2 minute read
Merry and Bright
All Images Melissa Plantz
THE SCENE | ARTS
MERRY & BRIGHT
The holidays in the box canyon offer charm, sparkle and a chance to breathe
BY JENNIFER JULIA
Every season in this box canyon of ours holds something special and unique, but if I had to pick a favorite season, there’s just something about the holidays. It is the time of year when our community can’t help but pull out its extra stash of charm and sparkle, the season when the mountains themselves seem to stand a little taller in their winter whites. The holidays are also when Telluride and Mountain Village, merry and bright, wrap their arms around you and hold you close, whispering in your ear, “Breathe deeply and enjoy what matters most.”
This year on Dec. 1, Noel Night is the unofficial start to the holidays, a night when Telluride’s shops and restaurants, ablaze in twinkling lights, offer special discounts, fun games, tasty nibbles and an abundance of cheer. It’s the starry evening we also get to witness the annual lighting of the Ski Tree in Elks Park, a signal that winter is here and it’s time to indulge in all the lovely offerings our mountain community provides.
On Dec. 11 and 12, we head to Mountain Village with our kids for the family-friendly Holiday Prelude to sit with Santa and his elves, snag a ride on the train, partake in sledding, ice skating and a curling demo, and take in a graceful figure skating performance. By mid-December it’s time to put up the tree, so we love to go to historic Schmid Ranch for hot cocoa, to take in the stunning views and to decide as a family which tree we want. It’s a discussion that can sometimes grow heated, but which generally ends harmoniously.
On Christmas Eve, we bundle up to watch the Torchlight Parade, a nighttime tradition on the Telluride Ski Resort where a brave gang of locals trade their poles for blazing torches. It’s a favorite local tradition. Christmas Day is a whirlwind in our house, the exchange of gifts often taking a backseat to a fun and relaxing day of skiing together. The holidays pick up speed on Dec. 26 with the kick-off of the Holiday Concert Series at the historic Sheridan Opera House, a weeklong extravaganza of entertainment that culminates on Dec. 31 with the Opera House’s annual New Year’s Eve Gala. Rumor has it that they’re planning something extra special for 2021.
Many of the local bars and restaurants in Telluride and Mountain Village offer entertainment and special meal offerings for New Year’s Eve. There are also numerous soirees, so there’s never a shortage of options for a spectacular night of celebration. And, in case you missed the first one, there’s another Torchlight Parade on New Year’s Eve, as well as a fireworks display in Mountain Village.
As for me and my family, we’ll do our best to stay up ‘til midnight (at least, our kids will beg us to) and maybe this year we just might make it. However we choose to ring in the new year, I know I will take a moment to reflect on all the challenges, triumphs and moments of joy the last year has awarded us. It’s been an unpredictable time, but we leap into the next one with trust, hope and gratitude.
