Over the top Christmas destination within 5 hours

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A close suggestion would be the Canaan Valley in WV though you might have a hard time finding a rental at this point. We went last year with kids 2 & 5 and it was wonderful!

Tons to do:

Timberline Ski resort

Canaan Valley Ski Resort: downhill skiing/tubing/snowboarding/some cross country skiing/snowshoeing/hiking

White Grass (cross country skiing, very fun, snow pile area for kids to hang when needing a break, local beer outside, fire pits, lots of friendly local people.

Blackwater Falls State park: amazing sled run (our favorite part!!!), can rent xc skis or snowshoes, snow hiking.

That's about 2.5-3 hours from DC.

Beyond that....Williamsburg is delightful, NYC is super busy but lovely, Lake placid may be a little too far with your range but is supposed to be one of the best spots for a snowy, christmas, hallmark-like trip. Personally, we are traveling to Quebec City by car and it's like Christmas heaven lol so we are pumped but you would want to go for prolly a week if driving as it is quite far.

I was in West VA last month and NO ONE (including employees in our hotel) had masks on. Not one guest at the breakfast buffet had a mask on. Same with those in elevators. And the hotel staff informed us that they were not vaccinated. I am not sure if this matters to you but it made us on edge.

[Anonymous]

Ugh WVa

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have no family to celebrate with this Christmas so I want to take the kids somewhere very over the top, like Hallmark channel Christmas worthy. Can you recommend anywhere within 4 to 5 hour drive?

Does this mean you want a small town that is decorated to the hilt and do Christmasy/winter things like:
Go sledding
Decorate cookies
Cut down a tree
Make Christmas ornaments and decorate the tree
Go caroling
Drink hot spice cider
Find a future spouse, preferably an old beau
Wrap homemade presents
Go to a tree lighting ceremony in the town square
Make a gingerbread house
Play board games
Go Ice skating
Have some hot chocolate
Shop at a Christmas market

What am I missing?

LOL
Depending on age of kids, you can add:

Find a new dad for your adorable son, who will promptly fall in love with "New Dad" who calls him "Sport"
Have some tension with your tween daughter who does not want "New Dad" but then will come around when New Dad proposes to mom on Christmas Eve and she sees the magic of their relationship (doesn't hurt that New Dad is taking all of them AND her 3 best girlfriends to Hawaii for a "FamilyMoon"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:New York. See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Nutcracker, stay in a great hotel ...

This is fun for kids (depending upon their age). Will you need to prove vaccination though. Are tickets still available?

Plus, they can walk alot, which makes them tired/sleepy at night.

If I were you, I would do this, and take the train.

Yeah I’m taking my 8 and 12 for two days at Christmas. Thinking the 19-21- the last weekend before Christmas, peak holiday excitement. Do Radio City Music Hall, 5th Avenue for the window displays and lights, maybe hot chocolate at Tavern on the Green. We took them for 3 days this summer and they loved it so I think a couple days at Christmas would be so fun for them. Christmas in New York City is just special.

[Anonymous]

For those of us willing to fly- where do you all suggest to find a magical Christmas experience

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of us willing to fly- where do you all suggest to find a magical Christmas experience

Probably Montreal. Idk. Vail?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have no family to celebrate with this Christmas so I want to take the kids somewhere very over the top, like Hallmark channel Christmas worthy. Can you recommend anywhere within 4 to 5 hour drive?

Does this mean you want a small town that is decorated to the hilt and do Christmasy/winter things like:
Go sledding
Decorate cookies
Cut down a tree
Make Christmas ornaments and decorate the tree
Go caroling
Drink hot spice cider
Find a future spouse, preferably an old beau
Wrap homemade presents
Go to a tree lighting ceremony in the town square
Make a gingerbread house
Play board games
Go Ice skating
Have some hot chocolate
Shop at a Christmas market

What am I missing?

LOL
Depending on age of kids, you can add:

Find a new dad for your adorable son, who will promptly fall in love with "New Dad" who calls him "Sport"
Have some tension with your tween daughter who does not want "New Dad" but then will come around when New Dad proposes to mom on Christmas Eve and she sees the magic of their relationship (doesn't hurt that New Dad is taking all of them AND her 3 best girlfriends to Hawaii for a "FamilyMoon"

You forgot to mention Old Dad died young and mom is a widow who had no interest in meeting someone new. When she moved to a rural old farmhouse to start her goat cheese farm, she has NO idea it would be so tough. And then the goats got sick! Luckily the new young vet in town does house calls. He didn’t even mind when she accidentally stuck her foot in the milk bucket and fell into his arms accidentally

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New York. See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Nutcracker, stay in a great hotel ...

Was going to say the same thing - stay at the Plaza Hotel and just for kicks one night, watch Home Alone 2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A close suggestion would be the Canaan Valley in WV though you might have a hard time finding a rental at this point. We went last year with kids 2 & 5 and it was wonderful!

Tons to do:

Timberline Ski resort

Canaan Valley Ski Resort: downhill skiing/tubing/snowboarding/some cross country skiing/snowshoeing/hiking

White Grass (cross country skiing, very fun, snow pile area for kids to hang when needing a break, local beer outside, fire pits, lots of friendly local people.

Blackwater Falls State park: amazing sled run (our favorite part!!!), can rent xc skis or snowshoes, snow hiking.

That's about 2.5-3 hours from DC.

Beyond that....Williamsburg is delightful, NYC is super busy but lovely, Lake placid may be a little too far with your range but is supposed to be one of the best spots for a snowy, christmas, hallmark-like trip. Personally, we are traveling to Quebec City by car and it's like Christmas heaven lol so we are pumped but you would want to go for prolly a week if driving as it is quite far.

I was in West VA last month and NO ONE (including employees in our hotel) had masks on. Not one guest at the breakfast buffet had a mask on. Same with those in elevators. And the hotel staff informed us that they were not vaccinated. I am not sure if this matters to you but it made us on edge.

Nyc is all masked. No drama or anything. Everyone just wears a mask. No big deal. It is relaxing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New York. See the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Nutcracker, stay in a great hotel ...

THis. Broadway shows are cheap now, as are hotels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have no family to celebrate with this Christmas so I want to take the kids somewhere very over the top, like Hallmark channel Christmas worthy. Can you recommend anywhere within 4 to 5 hour drive?

Does this mean you want a small town that is decorated to the hilt and do Christmasy/winter things like:
Go sledding
Decorate cookies
Cut down a tree
Make Christmas ornaments and decorate the tree
Go caroling
Drink hot spice cider
Find a future spouse, preferably an old beau
Wrap homemade presents
Go to a tree lighting ceremony in the town square
Make a gingerbread house
Play board games
Go Ice skating
Have some hot chocolate
Shop at a Christmas market

What am I missing?

LOL
Depending on age of kids, you can add:

Find a new dad for your adorable son, who will promptly fall in love with "New Dad" who calls him "Sport"
Have some tension with your tween daughter who does not want "New Dad" but then will come around when New Dad proposes to mom on Christmas Eve and she sees the magic of their relationship (doesn't hurt that New Dad is taking all of them AND her 3 best girlfriends to Hawaii for a "FamilyMoon"

You forgot to mention Old Dad died young and mom is a widow who had no interest in meeting someone new. When she moved to a rural old farmhouse to start her goat cheese farm, she has NO idea it would be so tough. And then the goats got sick! Luckily the new young vet in town does house calls. He didn’t even mind when she accidentally stuck her foot in the milk bucket and fell into his arms accidentally

I believe there also has to be some sort of contest involved -- cookie decorating, tree decorating, etc.
Also, aren't you supposed to save some sort of failing family business? which is being threatened by some sort of multinational conglomerate? also, lots of CHristmas caroling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of us willing to fly- where do you all suggest to find a magical Christmas experience

Fairmont Banff Springs
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise


For OP, we do something similar every year, and I've always had Lake Placid and Mont Tremblant on my list, but haven't done them yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those of us willing to fly- where do you all suggest to find a magical Christmas experience

If you want to stay in North America, then I suggest Old Quebec City. It exceeded all of our expectations. My kids still talk about that trip all the time.

[Anonymous]

Equinox in Manchester, VT…that’s the town where Alec and Hilaria are vacationing. Equinox is a historic inn. There are tons of houses to rent, plus other inns.

[Anonymous]

Richmond.

Google tacky Christmas light tour; I think this is last year's list: https://richmond.com/holiday/tacky-lights/

You can also search for this on YouTube. There are even private tour companies that will drive you around to all of them. Tacky Christmas lights have been a thing in Richmond since I was a kid growing up there and many of the same houses do it. I mean like millions of lights on one house. And it's more than one house, much more.

The Discovery channel even did a special on them years ago.