Are you listening? If this season finds you longing to ride amidst the jingle jangle of old-fashioned fun, Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory is the place to find your joy. Mt. Hood Adventure and Whiskey Creek Outfitters both offer the clip clop of horse-drawn rides to give you an authentic good time. From snowmobiling to snowshoeing, snowboarding at Timberline Lodge & Ski Area, night skiing at Mt. Hood Skibowl followed by a Black Diamond Extreme massage from The Spa at The Resort at The Mountain, winter adventure here will make your bells ring a ling-ling. Snow Tube at Summit Ski Area or break trail by moonlight, you get to ride Oregon's Endless Winter in every way that suits your style.

If you're a snow bunny (or love somebunny who is) the Villages of Mt. Hood invite you to venture out for a bite of rustic civilization of the best sort. Local eateries such as the Rendezvous Grill & Taproom, Skyway Bar and Grill and the Ice Axe Grill dish up regional fare such as salmon, bright winter veggies and fresh microbrews.  With a full tummy, settle down for a long winter's nap in one of the diverse vacation rentals that are close to the slopes and suited to perfection for your party, large or small. Whether your choice is to snuggle up by the fireplace with a good book from the novel Wy'East Book Shoppe, browse Mountain Sports for the latest boarder gear, or peruse the pinots at Andrea's Wine Gallery, unique shopping options abound. Great Winter Getaways are on everyone's wish list and Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory offers mountainous value throughout the season.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's our list that just might put Santa to shame.

1. Score unrestricted lift access to both Timberline Ski Area and Mt. Hood Skibowl with The Fusion Pass

2. Sweeten the deal with hand-crafted confections from Canby's own Puddin' River or Ladybug Chocolates
3. Give yourself (and a couple dozen of your best friends) the chance to bond big time at Silcox Hut

4. Splash and giggle your way to a seriously good time on the water with eNRG Kayaking

5. Have a bumperload of fun at Family Fun Center & Bullwinkle's Restaurant in Wilsonville

6. Stuff those stockings with Bob's Red Mill gift packs of gluten free goodies

7. Get things cooking with a lesson from the pros at In Good Taste or Terrace Kitchen in Lake Oswego

8. Keep toasty with a Pendleton blanket - it doesn't get any more "Oregon" than this

9. Dream Ridge Stable turns you loose on BLM trails with a friendly filly and a personal guide

10. Live large with an unforgettable Skydive Oregon jump

Favorite 5 Country Farms 5th Annual Holiday Tour invites you to button up your overcoat, put on your boots and travel back to a simpler way of life on the weekends of November 27 - 29, December 4-6 and 11-13. Take these country roads at your own pace. You will encounter baby alpaca, fetch fresh greenery to properly "festivate" your home and maybe even discover the perfect ornament or piece of artwork for which you've been longing. On December 12 and 13, the pioneers at historic Philip Foster Farm create Christmas in the Country as settlers would have known it in the 1800s. Santa's in the parlor for photos, Christmas carols and traditional music are played throughout the day. Christmas trees, wreathes, historic books, toys and home-made crafts are yours for the buying. Free hot cider and cookies will get you warmed up for the self-guided Christmas Parlour Tour that takes place the same weekend in Historic Oregon City and West Linn. Twelve different historic sites will be lavishly decorated for the holidays, with styles ranging from Classical to Colonial. Pre-sale tickets are available at the Oregon City Antique Mall. Up Rhododendron way, Christmas Along the Barlow Trail includes traditional caroling, storytelling, folk music, and horse-drawn wagon rides.

This week I've had numerous conversations with some of Mt. Hood Territory's Christmas Tree Farmers. Tree farming is a time-honored profession here in Oregon, and we are blessed with great growing conditions and a group of dedicated folk who see to it that people from Wasilla, Alaska to Washington D.C. are able to have just the kind of iconic Christmas tree we all dream of, be that Noble, Douglas or Grand Fir. As with farming every where, there is a tremendous amount of work that goes into those efforts. We want to spread the word about the place where many of America's Christmas trees are grown as well as the people who grow them. So, we've created a photo contest where you can enter to win a trip to Oregon's Mt. Hood Territory, a blog where you can share experiences about your Christmas tree selection and decoration traditions, and a site where you can read about some of the environmental aspects of tree cultivation. We are also collecting stories from the people who grow the trees and those they partner with who bring the trees to the markets so that we can eventually take them to our own homes. One of those growers is Snowline Tree Farm in Molalla, where they are so eager for the holidays they get things rolling the weekend before Thanksgiving. The family describes a picture-perfect U-Cut day, where hay rides, horse-petting, a sledding hill, wreath making table, warming stone fireplace in the barn, hot beverages and helpful teenagers to load your field-fresh tree onto your car as the farm dogs bid you farewell is too much to resist. I get my tree a bit later in the season, but I figure that just gives me more opportunity to decide which of the many local Choose-N-Cut places I get to discover as I do some fun investigation. If I don't see you on the farm, let me wish you the merriest of holidays and the best Mt. Hood Territory Christmas tree ever.

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