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Grand Geneva Resort Sets the Mood for a Grand Christmas Holiday Spirit

Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva is one of the Midwest’s top vacation destinations for holiday fun with its annual Christmas in the Country experience. This cherished holiday resort tradition features over-the-top holiday décor, private igloo dining, breakfasts with Santa, a heated Trolley Tour of Lights and the option of having a decorated Christmas tree in your hotel room. New this year is a jumbo gingerbread display of its beautiful ski hill.

In addition, the city of Lake Geneva is full of holiday charm and programming, with wonderful Midwest holiday hospitality. Here is a rundown of what is on Santa’s list this year (and yes, you may catch him swimming and skiing if you’re lucky):

• Grand Geneva officially kicks off the season with its annual Illumination celebration featuring holiday displays, lights, animated designs, grand Christmas trees, and plenty of photo opportunities to capture the holiday cheer.

•There’s a tree in the grand hotel, and one in your room as well. For a modest extra charge, guests can have the resort’s holiday elves add a little magic to their stay at Grand Geneva or its on-site sister property, Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark, by adding a holiday tree to their room. Travelers will enjoy a fully decorated tree in their guestroom upon arrival, complete with ornaments, ribbon topper and an ornament to cherish at home (take-home ornament available at Grand Geneva only). It’s all the Christmas cheer with none of the cleanup!

•Trolley Tour of Lights: For some traditional holiday fun, visitors can hop aboard the heated and enclosed Grand Geneva trolley for a tour around the resort’s dazzling light displays and decorations, including the beloved 12 Days of Christmas animated display. For those who miss the trolley, visitors can take their own car down Grand Geneva Way, starting at Hwy 50.

•An Igloo Experience. Baby, it’s cold outside but cozy inside one of Grand Geneva’s igloos. Offered at the resort’s Embers Terrace, visitors can reserve a private igloo for festive dining, holiday drinks, and gathering with friends and family. This fun winter experience is available for up to 6 guests for a 90-min reservation.

•Brunch with the Big Guywill take place on select dates in in December. Designed for children, families enjoy brunch served tableside.

•Santa Mail: Speaking of the big guy, guests and visitors may take advantage of Grand Geneva’s magical mailbox and drop off letters to Santa Claus. Located in the resort’s main lobby, Santa’s helpers collect the mail daily at 3pm to mail it to the North Pole. The best part? Santa takes time out of his busy schedule to send a message back.

•Gingerbread House Walk: Area residents, in amateur, professional, adult and child categories, display their sugary masterpieces beginning November 19 through the holidays, creating a Gingerbread House Walk on the upper level in the resort’s Ristorante Brissago foyer. Judges from United Way of Walworth County and Grand Geneva will award cash prizes for the top three overall winners in five different age groups. New this year: The resort will feature its very own Gingerbread display of its Ski Chalet on a 3x3 ft board. The sugary sweet ski display is made with 50+ lbs. of flour, 3 gallons of molasses, 6 dozen eggs, 12 lbs. of butter, 20 lbs. of brown sugar, and lots of colorful candy.

•Where Santa Goes to Splash & Swim: Grand Geneva’s resort campus is also home to sister-property Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark. This all-suite resort features rooms with kitchens and extra space, plus its very own indoor waterpark where it is always a warm 86 degrees. A perfect holiday escape for families, the resort also offers Breakfast with Santa, plus holiday hotel package deals. Santa has previously been spotted taking a swim at Timber Ridge, and on December 22 and 23, he will be taking a relaxing break and greeting guests in his very own Santa cabana in Timber Ridge’s Moose Mountain Falls.

•Grand Geneva’s The Mountain Top is one of the country’s top family-friendly ski hills. The perfect ski and snowboard hill for beginners, it is slated to open for the season Dec. 16. It is also one of Santa’s favorite slopes, and he will make an appearance at the ski chalet a few times this holiday season!

•In case the weather outside is frightful, there are plenty of other delightful family-friendly activities to enjoy, including holiday movie nights, ornament painting, gingerbread house decorating, and other fun holiday crafting and games.

Grand Geneva’s Midwest Holiday Hospitality by the Numbers

•2 million twinkling lights

•6 weeks of celebration

•50lbs of flour for an oversized ski chalet gingerbread display

•1 set of skis for Santa

•7 igloos

•32ft outdoor Christmas tree with 24,500+ lights

•1 Santa cabana

•50+ gingerbread houses on display

•70 holiday light displays, including 14 animated

•66 indoor holiday trees

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