Camel Keeps 200-Year-Old Christmas Tradition Alive
Aladdin the Christmas Camel is staying at Virginia's Mount Vernon for the winter, continuing a tradition started by George Washington.
LEARN MOREPosted: 10:01 a.m. EST Dec 14, 2021
Some places are going over the top to spread the joy of Christmas. One aquarium in New Jersey has built an experience like no other. At the Adventure Aquarium in Camden, New Jersey, a diving Santa is sharing the Christmas cheer and magic.
The aquarium features the world's tallest underwater Christmas tree — stretching 18 feet tall — and is decorated with more than 400 custom-sculpted corals.
The aquarium is home to 15,000 animals, including the largest collection of sharks in the Northeast. It's the only one in the world to exhibit hippos, and one of only six in the U.S. to have little blue penguins.
The aquarium is also an interactive learning experience. There's an exhibit with jellyfish and plastic bags to raise awareness about the plastic footprint humans leave in the ocean. Every year, over 7 million tons of plastic end up in the world's oceans.
Sea turtles are one of the most affected by this. They eat jellyfish, and if they see plastic bags floating around, they eat them thinking they're food.
Melissa Patterson is the guest experience and events manager for the aquarium. She says the aquarium's mission is to bring families closer together and make memories worth repeating.
"A lot of people didn't have the normal holiday season last year," Patterson said. "So this is finally a chance for everyone to come out, come together and start redoing those traditions we've had in the past."
This holiday season, the Christmas underwater experience runs through Dec. 24.
