Two million pounds of ice create winter spectacle at the National Harbor

Two million pounds of ice (907,000 kilograms) has been turned into a winter wonderland at Gaylord National Resort in Maryland, just outside Washington, with this year's annual spectacle paying homage to 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.'

'The Most Famous Reindeer of All' is at the center of "ICE! Christmas on the Potomac" at the Gaylord National Resort -- where over 30 specialized Chinese sculptors have been flown in to pull off an enormous display of characters from the Disney film.

It's part of an annual tradition at the hotel which erects a facility dedicated to the sculptures and an ice slide kept at a chilly 9 degrees (-13 celsius) -- perfect, organizers say, for carving and viewing ice sculptures.

Gaylord's Rachel Dinbokowitz says the tradition was originally inspired by China's Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival, which features huge ice sculptures and draws visitors from all over China and the world to Harbin, one of the country's coldest places.