There's a strange thing about working a winter season: on Christmas morning, you're helping someone else's family have the best holiday of their lives.
You're teaching a seven-year-old to link turns while her grandparents cheer from the bottom of the run. You're fitting rental boots for a family of six who flew in for the week. You're pouring hot chocolate for a crowd that's all together, and you're not with yours.
It's beautiful, and some days it's hard! If you're feeling both, you're not doing seasonal life wrong.
We're not here to tell you exactly how to do the holidays. But we've worked a lot of them, and here's what's helped us and the people around us.
Notice what you love about the holidays
What helps us most is getting specific about what we actually love about the holidays, then finding a way to keep that piece, even if the rest looks different.
Ideas of specifics that you can bring into your season:
Certain meals or desserts. You can share with your new friends - maybe it’s their first time away from family.
Lighting candles, tree, etc. You can still decorate your room!
A morning or evening ritual for the holiday.
Maybe it's just being around people you love. Once you know what matters, you can protect that one thing instead of trying to recreate the whole holiday in the middle of peak season.
And there's something to appreciate in the work itself. Helping families have an amazing week together is a kind of holiday spirit too. Some of our favorite holiday memories are from the lift line, not the dinner table.
Plan early (because peak is peak)
The holidays land in the busiest stretch of the season, so the time to plan is now:
Schedule the call with family ahead of time. Pick a time that works around your shift so it's a real event, not a rushed parking lot FaceTime.
Tell your family which tradition matters to you, so they can include you. Open gifts together on video, eat the same meal at the same time, or have someone hold the phone up during the toast.
Get the supplies early. If your tradition needs a specific ingredient, decoration, or gift, buy it before the rush, especially if you live up the mountain.
Think about "Christmas in April." Plenty of seasonal workers celebrate with family when they're home for shoulder season. It still counts!
What's worked for our crews
These are things we've done or seen work. Take what fits:
Potlucks. The easiest holiday tradition there is. Nobody hosts the whole thing, and it works in staff housing, a crew house, or the break room. Friendsgiving the night before your Thanksgiving shift counts.
Low-effort gift games. A full Secret Santa can feel exhausting when you live forty minutes from a store and haven't done laundry in a week. A $10 white elephant, a sticker swap, handmade-only, or a kind note for each person can feel just as good.
On-the-job traditions. Festive gear on the hill, a crew photo at the top, hot chocolate in the shack after last chair.
A day-off celebration. Some crews celebrate on their first shared day off instead of the actual holiday.
Brand-new traditions. The midnight sled run, the terrible casserole, the New Year's Day dawn patrol. A few years from now, those might be the holidays you remember most.
If you're in Taos this season like us…
Taos is a special place to spend the holidays, even if you're working most of them.
A few things worth knowing:
Taos Plaza tree lighting is usually in early December, with carolers, hot chocolate, and lights on the plaza.
Farolito and bonfire nights around town, like Lighting Ledoux on Ledoux Street and bonfires on Bent Street, are a beautiful way to spend a December evening off.
Taos Pueblo's Christmas Eve procession with bonfires at sundown, and the Christmas Day dances, are sacred ceremonies that are sometimes open to visitors. Go respectfully, follow the Pueblo's rules (cameras and phones are typically not allowed), and check whether the Pueblo is open before you go.
Christmas Eve torchlight parades at TSV and Red River are a classic, often visible from the base even if you're working.
P.S. You might even be able to get to be a torch bearer - check with your mountain!!
Not in Taos? Most mountain towns have their own version. Check the local paper, the visitor center, or the community bulletin board at the coffee shop. Ask your friends and your manager too!
Protect your energy…
Holidays = PEAK SEASON! Protect yourself! AND enjoy the season
Skipping the party to sleep is allowed.
Set a holiday budget. Gifts, travel, and nights out add up fast during peak.
Check on your crew. The holidays are hard for a lot of people far from home. If someone seems off, invite them to the potluck.
If the season gets heavy, reach out. You can call or text 988 anytime. In New Mexico, the NM Crisis and Access Line is 1-855-662-7474.
Working the holidays doesn't mean losing them. It means figuring out what matters, planning a little early, and building something new with the people who chose this life alongside you.
What's your favorite holiday tradition from a season? Comment below, tag us on Instagram, or reply to our newsletter. We'd love to share it.
And if you want to plan next year's holidays (travel, time at home, and all) before the season starts, that's what the year map in the Shoulder Season Series is for.