In 2002, as a result of a last-minute call from a Gaylord Entertainment press representative, I ended up going to the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular Starring The Rockettes" at the Grand Ole Opry House.

I don't know what I was expecting -- it was nothing I had any interest in buying tickets for -- but I accepted the comp tickets, thinking I could take my niece. She couldn't attend, so I went by myself -- and, due to a mixup at the ticket office, I wound up with even better tickets than I was supposed to. I was seated on the front row.

I had a blast, and when I got the chance to attend a VIP preview night of Gaylord's Christmas attractions on Wednesday, I jumped at the chance. You've already seen my story about the Grinch-themed "Ice!" exhibit, but I also got to attend the hotel's official tree-lighting ceremony and attend another Radio City spectacular.

Sadly, I wasn't on the front row this time. I was all the way back ... on the second row.

Life is hard as a journalist sometimes.

If you have not yet been to one of the Radio City Christmas Spectaculars, either here or at their home base in New York, you may have the kind of preconception I had in 2002: 90 minutes of the Rockettes in kick-line formation. Sounds like it would get dull after a while, doesn't it?

In reality, the Rockettes are only a part of "Christmas Spectacular" -- and they don't appear at all in its climactic scene, a breathtaking live nativity. The show is a celebration of Christmas, a living, breathing, singing and dancing Christmas card that puts you completely in the holiday spirit. It's a series of 11 scenes or skits featuring not only the Rockettes but an entire cast of singers and dancers and highlighting new and classic Christmas songs. The nice thing about sitting right down front is that the singers and dancers are so pleasant and enthusiastic that it's fun to see their facial expressions. Santa Claus -- ably portrayed this year by A.J. Irvin -- is on stage as much as, maybe more than, the Rockettes. Really, the "Christmas Spectacular" has a lot in common with the shows that used to be staged at Opryland theme park.

The basic show is tweaked from year to year, with some scenes left in and others replaced. You can always count on "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," for example, with the Rockettes in formation as wind-up dolls. Some people sitting near me said during intermission that they'd met one of the Rockettes last year, and she said the choreographed, domino-like fall, where each soldier topples onto the one behind her, is the hardest part of the show.

The Rockettes do their famous high kicking, of course, but that's far from the only dancing they do. In "The Twelve Days of Christmas," they do a different dance step to suggest each of the gifts mentioned in the verses of the famous song.

My favorite scene this year was "I'm There," in which Santa explains how he's able to be so many places at the same time. The scene introduces multiple Santas, more and more of them, until the stage is overstuffed with playfully bouncing and high-stepping Kringles.

The producers seem to have a knack for casting incredibly talented child actors, and this year is no exception. I'm not sure whether it was Emily Freeman or Taryn Martin, both of whom are listed in the program, who portrayed Clara in "The Nutcracker: A Little Girl's Dream" on the night I attended, but her personality, her singing and her ballet dancing were all charming.

But if the first 10 scenes are sugarplums, the 11th is gold, frankincense and myrrh: a live nativity scene including three camels, dozens of cast members, the "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah" and the dramatic reading "One Solitary Life." Some may find it over-the-top, but I found it moving and memorable.

I know the spectacular is expensive -- tickets range from $29 to $79 depending on when you go and where you sit. But I guarantee you will walk out of the Grand Ole Opry House with a smile on your face and Christmas in your heart.

John I. Carney is city editor of the Times-Gazette and covers county government and other topics. His home page is lakeneuron.com.