KISSIMMEE, Fla. — These 40 artisans from China are getting quite the welcome at Gaylord Palms. 

The resort's signature ICE! event is just three weeks away. Its theme this year is based on one of the most popular Christmas movies of all time — A Christmas Story.

"There are two scenes that really blow me away. The first one is the flagpole scene," said Niko Nicholaou, Gaylord Palms special events and entertainment director. "And then the slide room. You have five slides in there and Santa at the top, kicking you down these slides."

And all at a temperature of 9 degrees!

The artisans are famous for the annual Ice Festival in Harbin, China. They work regular shifts for 40 days to create nearly a dozen fan-favorite scenes.

"This is a small reflection of that festival actully does," Nicholaou said. 

The artisans study renderings and make them come alive in frozen form.

"It takes over a year to assemble every piece of ice that we're going to plan on carving in there," Nicholaou said.

Ice! featuring A Christmas Story opens November 16 at Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee and runs through January 6. 

Tickets start at $28.99 for adults, $14.99 for children 4-11 if you buy online. There are also bundled packages that can include add-ons ranging from snow tubing to a snowball throw to gingerbread decorating.

Parking is not included with admission to Ice!, and you do have to pay at the resort.