Vermont

Finding Christmas Spirit in Vermont

We all want snow right now, even if only for a few days. When snow falls in mid December, the child in us that hides as a grownup most of the time, feels safe to emerge, to want to play outside, and look skyward with our own children searching for the magical sleigh. But nowhere […]

By Mel Allen|Dec 16 2011| Print icon

The image shows The Vermont Country Store, a red wooden building decorated with wreaths and garlands, an American flag, and a sign indicating it is a family business. Snow is visible on the ground.

If you're on a diet, enter the Vermont Country Store at your own risk.

Credit: Mel Allen
We all want snow right now, even if only for a few days. When snow falls in mid December, the child in us that hides as a grownup most of the time, feels safe to emerge, to want to play outside, and look skyward with our own children searching for the magical sleigh. But nowhere do they want snow more than in the mountains. Skiing in the mountains of Vermont, for instance, is not just a recreation—it is a way of life and provides a living for hundreds of locals. Snow brings people to the mountain towns, and the people bring their money and that money keeps the economies in the small towns humming for months. And the people of Vermont have earned a right to a lucky winter.
Outdoor hot tub enclosed by a black fence with a "No Glass Allowed at Hot Tubs" sign, overlooking snowy slopes and forested hills under a clear blue sky.

Okemo’s Jackson Gore is praying for fresh snow.

Credit: Mel Allen
Okemo’s Jackson Gore is praying for fresh snow.
Credit: Mel Allen Last weekend we visited Okemo Mountain resort in Ludlow, Vermont and left time for a strolling sort of Sunday in Woodstock, about 30 miles away. I have been coming to Okemo since my sons first stood on skis over 20 years ago. It’s a big mountain with a big heart—and has never felt like a super heated resort with its Vermont character stripped away. Last year my son Josh spent his winter on Okemo’s slopes as a ski patrolman and blogged about his experiences. At this same time last year Okemo boasted 50 open trails, and most were corduroy perfect with great base. The weather this year has challenged even the most skilled snow makers. New England skiers know that if there’s going to be snow on a mountain anywhere it will be Okemo, that reputation lets them compete on equal footing with mountains with loftier steeps and even more expansive terrain. But we were looking at 5-9 trails tops, with the infamous New England boiler plate that sets your teeth on edge even if your metal edges are razor sharp.
Image of an indoor pool area with large windows looking out onto an outdoor pool and scenic hills. The setting is clean and spacious with a calm atmosphere.

Tropical waters are just a step away at Jackson Gore.

Credit: Mel Allen
Tropical waters are just a step away at Jackson Gore.
Credit: Mel Allen So was the mountain visit a loss? No, no , no. On a near full moon night we swam in an 86 degree outdoor pool, and then sunk into a 95+ degree (my guess) outdoor hot tub. I wasn’t really soothing tired skiing muscles but who would know? Maybe I was soothing my ego since a few hours earlier I had taken two runs on the Timber Ripper (think mountain roller coaster where you control the speed) and while I’d like to say I never touched the hand brake because I wanted to rip full throttle, some nervous tic in my hand must have forced it onto the brake a few times.
Steel track of an alpine coaster with wooden guardrails and a protective netting, extending through a forested area under clear blue skies.

Ascending the Timber Ripper.

Credit: Mel Allen
Ascending the Timber Ripper.
Credit: Mel Allen Or maybe I was simply soaking off a few too many “samples” that are always at hand at the Vermont Country Store in Weston.
The image shows The Vermont Country Store, a red wooden building decorated with wreaths and garlands, an American flag, and a sign indicating it is a family business. Snow is visible on the ground.

If you’re on a diet, enter the Vermont Country Store at your own risk.

Credit: Mel Allen
If you’re on a diet, enter the Vermont Country Store at your own risk.
Credit: Mel Allen
A display of preserves and condiments including apple salsa jars, horseradish bottles, an open jar with dip, and a can of common crackers on a shelf in a store.

A seemingly endless variety of crackers and dips await you.

Credit: Mel Allen
A seemingly endless variety of crackers and dips await you.
Credit: Mel Allen
A variety of colorful candies in glass jars with scoops. Labels identify the assortment, including gummy butterflies, green gummy frogs, and orange gummies.

Your sweet tooth will feel like it’s gone to heaven.

Credit: Mel Allen
Your sweet tooth will feel like it’s gone to heaven.
Credit: Mel Allen
The Sunday drive to Woodstock from Ludlow brought to life the power of the Black and Ottauquechee Rivers to tear apart lives during the late August flooding and the power of community and neighbors to keep going and rebuild. (Don’t miss Ian Aldrich’s compelling “Voices From the Flood” series.)
A blue bicycle is oddly lodged in a tree by the edge of a creek, next to a concrete wall. The creek flows over rocks and past bare trees.

Imagine the power of this water to deposit a bicycle so high.

Credit: Mel Allen
Imagine the power of this water to deposit a bicycle so high.
Credit: Mel Allen
Ludlow’s citizens and visitors have longed counted on their downtown Shaw’s for groceries. While the standing Shaw’s is still being readied—within days after the flood this tent city of provisions gave hope that rebuilding was just a matter of will and time.
Exterior of a Shaw's supermarket with a sign on a fence reading "WE'RE OPEN!" and "Seafood, Fresh Produce, Fresh Dairy, Groceries And More!" The entrance is decorated with holiday wreaths.

From a tent, Shaw’s continues to feed its loyal customers.

Credit: Mel Allen
From a tent, Shaw’s continues to feed its loyal customers.
Credit: Mel Allen
A grocery store aisle features various fruits and vegetables displayed in wooden bins under a white ceiling.

Roaming the aisles of a cavernous tent gives new meaning to shopping.

Credit: Mel Allen
Roaming the aisles of a cavernous tent gives new meaning to shopping.
Credit: Mel Allen
A crumpled sugar house by the side of the road with a plaintive message was a reminder that words alone cannot rebuild. That proud Vermonters still need strangers to pitch in and help.
A damaged, leaning building with various signs attached. One sign reads, "We have lost everything, our farm, and our home. We plan to build again. Donations welcome." Snow is on the roof.

A sobering stop en route to Woodstock.

Credit: Mel Allen
A sobering stop en route to Woodstock.
Credit: Mel Allen
It was a strange feeling to pass now serene rivers, even to stroll through Woodstock’s covered bridge and look down at the water, curling through the town with a friendly current.

Walking through a covered bridge never gets old.

Credit: Mel Allen
Walking through a covered bridge never gets old.
Credit: Mel Allen

The Ottauquechee River now at rest.

Credit: Mel Allen
The Ottauquechee River now at rest.
Credit: Mel Allen
This was the last day of Wassail Weekend. It was a day to admire the venerable Woodstock Inn and then to meander through inviting side streets. My eye goes to cared for wood piles, the way someone else might admire cars.

The Woodstock Inn is widely considered one of the finest country inns in America.

Credit: Mel Allen
The Woodstock Inn is widely considered one of the finest country inns in America.
Credit: Mel Allen

On a side street in Woodstock, one porch dries bedsheets and wood.

Credit: Mel Allen
On a side street in Woodstock, one porch dries bedsheets and wood.
Credit: Mel Allen
This home had mastered the art of drying wood and clothes on a single porch. The people who make thousands of wreaths in Maine might like to visit Woodstock for it seems as if everyone in town has agreed to hang a wreath.

Wherever you looked in downtown Woodstock, a wreath met your eye.

Credit: Mel Allen
Wherever you looked in downtown Woodstock, a wreath met your eye.
Credit: Mel Allen
The local gathering place in Woodstock is Bentley’s, the sort of cozy casual spot you wish you had where you lived.  It was Sunday, it was afternoon and a small crowd of strangers gathered around the televisions to watch what turned out to be a Patriot’s cliffhanger victory over the Redskins. The decorations were festive,

Can you get any more festive?

Credit: Mel Allen
Can you get any more festive?
Credit: Mel Allen
and the burgers were perfect; the Pats, alas were not, but good enough, just good enough. We drove away in the gathering dark, through the string of villages that lead to the interstate. No snow in the forecast, but there was hope in the air, a lot of hope, that soon winter would get back to normal, even as the good people of Vermont kept on going.

Mel Allen

Now editor at large, Mel Allen's first byline in Yankee appeared in 1977 and he joined the staff in 1979 as a senior editor. Eventually he became executive editor and led the staff as editor from 2006 to 2025. During his career he has edited and written for every section of the magazine, including home, food, and travel, while his pursuit of long-form storytelling has always been vital to his mission as well. He has raced a sled dog team, crawled into the dens of black bears, fished with the legendary Ted Williams, profiled astronaut Alan Shephard, and stood beneath a battleship before it was launched. He also once helped author Stephen King round up his pigs for market, but that story is for another day. Mel is author of Here in New England: Unforgettable Stories of People, Places, and Memories That Connect Us All (Earth Sky + Water LLC, 2025).

More by Mel Allen

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  2. Lovely reminders of the strength and grace of Vermonters. The bicycle dangling from the tree and the Shaw’s in a tent were very sobering sights, and at the same time it is reassuring to see so many treasures intact — The Woodstock Inn, the covered bridge, Vermont Country Store. Thank you for taking us with you!

    Reply

  3. Oh, the brilliant blue-sky photos at Okemo and the ride on the Ripper that gave me a thrill, all the color and festivity of the towns’ celebrations, and then…the one lone sign that stopped me short and made me cry. The light and the dark living side by side, as it always does in life. What a beautiful montage of our season, with its joys and travails. Lovely photos, beautiful words…xoxo

    Reply

  4. I have always wanted to visit Okemo mtn and the woodstock area for more than 25+ years. But you *finally* have gotten me motivated. Thanks Mel!
    Dave

    Reply

  5. Really enjoyed this – photos are beautiful. You have me longing for a Vermont road trip. Loved the hooray for well constructed wood piles!

    Reply

  6. If there is any state I could live in again it would have to be Vermont. We lived and worked in both Ludlow and Woodstock. My son went to preschool in Weston. It was and still is beautiful and the people are amazing. I loved reading this. Thanks.

    Reply

  7. Can’t say it any better than those above. Terrific photos, profound thoughts. Thanks for taking us along on your trips.

    Reply

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