Stowe, Vermont —the picturesque village with a classic white church, anchoring the north end. The Green Mountain Inn anchoring the south.

Restaurants and cafes, stores including a country store, general store, book store, and mercantile line Main Street.

Sweet flakes of perfect snow fall, a little dusting each night.

The lamp posts are twisted with evergreen garlands, lit with little white lights, and small white trees line the street in wood pots, lit similarly with sparkling lights. The store windows shimmer, reflecting the light, beckoning to passersby with new sleds and sweaters and books and Vermonty things.

The large spruce next to the Town Hall steps is lit from top to bottom, like a beacon, and a gondola from the mountain is set out next to the classic brick Town Hall, repurposed as a covered Mountain Shuttle Stop for the winter season. It is candy cane red and white, and seems a deliberate decoration, placed just so in the snow.

Christmas in Stowe Village is very special — it’s Christmas magic at its best.

And that magic extends up the mountain, to the base of Spruce Peak. Skating outside the Mountain Lodge under the shadow of Mount Mansfield on a rink lit with tiny lights, with music playing and all in good cheer — it feels nothing short of ethereal.