There are plenty of reasons people dream about spending the holidays in Jackson Hole. By late December, ski season is underway, the Tetons are covered in snow and Teton Village fills the week with holiday events.
A Jackson Hole Christmas vacation can also be surprisingly easy to shape around your own pace. Spend the day skiing, head into the Village for something festive, take a sleigh ride through the National Elk Refuge or simply enjoy a slower evening in Jackson.
And if your trip carries through New Year’s Eve, the celebrations continue.
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Teton Village is the center for lots of Jackson Hole holiday events, especially during Jackson Hole Mountain Resort’s annual WinterFest.
For the 2026-27 holiday season, WinterFest runs from December 21 through January 3 with family activities, Christmas movies, cookie and gingerbread-house decorating, sledding, Nordic skiing and other events throughout the Village.
Christmas Eve brings one of the week’s signature traditions when Santa arrives at the Tram Dock via the Aerial Tram. On Christmas morning, he heads back onto the mountain for Ski With Santa.
Of course, you can also simply ski. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is open Christmas Day, making it easy to spend part of the holiday on the mountain before settling into a slower afternoon or evening.
Christmas week is one of the resort’s busiest periods, so lift tickets, rentals and lessons are worth arranging ahead of time.
Holiday events are only part of the experience. Jackson Hole in December is also a great time to enjoy some of the valley’s classic winter activities.
A horse-drawn sleigh ride through the National Elk Refuge is one of the standouts. Rides generally begin around mid-December and take visitors onto the refuge, where thousands of elk spend the winter.
From there, spend some time around downtown Jackson. Walk through Town Square, browse local shops and galleries, grab something warm to drink and find a spot for dinner.
It is an easy way to balance the bigger ski days and Teton Village events with something a little slower.
If you are staying through New Year’s Eve in Jackson Hole, Teton Village is once again the place to be.
The 2026 celebration includes an afternoon DJ, kids’ Glow Worm Parade, the resort’s traditional Torchlight Parade and fireworks over the Village.
The fireworks follow the Torchlight Parade at approximately 6 p.m., so you can enjoy the celebration without necessarily making it an all-night event.
And if you are staying at Tammah, you have another option for enjoying the show.
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Tammah feels especially cozy during the holidays.
Snow-covered domes, panoramic windows, a gas fireplace and the winter landscape outside create exactly the kind of setting people picture when they think about a cozy holiday trip to the Tetons.
Spend the day skiing or enjoying WinterFest, head into Jackson for a sleigh ride and dinner, then come back to your dome, turn on the fireplace and settle in for the evening.
The views are especially fun during the holidays. The Teton Village fireworks can be seen from the property on both of the holiday fireworks nights, so you may be able to watch the sky light up right from your dome.
That combination is what makes Tammah such a fun place to spend Christmas in Jackson Hole: you are close to the holiday events, skiing and celebrations happening around the valley, while still having a warm, distinctly Teton place to come home to at the end of the day.
