A SPRINKLING OF CHEER

The holidays in Telluride and Mountain Village are straight out of a storybook

BY LINNE HALPERN

Want to feel the small-town charm of a romance novel come to life? Spend the holiday season in Telluride and Mountain Village. Come December, Colorado Avenue turns into a winter wonderland, dressed up in decorations and lights with a view of Ajax Peak that sparkles in the snow. Pop into Bruno for a coffee while you browse the stacks at Between the Covers Bookstore. Embark on a family outing with a sleigh ride and s’mores that feels straight out of a storybook with Telluride Sleighs and Wagons. Or head up to Mountain Village to enjoy the ambiance and fine dining at Ania’s Table in the Lumière with Inspirato. And of course, a day spent on the slopes or beside the fireplace is always good.

Locally, the holiday festivities kick off on Dec. 6 with Noel Night, an opportunity to sample all the Telluride scene has to offer. Stores and boutiques stay open late to accommodate shopping for everyone on your “nice” list and provide unique discounts, fun games and tasty treats. Enjoy, too, the ceremonial lighting of the Ski Tree in Elks Park, a special event that brings the whole town together. Next up, on Dec. 9-10, comes the Holiday Prelude in Mountain Village, an extravaganza with fun for the whole family. Ice-skating, photos with Santa, a scavenger hunt, train rides, tree-lighting and more ensure that the little ones will feel all the holiday cheer and magic of the mountains.

There’s also a plethora of arts and entertainment available throughout December. For starters, Telluride Arts hosts its annual Holiday Bazaar Dec. 1-3 that showcases treasures from regional artisans and makers. Add to this Telluride Choral Society’s WinterSing concert Dec. 8-10, Palm Arts’ winter recital, A Frozen Story, Dec. 9 and 10, and Telluride Theatre’s holiday show (Dec. 14-17 and 21-23) and you have the makings of a festive month. Meanwhile, the Sheridan Opera House invites all to the Sheridan Foundation Holiday Concert Series, with nightly music from Dec. 2731, culminating in a New Year’s Eve Gala.

To help you get even further into the holiday spirit, there are torchlight parades on the Telluride Ski Resort Christmas Eve on the Telluride side of the mountain and New Year’s Eve on both the Telluride and Mountain Village sides, with fireworks in Mountain Village. After dark, bundle up and watch skiers and snowboarders carrying brightly lit torches make their way down the slopes in a longstanding tradition that’s also an impressive feat. Festive ways to ring in 2024 on Dec. 31 are the Silver Ball at Telluride Arts HQ or the Ah Haa School’s Launchpad Dinner. And, just before midnight on New Year’s Eve, be sure to gather amongst the local community in front of the historic San Miguel County Courthouse for the countdown to 2024. Cue the confetti, kiss a loved one and revel in the moment … maybe even a snowflake or two will fall, closing out the holiday experience with a final sprinkling of cheer, a gift from our beloved box canyon.