VacationCheers 252: A Tennessee Christmas, Plus Wild Adventures, TSO and Red Vein Haunted Christmas

It’s the final VacationCheers episode of the season and the last podcast of 2025, so naturally we went big.

In Episode 252, Tasseled Tom is joined by Caroling Kris for a holiday-packed rundown featuring a Tennessee Christmas weekend, festive theme parks, concerts, and haunted holidays.

We kick things off with a Christmas-filled trip to Pigeon Forge, including our stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites Pigeon Forge on the Parkway, dining mishaps (and wins) at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen, and festive fun at Anakeesta during Enchanted Christmas.

From there, it’s all aboard for Dollywood and their iconic Smoky Mountain Christmas. We talk about rides, shows, lights everywhere and first-time reactions to Big Bear Mountain and Dragonflier.

We also touch on:

• Wild Adventures Theme Park – Christmas Wild & Bright

• Red Vein Haunted Christmas with Ian

• Trans-Siberian Orchestra holiday magic with Joanna

Along the way, there are injuries, veteran discounts, hot cocoa economics, percussion appreciation, and a few classic Vacationeers side quests.

We close out the episode—and the year—by saying thank you for the support in 2025 and looking ahead to what’s coming in 2026.