Holiday Recommendations
Folks, Christmas is just around the corner and yes, you don’t necessarily have to spend it at home. After all, the world’s your oyster – go and find your pearl! I have what I think are the best holiday hotspots that are out there that have a little something for everybody. Some are here in the States while others are international in location. My picks for where to spend your Christmas are:
Taos, NM
Why Go There: This remote village on a high desert plain is especially magical at Christmas, thanks to its rich mix of cultural traditions. Not to miss: historic Ledoux Street all lit up with luminarias(paper lanterns); the ceremonial reenactments of Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter, called posadas; and the dramatic American Indian Christmas Eve celebration that takes over the main square in Taos Pueblo. Plus, you can ski all day long on Christmas Day at Taos Ski Resort, 18 miles away.
Holiday Dinner: On twinkling Ledoux Street, the seven-table hideaway Byzantium will offer its new winter menu—with dishes like shrimp ceviche and grilled pork scaloppine with apple, cabbage, and mustard-seed compote—beginning at 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Reservations are a must.
Stocking Stuffers: For locally produced, mostly silver jewelry, including traditional American Indian styles, head to Mesa’s Edge, just off the plaza. Or, stop by Kimosabefor cowboy and American Indian and Spanish colonial folk art collectibles.
San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
Why Go There: The Spanish colonial gem and cultural hot spot in central Mexico is electric at Christmas, with theatrical processions around town, numerous posadasreenactments, and fireworks, live music, and dancing in the main square, El Jardín. Don’t miss a taste of ponche, a kind of Mexican hot toddy made of fruits and brandy, or the sweet bread rosca de reyes, both Christmas specialties.
Holiday Dinner: There’s no dining setting more spectacular than La Capilla, located in the centuries-old “chapel” behind the main cathedral. This year, its Christmas menu includes delicate crêpes with huitlacochemushrooms and fresh house-made goat cheese; roasted lamb chops with sour orange and coriander sauce; and pork loin stuffed with fig and chipotle chutney.
Stocking Stuffers: Pay a visit to art and design center Fabrica La Aurora, the 1902-built former textile factory that’s home to artists’ studios, galleries, and a wealth of shops selling housewares, antiques, ceramics, jewelry, and other treasures. For edibles, pick up hand-painted Mexican chocolates and pecan meringues at the atmospheric boutique at La Capilla (above).
Tromso, Norway
Why Go There: The snowy city island of Tromso offers unparalleled views of the northern lights (look for them between 6 p.m. and midnight) and a chance to say you’ve been to the North Pole—well, the Arctic Circle, anyway—for Christmas. Plus, there’s dogsledding, great food, and a mountaintop cable car. Here, “day” is just a couple hours of twilight blue.
Holiday Dinner: Go to the Clarion for a traditional Norwegian Christmas dinner at its restaurant, Astro. The chef will serve pinnekjøtt, cured lamb ribs, served with puréed rutabaga and boiled potatoes; and ribbe, a crispy version of spareribs, accompanied by Christmas sausage, apples, prunes, and red cabbage.
Stocking Stuffers: Norwegian chain Husfliden is the place to go for traditional clothing, including bunads (the Norwegian national costume) and handwoven sweaters. Blast, a glassblowing studio, sells the wares of its three resident artists.
Key West, FL
Why Go There: Good cheer and warm temperatures are typically Key West’s winning attributes, and Christmas is no exception. The trimmed palm trees, done-up historic inns (tours Dec. 11, 12, 18, and 19), and four festooned blocks of boats along the historic waterfront (the “Bight Before Christmas”) only amplify the town’s merriment.
Holiday Dinner: Housed in a 1906 Victorian manse, Nine One Five’s holiday menu mixes tapas (bacon-wrapped dates; duck liver pâté) with entrées such as Soul Mama seafood soup and mushroom risotto. Open Christmas Day 6–9 p.m.
Stocking Stuffers: Bésame Mucho is your best bet for sensual gifts like perfume or handwoven shopping bags made from palm fronds. Despite its moniker, local department store Fast Buck Freddie’s stocks tasteful—and sometimes whimsical—housewares and clothing.
Chicago
Why Go There: The Windy City embraces yuletide cheer to the max, with a million holiday lights along bustling Magnificent Mile; Christkindlmarket, a huge outdoor German crafts market with beer and fare like sausages to stoke your fire; a towering handmade Christmas tree; and Navy Pier’s Winter WonderFest, a holiday-themed amusement park and indoor skating rink.
Holiday Dinner: Cozy wine-driven eatery the Cellar at Bin 36 is serving its creative, locally sourced menu ($110) from 5 p.m. on Christmas Day. Starter highlights like semolina-crusted soft-shell crab and Applewood smoked bacon sausage are followed by the likes of a star-anise duck-leg confit with crispy potato Rösti, grilled Angus New York strip steak with truffled celery purée, and wild-mushroom and Gruyère cannelloni. Expert wine pairings are, of course, de rigueur.
Stocking Stuffers: The Chicago Architecture Foundation Shop is a must for Chicago-centric fare like Frank Lloyd Wright notecards, Lego sets of iconic buildings, or a round Chicago-sewer doormat.
Vienna, Austria
Why Go There: An old-fashioned warmth envelops Vienna at Christmas, softening the hard edges of imperial architecture with twinkling decorations and three outdoor Christkindlmarkts, which are best visited at night. Vendors sell crafts and ornaments, while visitors fuel their shopping with finger food and a glass of spiced mulled wine, or glühwein. And the Vienna Boys’ Choir gives free concerts Sundays at 9:15 a.m.
Holiday Dinner: Eight, the Ring’s acclaimed restaurant, is offering four- and five-course Christmas menus (from $128) with a choice of two entrées: roe deer loin with macadamia-nut brioche dumplings and port wine red cabbage, or truffle-crusted turbot with pumpkin orzo.
Stocking Stuffers: Seek out the confectionary Demel for chocolates, Sacher torte (supposedly made according to the original court recipe), marzipan, and pastries, and be sure to check out the marzipan museum in the basement. Loden-Plankl is the only place in town to go for traditional Austrian garb, from lederhosen to wool capes.
Quebec City
Why Go There: Lit-up cobblestone streets, 16th- and 17th-century stone houses, and lots and lots of snow make Quebec’s 400-year-old walled city an atmospheric and European-like place to be at Christmas. Quebec’s good cheer and great food could make you remember you love winter after all.
Holiday Dinner: Serving traditional Québécois cuisine based on 17th-century French recipes, Aux Anciens Canadiens is offering its main menu on Christmas Day from 5 p.m. Appetizer highlights include foie gras au torchon on a baguette and scallops and prawns in a white-wine sauce, while entrées run the gamut from a vegetable terrine to filet mignon of wild caribou. (Prix fixe $36-$79, depending on the main course, or à la carte.)
Stocking Stuffers: Step back in time with a visit to Maison Jean-Alfred Moisan grocery, a 140-year-old Vieille Quebec mainstay. For Québécois clothes, try La Maison Simons department store, and for hand-wrought ceramics, Boutique Pauline Pelletier is a good bet.
These and other quality Christmas destinations are available for you to check out, and Pioneer Travel, the official travel agency of Quality Vacations, has some pretty sweet deals to these and other locales, both here in the U.S. and elsewhere. to book or for more information, click here.
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