While the rest of California hangs twinkling lights on palm trees and dresses up in Santa-colored surfing gear, the residents of Lake Tahoe pride themselves on celebrating the winter holidays properly. You won’t find any furry, red-and-white bikinis here, but you will find plenty of holiday cheer for revelers of all ilks and ages.
Families
- In the week before Christmas, families should head for Northstar-at-Tahoe so the kids can meet Santa at the shops in Northstar Village from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. each day. A few days later, the whole clan can head out for a guided moonlight snowshoe tour with Northstar’s trusty guides (Dec. 28 and 29 at 5 p.m.; reservations: 530/452-7278). Tours last approximately two hours and cover about four miles, but it’s not as arduous as it sounds: In addition to shuffling through the snow under the light of the full moon, snowshoers get to enjoy live acoustic music, s’mores over a bonfire, and hot chocolate. Squaw Valley hosts its own version of guided moonlight snowshoe tours on Dec. 29 and 30 (reservations: 530/583-6985).
Romantics
- Romantics considering a Christmas proposal should try to score one of the 170 rooms at the just-opened Ritz-Carlton Highlands at Northstar, Tahoe’s first five-star hotel. As with every Ritz-Carlton around the globe, opulence is the operative word here, from the hotel’s 55-foot-tall granite fireplace to its 17,000-square-foot spa and fitness center. Room rates around the holidays start at a staggering $700 a night, so if your love is much larger than your bank account, scale down your ambitions to a table for two at Manzanita, the Ritz’s upscale restaurant. Pop the question over a bottle of bubbly and an entrée of Wolfe Ranch quail (530/562-3000, ritzcarlton.com).
Adventure Lovers
- If your beloved is of a more adventurous nature, there's nothing quite as amorous as dashing through the snow in a horse-drawn open sleigh. Snuggle up with your sweetie under a warm woolen blanket while Trigger and his friends trot through the white stuff. Watching the horses take apparent pleasure in their work is almost as much fun as enjoying the scenery. Depending on snow conditions, horse-drawn sleigh rides are usually available at The Resort at Squaw Creek on the North Shore (530/583-6300 or 800/327-3353, squawcreek.com) and at Stateline on the South Shore (775/588-2953, sleighride.com).
- If you'd rather have your sleigh pulled by a group of 10 strong and friendly Alaskan huskies, make a reservation with the panting pups at Wilderness Adventures. The dogs lope along at an average speed of about 14 miles per hour, which makes this is a great way to see the countryside. Dogsleds can accommodate two adults and two children with a maximum weight of 500 pounds per sled. If you have more people in your party, the company can run two or more sleds simultaneously. One-hour tours are offered daily at Sugar Bowl and the Resort at Squaw Creek, weather permitting. Reservations are required: 530/550-8133, tahoedogsledtours.com.
- For a ride that inspires a little more adrenaline, sign up for a snowmobile tour at Zephyr Cove on the South Shore or near Northstar-at-Tahoe on the North Shore. The best lake views are found on the Zephyr Cove two-hour tour (800/23-TAHOE, zephyrcove.com), in which riders climb to a ridgeline just shy of 9,000 feet to gaze down at Tahoe’s azure waters. The North Shore two-hour tour, which ascends to the summit of 8,200-foot Mount Watson, doesn’t skimp on the views either, but the big draw here is the possibility of signing up for longer, more challenging rides on over 100 miles of trails (530/546-4280, laketahoesnowmobilingtours.com).
Christmas Lovers
- Sticklers for holiday tradition won’t want to miss local performances of annual Christmas favorites in dance, theater, and music. The Reno Baroque Ensemble presents “Handel’s Messiah” at the Lakeside Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village, Dec. 19 at 7:30 p.m. (800/747-4697, renobaroque.org). Anyone exhibiting Scrooge-like tendencies during the holidays should buy a ticket for the Nevada Shakespeare Company’s “A Christmas Carol.” The curtain goes up on this Dickens’ classic at The Resort at Squaw Creek on Dec. 19 and Cal Neva Resort on Dec. 18 and 20 (775/232-4974, nevada-shakespeare.org). And it’s just not Christmas without sitting through at least one performance of “The Nutcracker.” The Reno Dance Company brings this sentimental, timeless ballet to Montbleu Resort and Casino on Dec. 19 and 20 (montbleuresort.com).
New Years Parties
- Looking for something a little more edgy? Every year, thousands of twenty-somethings show up for New Year’s Eve at Stateline, the South Shore’s annual over-the-top party extravaganza. This year the big event is hosted by Montbleu Resort and Casino and will feature more than 30,000 square feet of party space, live bands, and an overflowing abundance of neon-colored cocktails. With so many revelers and prolific alcohol, it’s unlikely that anybody will go unkissed at midnight (tickets: $50 advance, $75 at the door, montbleuresort.com).
- For a more sedate New Year’s celebration, head to High Camp at Squaw Valley USA for the Coast to Coast Gold and Silver New Year’s Eve. This “all-ages” party includes a cable car ride to 8,200-foot High Camp, ice-skating, dinner at the Poolside Café, and a champagne toast at midnight East Coast time—a bonus for the early-to-bed crowd (tickets: 530/452-7278, squawshop.com).
Photo Courtesy of Jeremy Swanson
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