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What a scam/dump. All the way out by Lake Conroe in the middle of nowhere. It was real hokey. The tractor that was used for the hay rides could barely keep up. The trail they took you on was supposed to be a "dazzling" light show. More like walking down the isle of Home Depot's Christmas section.
Gingerbread decorating, $8. One glass ornament decoration, $5.00. Entrance fee if you are six years on up, $8.00. Hot Coco, the powder mixed with water, $2.00. Hot dog, $3.00. If you want chili/cheese on the hotdog, it becomes $5.00.
The ice sculptures were neat, but there were only three of them... in a meat locker. As big as my bathroom.
An snowball fight... you had to dig your hand in an ice cooler and pull out "snow".
A petting zoo... little goats in a pen, you could not go into. One llama that spits on you, and some minature donkeys.
The ice sculpting demo was okay. 'Sorry, I know this was geared towards kids, but when your own kids ask you where all the "neat" stuff is, and you are standing in the middle of it, well, it is hard to try to make it sound like it's the best thing. Plus, I don't like to lie to my kids. But the kids enjoyed it I guess, better than watching Disney Junior, plus they got to take a long nap to and from, and eat junk food.
It is on a 50 acre ranch, or what was left of it. 'Just not the hype it is built up to be by reading their flyer.
I do feel a little bad, the people are nice. It is just not good. "Ice Sculpture Gallery"? As I said, it is a meat locker with three sculptures in it, you enter via a freezer door, and exit the same way on the other side. Poorly lit I might add. In the main hall is a Christmas tree, and a lot of misc toys you'd find at a garage sale for kids to play with, hool-a-hoops, and oversized plastic blocks and sticks. There is a pool table up front, nothing like a game of billiards to put you in the Christmas spirit.
Mittens they have for the kids run you five dollars for a pair; the cheap kind you'd pick up at Wal-mart or Dollar store for 5 pair for $1.00. 'Funny, a woman there mentioned that to them and they replied by saying 'but you can't get them anywhere else right now'. At least they did not deny the source.
I hope someone else chimes in to give a different review for balance.
We last night for the 1st time. We took the kids and a handful of their friends. While HTMU's review isn't inaccurate, we didn't come away with the same negative feeling. I'd agree that it's kinda hokey (though I called it "rustic") -- compared to some of the other Christmas places we've visited (i.e. Santa's Wonderland, Polar Express). The petting zoo left a bit to be desired, but we didn't go there expecting a petting zoo so if anything it was a small bonus for the kids to get to pet the farm animals...albeit through the gates. Overall, as grown-ups, our impressions were that the craft stations were over-priced ($8 to decorate a large gingerbread man) and we would have liked to have seen more sculptures in the gallery, but the barn itself was neat, and we all enjoyed the ice sculpting show. But, we had 12 kids ages 4-9, boys and girls, and they all loved it. They were rapt with attention during the ice sculpting show. They had great fun spotting elf houses and looking for elves on the lit trail. They enjoyed the storyteller and the hayride...the ride wasn't very long, but that was fine as the kids were ready to move on to the next thing. We had brought our own treats so we didn't bother with any of the stations, but when we were in the barn the kids had a blast together with the hula hoops, etc. We bought a bunch of hot cocoa which was about on par with the other Christmas places; didn't try other food, but it looked to be about what I'd expect for a seasonal place, which is why we ate before going there.
We weren't sure what to expect for the snowball fight, especially with it being so warm, but most of the kids in our group had a blast (some didn't like the cold of the "snow" or getting it in their hair/clothes). But most of the others came away saying it was "awesome".
All in all, it was a bit rustic from an adult point of view, but the kids certainly didn't seem to notice. Part of their enjoyment was that they were all together, but even if it had been just my kids, I think they would have still loved it. I wouldn't recommend it as a grown-up outing, but think it is fine for younger kids (3-8 y/o?). Nonetheless, probably not worth >30 min drive.
I sat here with tears in my eyes last night reading your review of our little event. I'm so sorry that you didn't have a good time. Please email me at Carol.Maclaskey@gmail.com and let me know how much you spent and I'll refund your money immediately.
I thought about responding "in the moment" last night, but then thought maybe I should wait until today. I still have a knot in my chest...rereading what you wrote. Every night, just before Jay carves ice in performance, I always go up on stage to thank everyone for coming and to tell newcomers the history of the Ice Cutter's Christmas. Your scathing review makes me feel as if you must not have heard it...and so I thought I might tell you here.
We started our ice sculpting business in New Jersey while Jay was a chef for one of the casino hotels. On the first Christmas after we went into business, we decided to create an ice sculpture display on our lawn. No press releases, no posters. We just put it out there and by word of mouth, people began to gather. The first year we did a huge Christmas tree and 31 oversized Christmas toys in ice. Soon after the neighbors started to gather, a TV crew showed up and once the story went on the air, the little town of 1500 people that we lived in turned into grid-lock! We worried that everyone who lived near us would be angry, but that turned out not to be the case. That sculpture stayed up for four days until the weather turned warm and it melted. The second year, we did a Santa and all of his reindeer and a Victorian house with a man throwing open the window. The weather held for three weeks and literally 10's of thousands of people came to see the ice. We made as many cookies and as much hot chocolate as we could and provided it for free to everyone who came (yes...it's Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate, just as you reported. I honestly don't think I've had real cocoa and milk since I was a little girl). The last year we were there, we knew we were coming home to Texas to live and so we did the Nativity that everyone had been asking for. Charles Osgood came and did a story for CBS Sunday Morning. The cameras were rolling as Jay carved a huge angel and then placed all the animals in ice...camels, sheep, a cow...then the three Wise Men and Mary and Joseph. Then Jay carried the Baby across the lawn and placed him in the manger saying "...and the reason we're all here...". People began to weep...openly. It was just incredible. Something none of us who were there will ever forget.
We moved back to Texas and as Christmas approached, we felt an incredible sadness about not being able to share the Christmas ice sculptures again. It was just too hot...they would never last. It was just impossible. 10 years went by and we still wished that we could find a way to do it again, but we didn't have the funds to build a huge freezer that would accommodate the sculptures. Then 9/11 happened. Sadness engulfed all of us, of course, and that Christmas (which turned out to be a very cold winter) we decided to create the ice sculptures on the lawn again... A life-size Nativity in ice and a saluting "stars and stripes" Santa Claus. We sent a press release to the local newspaper, put the ice on the lawn and hoped that we'd all be able to find some comfort in sharing the Christmas spirit. Only 14 people showed up.
We thought about it for a long time...thinking that we were all still in such mourning, it was just not the right time. The next year we did it again. The Conroe Courier ran a front page story about the ice sculptures and we put another ice display out on the lawn and only about 25 people showed up. Finally, the editor of a little local newspaper said "Carol...you have to charge something. People are not going to drive up onto this ranch not knowing what they're getting into, but if you charge something I just know people will come.". We didn't want to charge people, but over the next summer, we found ourselves talking about it and decided to charge $5.00 a person and use the money to put up Christmas lights...to create more for people to see and do. He was right. The next year we charged $5.00 per person (with kids free, as always) and a CROWD showed up!
In my little speech to the audience just before Jay carves ice, I always tell this story. I always say that this event is about the spirit of Christmas and sharing what we feel as a family with all of you. Over the 11 years that we have done this, we have created a light trail with 10's of thousands of lights (yep...nobody knows better than us that they're not the huge light displays that you'd see at corporate Christmas light trails), we have an elves trail full of tiny doors in trees and imaginative elves houses. Our 109 year old barn is decorated for Christmas (all you saw was one Christmas tree?? Really?). The dance floor that is used for weddings all year long is turned over completely to kids with hula hoops...oh...and those "blocks and sticks" that you describe are actually part of the giant Tinkertoy set for kids to create with. Maybe you're too young to remember Tinkertoys, but the huge ones are rare and expensive and most parents seem to love seeing their children put them together. As for the ice studio...which is the size of your bathroom (it's 50' X 20'. That's really the size of your bathroom??). The meager ice sculptures that you describe were created from over 10,000 lbs. of ice and lit with color-changing led lights especially designed for ice sculpture display. I'm not sure what to say about your criticism of the lighting. Late this summer, we actually had an addition built onto the freezer which doubled it's size. We have always called it the ice studio (the part where Jay works all day carving ice and where the ice displays have been up in previous years) and the new addition which was to be used only for ice displays now we have referred to as the "gallery". It's walls are painted black and the lighting is specific for ice sculpture display. I'm sorry if the word "gallery" sounded like hyperbole to you. It's just what we call it.
We always say, and our website describes this event as being at our home (which you describe as the "remains" of a 50-acre ranch?). The animals here are all my pets...not a petting zoo. They are in their habitat when you see them here and they are incredibly friendly..not aggressively seeking food they way animals in petting zoos can be. Just to make sure the truth is out there, we have 8 miniature goats, three miniature donkeys (one just a baby) and 13 miniature horses...one of them just a baby too. The llama, Ziggy, which you describe as "spitting" on you would never spit on ANYBODY!! He's as gentle as a lamb and he reaches out his head to try to touch noses with you. His mother died in childbirth and he was raised on a bottle. I have never owned a gentler animal. He just loves people and he's a complete lover...not a mean bone in his body. If you'll look on our Facebook page, you'll see pictures that people are posting of Ziggy giving nose kisses. I'm sorry too that you thought the food was too expensive. We have lots of treats and hot dogs and nachos...and turkey gumbo made by an award-winning chef. Nothing more than $6.00. The prices seem very reasonable to me. As for the gingerbread men to decorate... The cookies are a foot tall. I don't know where you could even buy a 12" cookie for $8.00, but she also provides M&M's, Hershey's Kisses, gumdrops and all kinds of other decorations for kids to use to decorate the cookies with. She has always sold them for $5.00 each, but last year I found out that she was actually losing money doing that and I encouraged her to raise the price. I'll take the heat for that. We've had SO many people decorating cookies with their kids and just loving it. They are worth every cent of $8.00 and you were, of course, under no obligation to buy one. You said so many disparaging things...I guess I feel compelled to answer each one, but I won't. It just seems as if your perception came from some kind of unrealistic expectations you had. The "old tractor" could barely pull the hayride? That tractor could pull the barn off its foundation! It was going slowly simply so people could snuggle up with their kids, ring the jingle bells and enjoy the ride through the woods. I am checking into the situation about the gloves that you mentioned. We only have three vendors and they're only here because last year people were telling us that we should have a "store". We allowed a woman who sells her own honey, another family who sell their own pecans and another lady who sells her own crocheted and sewn items. Nothing commercial is supposed to be in there and if what you say is true, I'll fix that.
I agree with you. This is not one of the huge, commercial Christmas events. The money from the gate and the food pays for the 15 people that work here every year to make it all happen. It is simply a labor of love and not a money-making venture. We did it for 5 years at no charge both in New Jersey and here. It was never our intention to charge anything. Since the day that we had to start charging admission, we have used all the money that comes in to expand the light trail every year...as anyone who has ever been here will tell you. I was surprised to hear that your kids asked "Where's the good stuff?". We realize that you weren't strapped into a seat and dragged along a rail to see a "picture" of Christmas. Our event requires a bit of participation. For us, the "good stuff" comes when you find yourself singing "O Holy Night" with 300 other people under the stars...when the kids sit on the bench and read stories along with the storyteller...riding on the hayride, jingling the jinglebell sticks for all they're worth. At the end of every night (including this past Saturday night when you were here), Jay and I find ourselves standing in the barn with a long line of people wanting to give us a hug or shake our hands to thank us for doing this. Every year I get dozens of emails from people telling me how they haven't been in the Christmas spirit for years but they "got it" at the Ice Cutter's Christmas. People come year after year. If you look at our Facebook page, there is someone posting today that she's coming back for a second time this year! After one of the early events...years ago, a woman wrote to me afterwards that she hadn't even been able to make eye contact with her daughter for two years or more. Her daughter was 17 and rolled her eyes every time her mother tried to talk to her. She wrote that she "dragged" her daughter (apparently you were dragged too?) to the ICC and at the end of the night they found themselves roasting marshmallows over the fire and having the first real conversation they'd had in a long, long time. They've come back together every year since. On Friday night, she and her daughter...and her daughter's husband came up to me to introduce the new baby in the family. The daughter told me that when her own child is at that same age and becoming distant, she's going to bring here to roast a marshmallow or two.
I'm feeling a little bit better after at least responding to your terrible review. I am going to try to work on the things that you found lacking and I'm going to try to focus on the wonderful things that people are saying on the Ice Cutter's Christmas facebook page. It IS rustic...it's warm and loving and if you let yourself feel it, the Christmas Spirit happens here...every single time. I'm sorry you missed it.
I really have to disagree with the original poster. My family and I came here last year and returned again this last Friday for what has become a family tradition. The Ice Cutter's Christmas is the kind of holiday event that reminds me of my childhood: not commercial or overdone and with a real sense of community. When we arrived this year, we went straight past the marshmallow roasting bonfire into the barn to discover kids and adults decorating gingerbread men and glass Christmas ornaments together. Last year we spoke with the owner who told us that the magnificent old building (dripping with lights and humming with Christmas music on the stereo) was a turn of the century oil pumping station. What you might call 'hokey', most would consider historic!
The ice sculpture gallery is one of my husband and my favorite parts, and a wonderful and unique place for a family photo op! It's a decidedly large and actually well lit room with a lovely Christmas scene carved in ice. The icing on the cake is to see the ice sculptor himself carve a piece on the outdoor stage - where else can you see that?! The kids especially loved the elf trail and the snowball battle - what an absolute treat for some Texas kids who have never even seen snow to be involved in a massive, free-for-all snowball fight? They might have been a little cold afterward but it's snow, people!
I also want to mention that we enjoyed the hayride through the trail of lights. It may not be a monster-sized display, but we loved it and took the hayride (pulled by a real tractor) several times at no additional cost (the hayride is free with admission). The animal farm was a delight too - I just loved the miniature horses. I wish I had room for them in my backyard!
I definitely recommend going and seeing for yourself - One man's poor review is another man's treasure.
Ice Cutter's Christmas is a good wholesome family event. I took my kids there previously and we are planning on returning before Christmas. They do an excellent job of keeping the Christmas spirit alive. The jingle bell hayride and elf trail is fantastic. The kids get a huge kick out of elf hunting and seeing all the cute Christmas light displays. The ice carvings are amazing and are true works of art. This is a family ran business and you can tell by the care and dedication that they bring to the table year after year. It would be shame to miss out!
I don't know if anyone noticed or not, but the first two posts in this thread are from the same person, meaning he is responding to himself. The post from the other person that was a negative review was in response to this. It looks to me as if someone is intentionally posting bad reviews because of some kind of jealousy or maybe even just for a childish prank of sorts. Either way, The Maclaskey's are great people and they work very hard to make this event something great for kids and families every year. I have been here several times myself and I love it. I have no children of my own, yet I go all the way here with my best friend and her children because they have so much fun. I even joined in a snowball fight myself once and ended up having a lot of fun too. I don't know who you are that made the negative comments, but apparently your parents never taught you about the real meaning and joys of Christmas. It's not all about glitz and glamour and how much you have to spend to enjoy it. Christmas is to bring family and friends together once a year to talk and share memories. What they are doing here is terrific and T. Jay Maclaskey has a gift from God. It is wonderful that he is able to share his talents with everyone once a year at this event. Next time before posting a scathing comment about something for everyone to see on the internet, why don't you take a few moments to think about how the people that went to all the trouble to create an event like this will feel when they read it. You should be ashamed of yourselves for doing this. I am sorry you did not have a good time there, but please don't try to ruin it for others. I am going out there again this year and I am going to bring as many people and their children with me as I can. I am sure all of them will have a fantastic time. I don't know very many people at all that can carve ice sculptures like the ones you will see at Ice Cutters Christmas and I don't know any family that can come together like the Maclaskey's to bake all of those cookies and make all of that food for others to enjoy. It takes an awful lot of work to do something like this and Carol puts her heart and soul into this event every year.
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Yes
At least they did not deny the source.
Wonderful Family Event
