The magic of the holidays comes from more than the gifts you give and get. It’s the feeling you get when you see the sparkle in your children’s eyes, it’s the way the snowy landscape seems to bring peace to your soul, and it comes from that child hidden deep inside you, the one that still believes in Santa Claus. West Yellowstone is a small town, and the families that live here year round celebrate the holidays in much the same ways they are celebrated all around the world and when your journey brings you to our doorstep for Christmas, you will discover a magic that speaks louder than gifts. This guide to our holiday events in West Yellowstone and your stay in our Sweet Home Montana holiday hideaways will show you how this Christmas will shine bright with all the magic it brings to those who believe.
Decorated for the Holidays
The shops and boutiques of West Yellowstone are special during normal times. But at Christmas? All decked out for the holidays, their colorful lights shimmering against the snow covered landscape and the sales they offer will make it easy to cross all the names off your Christmas shopping list. Buy your sister the homemaker something for the home from Sweet Pea Living, fill all your stockings with treats purchased from the Sweet Palace (they call themselves the World’s Greatest Candy Store and we wholeheartedly agree) and bring everyone home a souvenir tee shirt from Yellowstone T-shirt Company, all of which are open year round. Dancing Moose Gifts offers a great selection of toys, supplementing those that Santa leaves for your children.
West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll
The West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll is an event we can’t help but love, looking forward to it 364 days out of the year. (On the 365th day we are too busy enjoying all the fun we are having at this wonderful event.) Offering all the magic of Christmas, visitors can expect to find holiday backdrops in front of which the most festive of family selfies will be taken, arts and crafts booths that will allow your children to discover the joy of creating gifts for their parents, and maybe even meet Sparky, the Fire Dog. Rumor has it Santa is scheduled to take a break from his very busy Christmas preparations, and the games and activity booths will bring their own joy to the celebration. Also offering firemen reading Christmas stories and holiday food that includes S’mores stations set up throughout the area, the West Yellowstone Christmas Stroll is a magical event that offers moments that glimmer for everyone who attends.
Your Christmas with Sweet Home Montana
For many visitors, the choice to travel at Christmas lies in the realization that Christmas at home has lost its sparkle. Stores that start hawking Christmas before summer has even ended, the days spent trying to outdo the neighbor’s holiday displays (when did holiday decorating become a competition instead of a natural display of our love for Christmas?) and the cleaning, the cooking, the shopping, and fighting the crowds. The magic may have faded long ago, but in West Yellowstone you will find it once again. Our town is a small one, serving as the gateway to one of the most famous parks in the world, and at Christmas, the crowds will be gone, leaving behind happy families celebrating in all the best ways, and you and yours will be celebrating right alongside them, discovering beauty in simplicity and adding new traditions to your holiday adventures.
The Differences Are Clear
Even as many of your holiday traditions will stay the same, reading Christmas stories before bed, staying up late to put together complicated toys, and the sound of excited whispers when your kids awaken before the sun and discuss amongst themselves when it will be ok to wake you and start opening presents, the differences will be clear and wonderful. Your Sweet Home Montana escape will be in pristine condition, eliminating the need to deep clean for grumpy extended family members who never appreciate your efforts in the first place. You will have the choice of preparing your Christmas feast or skipping the tradition altogether and heading to local restaurants that will be open. (Hank’s Chop Shop is one of our favorites and is usually open on Thanksgiving and Christmas.) And for our guests who are not fortunate to live in an area where snow falls, waking to a landscape blanketed in snow will add an extra layer of festive to your Christmas celebrations.
Reserve Your Favorite Sweet Home Montana Holiday Hideaway Today
Magic and memories await you in our cozy escapes, starting a tradition that will be cherished for years to come.
There are some places in this world where the term fall may not be understood, as the seasons rarely change, and summer springs eternal, and if a spicy summer getaway is what you are looking to enjoy in the fall months, you aren’t going to find it in West Yellowstone. What you will find, however, is a chilly portrait of the season complete with smoke coming out chimneys, the leaves on the trees turning a fiery array of colors, and maybe even a touch of frost upon the ground in the early morning hours. If this is what your idea of a fall vacation should look like, your fall journey to West Yellowstone and stay in our Home Sweet Montana seasonal sanctuaries will make all your vacation dreams come true, and this guide to the top fall events in West Yellowstone will help you fill in the blank spots on your vacation itinerary.
West Yellowstone Community Market, Thursdays in September, Museum of the Yellowstone Front Lawn
This non-profit organization celebrates the works of local artists and the products of local farmers, making Thursdays our favorite day of the week. Every other day of the week the Museum of the Yellowstone tells the history of our Montana town, but on Thursday evenings, the front lawn shines with products and produce of the now. Offering visitors the opportunity to find some of the most unusual souvenirs to help remind them of the fantastic times they had in West Yellowstone while also helping our guests stock the pantries and refrigerators of their Home Sweet Montana seasonal sanctuaries. The future is bright for the artists and farmers of our community and your future promises to be more colorful and tasteful after an exploration of the products offered for sale at the West Yellowstone Community Market.
Chili Cookoff, September 29, Povah Community Center, 10 Geyser Street
The foods of fall are our favorite and this Chili Cookoff, sponsored by Yellowstone Baptist Church offers the perfect way to kick off the season. Everybody has their own ideas on what makes a chili the best chili, and some may prefer their bowl of goodness so hot and spicy it brings tears to their eyes. Others prefer less spice but more meat, and although most chili connoisseurs prefer their chili to be thick, rich, and filled with flavor, there may be some culinary artists that think a thinner, more brothlike dish is the very best. Whatever your preference, every chili in the contest has something that makes it stand out and who knows? Maybe you will get some ideas on how to improve upon your own chili after tasting the delicious bowls of this spicy competition.
Yellowstone Ski Festival, November 28, Rendezvous Ski Trails
Yellowstone is famous for being the site of the first National Park, but did you know that our little part of paradise is known for its cross country skiing and for 40 years, Nordic skiers from all over the country (and Canada) make their way to the Rendezvous Ski Trails for the Yellowstone Ski Festival. Offering skiing clinics, competitive races, and classes that can help you improve your cross country skills or help you develop a love for the sport that will never go away. The ski clinics are led by former Olympic skiers, many of which you may recognize their names, and although we are listing November 28 as the day of the festival, the events, clinics, races, and classes will occur all through Thanksgiving week, giving visitors many reasons to be thankful. Also offering a “Taste of the Trails” event that celebrates the foods prepared by local restaurants, giving the festival a delicious flavor you will love. Last year’s festival, however, was cancelled due to lack of snow, so if you are planning a Thanksgiving visit to Montana, you might want to check the weather if you are planning on attending.
Your Own Impromptu Events
Not every West Yellowstone event has to be a city or community sanctioned one, and some of your favorite fall events in West Yellowstone may be the ones that take place in your Home Sweet Montana vacation escape. Horror movie binge-a-thons over the Halloween holiday will be especially gory and frightening when watching on our state of the art televisions. Accompany your horror move fest with a feast of Halloween themed meals, including Mummy Dogs (hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough, mummy style, and baked until golden and delicious) and for dessert, a holiday classic, Dirt and Worms, made with chocolate pudding, crumbled Oreos, and gummy worms. However you spend your fall vacation in West Yellowstone, coming home to our seasonal sanctuaries will make this getaway one that you will never forget. Contact us and reserve your favorite escape today!