Christmas in St. George: The Holiday Events

Christmas in St. George has a particular character, and it comes down to the weather: this is one of the few places in the country where December is genuinely comfortable to be outside in.

The mild-winter advantage

While most of the United States is enduring its lights displays, here you can walk around one in a jumper. December days are mild, sunny and dry, and the evenings are cool rather than punishing.

That single fact shapes the whole season. Outdoor events are pleasant rather than an act of endurance, walking through a display is something you actively want to do, and the red rock against a low winter sun is at its best in these months.

It is also why the town's winter population swells — a great many people are here specifically because December is like this.

What the season looks like

Light displays are the centrepiece, and the town square and civic areas are the focus. Being able to walk around them comfortably is the difference from most of the country.

Tuacahn, the outdoor amphitheatre set against red cliffs in Ivins, stages a Christmas production, which is the most distinctive seasonal thing in the area — the setting does a great deal of work.

Community events, concerts and markets run through December, and the town's small scale makes them easy to reach.

The parks stay open and comfortable. This is worth stating plainly: you can hike in Snow Canyon on Christmas Eve in perfectly pleasant conditions. Zion in winter is a quieter, colder and for many people a better experience than Zion in July.

Specific programming, dates and ticketing vary from year to year, so check current listings once your dates are fixed. The pattern is reliable; the particulars are not.

Planning a Christmas visit

Book accommodation ahead. December is a popular month here, and the winter-resident influx means rooms and rentals are in demand for reasons unrelated to the holiday.

Expect quiet Sundays, plus reduced hours around the holidays themselves. This is a heavily Latter-day Saint community and the rhythm of the week is real; plan meals rather than improvising.

Pack for a proper range. Winter days here are mild and winter nights are cold, and the desert loses heat fast once the sun is down. If you are driving to Bryce or Cedar Breaks, you are going somewhere thousands of feet higher and considerably colder.

Check road conditions if you plan to go north or to higher elevations. St. George itself rarely has weather problems; the high country does.

Why it suits certain travellers

Well: anyone who wants Christmas without cold; families visiting relatives among the region's large retired population; travellers combining the holiday with hiking or golf, both of which are comfortable in December.

Less well: anyone wanting snow and a traditional white Christmas. You will need to drive to higher ground for that — Brian Head and the Cedar Mountain area are the nearest snow, well within reach for a day.

A local note

If someone suggests meeting for a drink in the run-up to Christmas, they may well mean dirty soda — a soft drink mixed with cream and syrups, sold from drive-throughs. The category began in St. George, where Swig opened its first location in April 2010, and in a community where many people drink neither alcohol nor coffee, these shops do the social work a café or bar does elsewhere. Seasonal versions appear in December.

The honest summary

Christmas here trades snow for comfort, and for a great many people that is a good trade. The lights are walkable, the trails are open, the golf courses are running, and the red rock in low winter light is as good as this landscape gets.