that I have attended their show. If you want to know more about The Haygoods then here is a video you might be interested in watching.

Branson  looks like a ghost town compared to the busy fall and Christmas season, but it REALLY shuts down during January and February. Even so, there are still plenty of things to occupy you if you choose to come during the “off season.” I will write more about this in future blogs, but since I am on the subject of The Haygoods, I wanted to let you know that they, and a handful of other shows, will be performing on a very limited schedule during these “off” months.

Here are a few links you might be interested in if you would like to learn more about Branson.

Branson Tourism Center

Branson Shows.com

Reserve Branson.com

Fall is Definitely My Favorite Time of the Year

We've been here for all four seasons now, and while each season has its own attractions, I can unequivocally say that I like fall the best. Now maybe that is because I spent more than half of my life in Odessa, Texas. There, I knew it was fall because I was surrounded by the sights and sounds of football (a la Friday Night Lights). Here, I know it is fall because I'm surrounded by the brilliant reds and oranges and yellows of the turning leaves. Here, I can see and smell the piles of burning leaves, while in West Texas there really aren't enough leaves to make a good pile.

I LOVE driving Hwy. 165 from Hollister to Branson just so I can look at the trees, stop at the Scenic Outlook, and drive across the dam. I just can't get enough of those views! It's possible that after I've been here a few years, I'll get so used to the scenery that I won't feel the need to take the longer scenic route just to go to Wal-Mart, but I don't think so. You see, I used to drive 4 hours to get to a nice lake with trees so a 20 minute drive across Table Rock is nothing. Byron and I have spent time in other areas that had nice fall color--Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas and even Oklahoma--but this is the first time that we've actually lived right in the middle of it. I know, I know, you think I'm getting a little carried away, but I can't help it. You'd feel the same way if you'd grown up surrounded by flat and dry and brown. If you happened to have seen Friday Night Lights then you know what I'm talking about. The opening scene of the flat highway between Odessa and Midland was filmed a quarter mile from our house. This is not to say that West Texas doesn't have its own unique beauty. You can see the most spectacular sunrises and sunsets there nearly every day, and they seem to stretch on forever, but right now, I am VERY happy to be surrounded by trees and mountains and water.

The question is how to take the best advantage of all this fall beauty. There are a number of ways to experience a great fall in the Ozarks. The easiest, of course, is to just take a drive through the surrounding countryside. You might even consider driving to Eureka Springs, Ark. It is only about an hour's drive and the unique town is well worth the drive.

I understand there are also a number of good hiking trails. One is at a 130acre national park on the edge of town which overlooks Lake Taneycomo. If you don’t mind 315 historic stone steps, you can hike down to the lake. Unfortunately, you would also have to hike back up which could be a challenge for some of us.

We have not taken a trip on the Branson Scenic Railroad yet, but it is definitely on my list for next fall. I can only imagine how beautiful the 40 mile round trip through the trees must be. The Showboat Branson Belle is also on my list. The trip across Table Rock looking back at the tree-covered shoreline is probably spectacular.

Or, how about a helicopter or hot air balloon ride? Both are available in the area.

I think my number one choice, though, would be a day at Silver Dollar City. I have done this, and I must say that you would have a hard time coming up with a better way to experience the Ozarks. The park is absolutely beautiful anytime of the year, and the shows, the food, and the craftsmen are great. Plus, if you are into roller coasters, they have some real heart stoppers. If you are able keep your eyes open you can even get a great view just before you and your heart go over the edge. (By the way, SDC recently was voted the friendliest amusement park in the United States).

By the time I decided to start this blog, the fall color was pretty much over, but it is never too early to start planning for next fall. I hope some of you will come see us.

We’re headed to Oklahoma and Texas for Thanksgiving so I won’t be writing again until after Dec. 5th. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!


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