All we want this holiday season is to spend time in Telluride. December is magical here, with fun and unique traditions, exquisite holiday decorations and, of course, the mountain. Here are a few of our favorite things about the holidays in Telluride.

Holiday Prelude

A series of joyful, family-friendly events, the Holiday Prelude begins on December 6 with Telluride’s Noel Night, a community event when hopeful gift-buyers scour the town’s funky, independent shops and boutiques looking for those perfect gifts. Retailers offer prizes and discounts, carolers serenade passers-by and Santa is on hand for the kids. In Mountain Village, the fun kicks off on December 16 and 17 and includes a North Pole Express train ride through the Village’s beautiful holiday decorations and lights, Santa’s Village at the Telluride Conference Center, shopping, live music, skaters at the ice rink, and more.

Ceremonial Ski Burn and the Ski Tree

Tops on everyone’s holiday wish list is, of course, snow. To ensure plenty of the white stuff each winter, Telluriders engage in a ceremonial ski burn, an offering to the old Norse god Ullr, a patron saint to skiers and boarders. The ritual takes place on Noel Night and coincides with the lighting of the town’s unique Christmas tree which is made of recycled skis donated by the community. It all goes down in Elks Park and is a night of good friends, music, laughter and fun.

Torchlight Parade

A truly unforgettable sight! Head to either the base of Lift 4 in Mountain Village, or anywhere in the town of Telluride, to see something you will remember forever: the Torchlight Parade. Skiers carrying red torches ski down the mountain both in Mountain Village on Misty Maidan, as fireworks set the night sky alight overhead, and on the Telluride side along Telluride Trail. The parade takes place on Christmas Eve, beginning at 7 p.m., and on New Year’s Eve at 6:30 p.m.

Main Street at Night 

Close your eyes and think of your perfect holiday scene. Are there twinkling lights? Garland? Snowcapped peaks? If your answers are yes, yes and yes, you need to see Telluride in December. Historic Main Street positively glows with holidays lights and decorations, as the largest concentration of 13,000- and 14,000-foot peaks in North American stand sentinel and the snowflakes fall gently in the frosty mountain air. Seriously, we sometimes just stand there, mouths agape at the stunning beauty of this town.

The Mountain

The award-winning Telluride Ski Resort is exceptional all winter long, but come the holiday season, things get warm and fuzzy too. With a holiday vibe all around and even Santa stepping into his bindings and carving a few turns, the slopes are positively joyful as families and friends gather to ski and snowboard, celebrating this most wonderful time of the year in the best way possible: together.