Nothing like experiencing Christmas from a global perspective! Louisville is a festive city all year round, but Christmas adds a whole new level of excitement. Holiday markets. Dazzling lights. Towering Christmas trees. Caves filled with holiday lights. Wait, did we say CAVES? Yes, we did! After our included dinner, we travel into Louisville’s Mega Caverns for a 17-mile drive through the caverns. The only underground holiday light show in the world, the Caverns are filled with 900 lit characters, over 4 million lights, and festive Christmas music. This will be a night to remember! (D)

We travel on to Indianapolis and the famous Beef and Board Theatre. From the pages of Dickens comes this delightful musical adaptation of the holiday classic with traditional carols. Experience the transformation of the miserly Scrooge into someone who understands the true meaning of kindness and love, while enjoying a delicious buffet lunch. Arriving this evening in Central Illinois, we see volunteerism at its best. For almost 40 years, the residents of East Peoria have come together to create Folepi’s (pronounced FO-LEE-PEE) which is the acronym for the Festival of Lights, East Peoria, Illinois, a drive-through electric park! Folepi’s Winter Wonderland features most of the Parade of Lights floats plus other lighted displays like a candy cane factory, lighted arches, and circus animals, prehistoric to space to western frontiers. Sit back and enjoy this delightful event. (L)

Today we travel across the plains of Iowa to begin our international holiday celebrations in Omaha. Come celebrate a German Christmas at the German American Society Center. Enjoy a holiday program of dancing, singing and food! Listen to traditional German holiday favorites by the Men’s Choir. Experience the German dancers as they perform various holiday dances from various regions of Germany. What better way to end our evening than with a sing-along? (D)

Boys Town celebrates an Irish Christmas at the Father Flanagan House. The prior home of Father Flanagan is decorated for the holidays according to Irish Christmas Holiday traditions. The tour of Boys Town includes the hall of history, guided driving tour and the Father Flanagan House. Enjoy a visit to the Tea Smith. A professional tea master shares a brief overview of the blending and flavoring of teas, variety of holiday teas and unique serving ideas. Then we are invited to sample a variety of teas. The historic Old Market features cobblestone streets lined with unique boutiques, art galleries, antique emporiums, sweet shops, and more than 30 locallyowned restaurants. It’s a great place for us to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the authentic turn-of-the-century charm of the area. Horse drawn carriage rides and street musicians add to the Old Market’s appeal. Union Train Station of Omaha with a huge Christmas tree in the main Hall is sure to impress! Come experience the magic of the region’s largest indoor Christmas tree and learn about holiday traditions from Omaha and around the globe. Travel back to the 1930’s train depot and explore Omaha’s past on our visit to Durham Museum. It’s easy to imagine the crowds of people and the sound of steam engines as you look over the many rail cars on the Track level. We are transported to Scotland on our visit to the historic 1903 Joslyn Castle. This 30-room stone mansion resembles a traditional Scottish castle. As we enter through the huge front doors, prepare to be amazed by the craftsmanship of the elaborate wood interior, which comes from all parts of the world. Hear the fascinating story of George & Sarah Joslyn and how the couple shared their extraordinary wealth with the community. Our final stop today is a visit to St. John’s Greek Orthodox Church for dinner and tour of the Byzantine Style church, made even more striking by the décor of gold and traditional icons. Learn of the meaning of the décor and the history of the Church. Downstairs members of the congregation join us for dinner and a holiday program. Experience Christmas in Greece as we listen to Christmas carols sung in the Greek Language. (D)

For our last international holiday experience, we travel to Ukraine this morning to meet wellknown Ukrainian speaker Olesia Reprichowskyj. Olesia brings various Ukrainian linens and gives an entertaining presentation about the linens’ connection to Ukrainian history, customs, and traditions. Olesia will have us laughing while learning about celebrating Christmas in the Ukraine. Now we climb aboard our coach and begin our ride back east, arriving in St. Louis Missouri in time to check in. The Christmas fun is not over yet! When the Moon comes out, we head over to Kiener Plaza for Winterfest, where we find ice skating, s’mores stations and igloos underneath 100,000 twinkling lights in the shadow of the Gateway Arch.

Our Around the World Christmas celebration would not be complete without a truly Southern experience in the Country Music Capital, Nashville. Enjoy free time roaming around Gaylord’s Opryland Resort. See the lights of the gardens and enjoy the beautiful Christmas decorations. Dinner is included before we check into our hotel. (D)

We have traveled around the world, celebrating Christmas in many different ways. Now that we are full of Christmas joy, Christmas music and Christmas food, we travel back home to celebrate our own Christmas!