Holiday Light Displays at the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri

 Disclosure:  My trip to Lake of the Ozarks was sponsored by TBW group, however, all thoughts, opinions, and photos are my own or the sidekicks traveling with me. 

Mom, have you ever seen so many lights? Well son, I probably have, but I have never seen so many lights with you!

This past weekend my gal pal and I made a special trip to the Lake of the Ozarks with our four kids, it was special because we actually survived those little monsters!

Now before I get too far into this and forget we did not make it to even half of the Christmas Light exhibits we intended to.  Unfortunately we filled our days/evenings so full that by the time dark came around we had sleeping or starving kids.  Side affects of  a good vacation.

The Enchanted Village of Lights in the City of Laurie, Missouri - of all the cities I have seen lights at, this place blew me away.   I will say as an out of town person this place was not the easiest to get to following our GPS, you have to watch the signs or you will enter at the exit and that is just dangerous.  After we found the correct entrance our eyes were amazed at all the beauty, and our kids were officially in a

Christmas wonderland.  

The favorite dispaly for us would be the American flag, of course the flag prompted our 5, 7, and 10 year old to do the Pledge of Allegiance right then and there, but it was memorable none the less. 

The drive through the park took us, now we went slow, about 30 minutes, you could probably do it in a lot less time, but I tend to stop the car and take lots of pictures.  

The Enchanted Village of Lights is located at the Laurie Fairgrounds and will be opens nightly at 5pm and will run through January 1, 2014.   

On our list, but we only got to see from the road was the St. Patrick's Festival of Lights also in Laurie, Missouri.  Something about a starving two year old had to come before seeing more holiday lights.....honestly, being a mom you have to make tough choices.

The St Patrick's Festival of Lights has been a holiday tradition at the lake for 30 years....you know it is good if it happens for 30 years straight. This festival is a bit different than many others, they focus on the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus and his Mother, Mary.

St. Patrick Festival of Lights will be open daily from 6 – 10 p.m. from Thanksgiving through January 1st. There is no charge to visit the display, and for more information call: 573.374.7855.

Another "lighted display" that I totally missed, but have heard are fabulous is the Versailles Unity Circle of Lights.   The Display runs from November 26 through January 1 and is located at the junction of highway 5 and 52.  

eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible..The Mother's Day Gift I would buy for myself!

The Mother’s Day gift I would buy myself!  The eBags Mother Lode TLS Weekender Convertible

bag...Seriously!  I have bags coming out of everywhere, in fact when I moved home a while back my Dad laughed as he unloaded 2 totes of empty bags (I am a small bag hoarder).  Then two days later, my ebags Mother Lode arrived…HaHa Dad.  

Then this  past weekend I packed up my kiddos to go visit their Auntie and I decided I would try out my new bag. Shortly after getting the bag packed I decided I was jealous they were getting to use the bag first!  I absolutely love my eBags Mother Lode TLSWeekender…Seriously! 

Meier Horse Shoe Pines Tree Farm in Jackson, Missouri

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree Much pleasure doth thou bring me! Of course, that beautifully

decorated Christmas tree brings us all pleasure, rather it is the joy of decorating it, the joy of watching our children decorate the tree, or what is under that tree Christmas morning.


Finding the PERFECT Christmas tree can bring us more joy and a day full of Adventure. Many of us have replaced the idea of a LIVE Christmas Tree with plastic trees that fold up, collapse, and store so easily. I discovered with replacing the live tree we also replaced much of the excitement of finding the PERFECT Christmas Tree.

My little man and I dropped by Meier Horse Shoe Pines Tree Farm last year to visit a Christmas Tree Farm and see what it was all about!

With 14 acres of Christmas Trees and three varieties (White pines, Scotch pine, Virginia pines) to choose from you are sure to find the perfect tree, or the tree you will fall madly in love with. Meier Tree Farm takes the extra step to make finding that perfect tree more of an adventure!

The Tree Farm's personal greeting team will greet you upon arriving; a floppy eared dog begging to petted, a few roosters making their presence known, and a pin full of sheep nestled just at the edge of the tree field. While words may make this sound like a zoo, I cannot put to words how picture perfect it truly is.

While we could have spent hours visiting the sheep, chickens, and the floppy eared puppy, we were there to check out the Christmas Trees and to see how many Perfect Trees are there. I have a HUGE secret for you! It is not about the tree, it is about finding the tree, and Meier Horse Shoe Pines makes it perfect for you. With a horse drawn wagon, take a ride to the tree field, pick your own PERFECT tree and you can even participate in the cutting of your tree. Gentlemen, let me give you a bit of advice, this place adds the "romance" to Christmas, and you could earn a few extra brownie points from that special lady with a visit to Meier's Tree Farm.

We also discovered another delightful treat at Meier's Tree Farm, the gift shop. I almost felt sorry for the owner, but Moms and Dads; folks that own a Christmas Tree Farm have close connections with that Jolly Man and tend have that same spirit about them, and it is a good thing. My little man must have looked at every ornament, Christmas decoration, and train in this adorable little shop. He declared immediately that he would be returning to buy his favorite ornament (a light up snowman).

You will also find inside the shop custom-made wreaths and garland, made right there in the shop, that will give your house that extra Christmas feeling.

Visit Meier's Tree Farm's website or Facebook Page for hours of operation, special holiday events, and for directions to find your perfect Christmas Tree!