Christmas vacation with snow
It was a dark and stormy night, with a half foot of snow on the ground. And we didn’t have school! I just finished my first semester of high school, and was really looking forward to this Christmas vacation. The thing is — my parents had plans. Plans that didn’t include me. This year it was going to be just mom and dad…
The house is decorated and the kids are eager to wake up on Christmas morning. The thought of going outside for a snowball fight with your family seems like just the perfect thing before taking a peek at your presents under the Christmas tree!
The best way to spend Christmas vacation with snow is by packing your bags and heading out of town.
If you’re looking for a vacation in the winter, it’s important to consider what type of weather you want to encounter. If you want it to be warm and sunny, then maybe going somewhere with little to no snowfall is the best option for you. However, if you’re looking for a destination that will allow you to see some snowflakes falling through the air—or even better, have them land on your face—then a trip to one of these destinations might be just what you need!
Are you looking for a quiet, relaxing Christmas vacation?
Are you planning to visit the mountains this Christmas?
Do you want to spend time with your family and friends while enjoying the beauty of nature?
Then come to [mountain name]! This is the perfect place for your holiday: it’s quiet, clean and warm. You can enjoy snow at any time of day and even go skiing. There are plenty of shops where you can buy souvenirs, as well as cafes where you can sit down with a cup of hot chocolate after skiing.
1. Resort at Squaw Creek, Lake Tahoe, California
Make a child’s dream come true this Christmas with breakfast with Santa, holiday cookie decorating, and a holiday bear factory at Resort at Squaw Creek. Also on offer are the yearly Kids’ Night Out New Year’s Eve Bash; ski-in, ski-out access all day, and an on-property ice rink.
2. The Resort at Paws Up, Montana
Located on 37,000 acres of untamed Montana wilderness, The Resort at Paws Up has plenty to do around the holidays—including horse-drawn sleigh and wagon rides, gingerbread house making contests, cookie decorating, visits with Santa, and plenty of outdoor fun like dogsledding, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and winter ATV riding. We’re pleasantly exhausted already.
3. Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Colorado
Few things are more fun than a white Christmas in the Rocky Mountains. Blankets of snow are all but guaranteed and families can enjoy the festivities on sleigh rides, skis, snowshoes, and scenic tours at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. Ice skating under the lights, enjoying a warm fire outside while wrapped in a cozy blanket under the stars, plus breakfast with Santa, Christmas karaoke, and holiday feasts all await.
4. North Lake Tahoe
From charming mountain villages to luxury lakeside retreats, the Sierra region that surrounds North Lake Tahoe is a quintessential holiday escape. New this year is a tree lighting celebration in the heart of Tahoe City, complete with holiday-themed window decorations that line downtown corridors all the way to Kings Beach. Shop and dine across five districts and experience artisan crafts, handcrafted cocktails, and memorable sunsets. Ice skate underneath the stars at Northstar California and discover an abundance of outdoor family fun at the Village at Squaw Valley.
5. Mohonk Mountain House, New York
This year, Mohonk is celebrating its first-ever Victorian Holidays, featuring a new outdoor immersive holiday light installation, where guests can stroll through an open-air, Instagram-worthy winter wonderland illuminated with thousands of sparkling LED lights and Christmas trees. The Mountain House will also be decked out in gingerbread houses made by the Hudson Valley’s most creative minds, as part of the resort’s fifth annual Hudson Valley Gingerbread Competition. Additionally, Mohonk will introduce new family-friendly programming, such as performances by Victorian carolers and graham cracker house decorating sessions. There will also be winter hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating, along with complimentary house-made hot chocolate and afternoon tea and cookies.
6. The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
The ski-in and ski-out Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch is the ultimate winter wonderland with more than 25 trees decorated on the property, both indoors and out. There will be a tree lighting ceremony right after Thanksgiving and festive activities in December, including a Hanukkah lighting and 9 Days of Wonder, which includes holiday crafts, ornament making, snow globes, letters to Santa, holiday cookies, and guided snowshoe adventures.
7. Fort Collins, Colorado
Old Town Fort Collins comes alive during the holidays, with thousands of twinkling lights, a free ice-skating rink (skate rentals are free, too), new virtual Santa Claus visits and the always-popular Downtown Santas Quest. Families are invited to explore the area on a hunt to find Santa Claus figurines cleverly hidden in storefront windows of participating Old Town businesses.
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8. Mile High Holidays in Denver
Unwrap the magic of the holidays in Denver this season with millions of twinkling lights and special events. Enjoy a family outing to the Denver Zoo Lights, or a fun day of shopping and ice skating. The 20th annual Denver Christkindl Market, a traditional European Holiday Market, will return this winter with a move to Denver’s Civic Center Park in a spacious, open-air location. The market will be open daily from Friday, November 20 through Wednesday, December 23. People can savor the season while enjoying authentic Glühwein (mulled spiced wine), Bavarian-style Biers, European coffee, or hot chocolate, all while shopping for unique artisan gifts and holiday treats. Just outside the city at Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center there is a pop-up experience called, “I Love Christmas Movies,” and includes films such as the Polar Express, A Christmas Story, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. As guests navigate the multi-sensory exhibits, they will travel with Buddy the Elf from Santa’s North Pole workshop to New York City and take photos in front of the Griswold’s house adorned with thousands of Christmas lights. Families can also enjoy ice bumper cars, four-lane snow tubing, and the Snow Merry Go Round.
9. Berkshires, Massachusetts
The Red Lion Inn in idyllic Stockbridge, Massachusetts, transforms into a charming festive scene echoing Norman Rockwell’s renowned painting Home for Christmas. Décor throughout the hotel includes dozens of live Christmas trees, wreaths, kissing balls, poinsettias, hundreds of yards of garland, and small, handmade wreaths crafted from recycled material. For much of December pianists and harpists in the hotel lobby will play holiday favorites. The Inn’s iconic front porch, dressed for the season, will be home to performances by holiday carolers. At nearby Naumkeag, a storied country estate of the Gilded Age, the Winterlights sparkle with thousands of shimmering, artfully designed holiday lights. Minutes away is NightWood at The Mount—Edith Wharton’s home—a sound and light experience that transforms the place into a fantastical winter landscape for the holidays. Not to be left out is Hancock Shaker Village, where a pop-up holiday market featuring goods by regional artisans will be present November 28 through December 19.
10. Woodloch Resort, Pennsylvania
Enjoy a picturesque wagon ride through an illuminated Festival of Lights trail at this Poconos family resort. Sing holiday carols and partake in the annual yule log hunt, join the Gingerbread Wars (only for the most competitive in your family), and of course enjoy plenty of winter games, such as their on-site winter Olympics.
11. Montage Deer Valley, Park City, Utah
The festivities at Montage Deer Valley start over the long Thanksgiving weekend and include ornament decorating, building gingerbread houses, a resort-wide Elf on the Shelf scavenger hunt, and the annual tree lighting ceremony. In December, there’s caroling on the Vista patio, the resort’s annual reading of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas with cookie decorating, and four-course, prix-fixe Christmas Eve Dinner and Christmas Day Family Style lunch and dinner.
12. Villa Roma, Catskills New York
Celebrate a white Christmas in the Catskills. During December 22 through 30, the Villa Roma all-inclusive family resort has visits from Santa, eggnog parties, snow tubing, themed activities, and nightly entertainment. Even better: kids under 12 eat and stay free.
13. North Pole, New York
Visit the North Pole closer to home—in the Adirondacks. The hamlet of North Pole, NY, leverages its name and transforms into a holiday wonderland each year. Check out Santa’s blacksmith, where magical reindeer shoes are made, visit the popular reindeer barn, and make a stop at Santa’s house for a visit with the man himself.
14. Olympic Hotel, Seattle
The Fairmont Olympic is transforming its annual in-person holiday Festival of Trees into a display inside the hotel, which passersby can see via the windows along 4th Avenue, from November 21 through December 2. The decorated trees will honor patients from Seattle Children’s Hospital. In addition, one of the windows will display a miniature Gingerbread Olympic House. The resort will also be hosting Holiday Afternoon Tea in the newly renovated lobby, featuring loose leaf tea and an array of finger sandwiches, sweets, and scones. Price includes a $3 donation to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
15. Woodstock, Vermont
The Woodstock Inn & Resort decks the halls for the holiday season with the main lobby resembling a postcard of a Vermont holiday. Classic evergreens, plush velvet ribbons, a nine-foot wood fireplace flanked by two giant decorated wreaths, and the main evergreen tree, which is grown on property. In fact, the resort prides itself on making decorations from materials on property—including dried flowers grown at the organic Kelly Way Gardens, and natural materials, such as grapevines, evergreens, birch branches, pinecones, and dogwood, which are harvested from the woods. The resort also builds a life-size gingerbread house in the main lobby—it’s surrounded by a winter wonderland scene of trees and poinsettias. Go to the nearby Billings Farm & Museum to get a photo in front of the 12-foot Christmas tree. Holiday activities are offered throughout December, including candle dipping and making a Victorian-style ornament to take home. The Learning Kitchen will host cooking demonstrations of rugelach and gingerbread ornaments; the Dairy Bar will sell warm drinks and cider donuts. Families can also take part in the sleigh rides on offer.
16. Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Pennsylvania
Two million holiday lights will be strung up after Thanksgiving to illuminate this resort and give it festive cheer. Every Friday until Christmas there will be live music, festive food and drinks, and visits from Santa and Mrs. Claus. Season-long festivities include a gingerbread house workshop, holiday movies, and elf visits. Due to social distancing, elves will knock on the door of the room, visit from the hallway, drop off a stocking of gifts, and take away a letter to Santa. Plus, a socially distanced Breakfast with Santa will be offered each Saturday between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Starting December 18, Mystic Mountain will be open to guests for snow sports, tubing, skiing, snow camp, and dogsledding.
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17. Chicago
Few places do Christmas better than the Windy City. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lightscape for the Holiday Season is a mile-long path where the night comes alive with color, imagination, and sound, from a choir of singing trees to a spectacular waterfall of light. Head to Illumination at the Morton Arboretum and drive the two-mile paved path amid interactive lighting effects. Don’t miss ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo, where you’ll see musical light shows, live ice-sculpting, train and carousel rides, and a Light Maze. The Santa Suite at Swissôtel Chicago is available for individual family visits this year through the Holiday Traditions Package, which includes a personalized visit with Santa; holiday treats such as hot cocoa for kids and Champagne for adults; crafts; letters to Santa; and an ornament. The 2,000-square-foot Presidential Suite turns into Santa’s Chicago holiday home to host seasonal activities.
18. Wisconsin
In downtown Milwaukee, look out for the Holiday Lights Festival, which features thousands of colored lights and animated displays. Then travelers can hop on the Jingle Bus to experience the scenes around town, including at Cathedral Square Park. In Lake Geneva, travelers can bundle up and experience the arrival of Lake Geneva’s giant ice castle. Returning for the third season, the ice castle, located at the Geneva National Resort serves as a gigantic frozen funhouse, allowing visitors to explore tunnels, slides, and other interactive features, all made of ice. For a quintessential downtown experience, join the town’s annual holiday tree lighting, and look for appearances from Santa and his reindeer roaming around the streets of Lake Geneva on weekends in November and December.
19. Sunriver Resort, Sunriver, Oregon
Sunriver is the real-life embodiment of a picturesque holiday scene—everything is covered in snow and twinkling lights. To accommodate all types of merrymaking, Sunriver Resort is offering three cheerful holiday stay packages this winter: A Sleigh Ride Package, Custom Ornament Package, and a Gingerbread Kit Package. Build a snowman, ice skate at the local village, and dance to the Holiday Light Show in the backyard at the main lodge. Guests can enjoy over 25 family-friendly holiday activities and workshops—from Build-a-Takoda-Bear to cookie decorating and wreath making. Indulge in one of the holiday dinners, or take the spread back to your room with their Holiday Feast To-Go program. Festivities kick off November 25 and continue through New Year’s Day.
20. Breckenridge, Colorado
Breckenridge is an ideal destination to get families in the holiday spirit. The city will gradually turn on 250,000 LED lights gradually within the first week of December throughout the town. With the goal of dispersing downtown guests from Main Street’s narrow sidewalks and creating extra outdoor space, a parade of holiday trees, decorated by community businesses, will be added to the Blue River Rec Path and remain on display throughout the month.