The holidays are the only time of the year when it's appropriate to point at a dead plant and expect a kiss. Channel your mistletoe horticultural failure into romance, then reward yourself with today's Groupon: for $29, you get one car’s worth of admission (up to nine people) to the Lake Lanier Magical Nights of Lights celebration (up to a $60 value). This Groupon is good for admission any day of the week, and the master switch is thrown at 5 p.m. daily. There is an additional fee for vans, busses, and hilariously overcrowded clown cars.

Lauded in Atlanta’s Examiner as an exciting destination for local staycationers, Lake Lanier lures Christmas experts and newbie Tiny Tims alike with massive amounts of tiny-bulbed glee. Glide your ride through the gently rolling hills of the scenic resort during one of the Magical Nights of Lights, and take in seven miles’ worth of glowing Yuletide tributes in the shape of ice-skating revelers and famous Dickens' characters, such as the nineteenth-century Christmas-hating businessman who was ultimately turned into a pile of Gak by three well-intentioned ghosts. Pony rides, carnival rides, and games (at an extra cost) form the holiday village at the center of the lightstravaganza.

Though it’s not included in today’s deal, an optional buffet at the end of the journey awaits weary travelers who end their trip in fits of roasted chestnut cravings. Lake Lanier’s transformation from year-round tranquility haven to an intricately lit, Christmas-specific joy oasis has to be seen to be believed, so bring prescription glasses or the Galileo-built telescope that’s been in your family for centuries.

Reviews

The local Examiner featured the Magical Nights of Lights, and four Yelpers give it a four-star average rating:

• Boasting seven-miles of animated holiday-themed light displays and festive Holiday Village, the awe-inspiring light procession leads guests to the bustling and brightly bedecked epicenter of the Resort – Legacy Lodge & Conference Center – where a bountiful buffet of holiday favorites will be served up nightly. – Kasie Bolling, Examiner
• As a kid, my favorite thing to do every Christmas was to go to the Magical Nights of Lights at Lake Lanier Islands. – Lauren S., Yelp