This feature was written by Studio MSP writers. While some of our advertisers were sourced, no advertiser paid to be included.
While summer is the poster child of outdoor activities marked by gaggles of carefree shorts-wearers, in Minnesota, winter is where the real fun happens. Fur coats, twinkling lights, steamy hot cocoa, flannel pants, and fluffy hats that transform anyone into a bobblehead—it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Whether your ideal calendar is overflowing with icy outings or you’re always the host, doling out drinks and potatoes of every variety, consider this your complete guide to merriment in our snow globe state.
How to Host a Great Gathering
Get yer elbows off the table at this etiquette class. Learn how to be a guest at your own party (and not be in your robe when guests arrive!) with three key ingredients for a great gathering and tips from the hotel’s culinary team. Nov. 4. The Saint Paul Hotel, 350 Market St., St. Paul, 651-228-3860, saintpaulhotel.com
Ninetwentyfive Igloo Dining Experience
Parka yourself in an igloo for dinner at Hotel Landing’s on-site restaurant with new menus unique to the bubble experience. Stay the night on Wayzata’s Hallmark-esque main street with the hotel’s Celebrate the Season package, which includes a happy hour experience in the igloos. Nov. and Dec. Hotel Landing, 925 Lake St., Wayzata, 952-777-7900, thehotellanding.com
It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play
The Saint Paul Hotel’s annual live radio show returns in December. Need a better reason to gussy up under your parka? A three-course meal is served with each performance. Dec. 1–23. The Saint Paul Hotel
Brunch with Santa
Who needs a plate of cookies when you can dine with the big guy himself? A brunch buffet for the whole fam—keep your eyes out for a bowl full of jelly. Dec., date TBD. Hotel Landing
12 Days of Festive Cocktails at Giulia
Ditch partridges and pear trees for liqueurs and garnish with 12 days of cocktails at Emery’s Italian icon, Giulia, in downtown Minneapolis. The restaurant will unveil specialty seasonal cocktails one day at a time through the 12-day run. Bonus: There’s a holiday cocktail class on the dance card. Talk about holiday spirit(!!). Through Dec. Hotel Emery, 215 S. 4th St., Mpls., 612-340-2000, hotelemery.com
Pet Photos with Santa
Attention, pet parents! This is the sweater-clad-dog op you’ve been waiting for, complete with a Holiday Yappy Hour for pups and their humans. (Oh fer cute!) Bonus: A portion of the proceeds goes to Secondhand Hounds, a local rescue organization. Through Dec. Hotel Emery
Winter Wonderland
Start snowy season strong with a slew of Hallmark-worthy activities at Emery: Throughout December, the hotel is showing holiday movies with popcorn, hot chocolate, and s’mores. Mail letters to Santa in the lobby, plus enjoy ornament decorating and cookie decorating (that one’s only for the kiddos). And warm up with the hot chocolate bar. Check that list—twice, of course!—at the local makers pop-ups on weekends, and give the gift of green at a holiday plant pop-up. Through Dec. Hotel Emery
Four Seasons Terrace
Newly opened and widely loved, Four Seasons Minneapolis takes winter to the sky, transforming its expansive terrace into a wonderland. Get your Instagram ready for the chic and cozy vibes of private dining, an outdoor cocktail lounge, fires, a self-care sanctuary, and festive games. Through Dec. Four Seasons Minneapolis, 245 Hennepin Ave., Mpls., 612-895-5700, fourseasons.com/minneapolis
Winter Village
Après attire is a must as The Westin Galleria dresses up as a ski chalet. Lobby lounge and bar Prelude becomes a modern chalet, offering gondola rides and dining in cozy cabins. A hallway lined with artisanal shops is reminiscent of cobblestone streets and old-world markets. The hotel’s courtyard becomes a Northwoods getaway with a fully enclosed heated cabin and outdoor firepits, plus an offering of holiday drinks to clink. The kickoff party on December 1 includes live music, horse-drawn carriage rides, cigar rolling, a snow globe photo spot, and a hot cocoa and mulled wine station. Just say “snow-asis.” Dec. 1–Feb. 28. The Westin Edina Galleria, 3201 Galleria, Edina, 952-567-5000, marriott.com
New Year’s Eve Dinner and Music
Kick off 2023 with your fave people and four courses. The earlier dinner features soft music, while the later seating is set to spirited tunes for counting down to midnight right. Pack your bags and add the Ring In the New Year package, which includes bubbly in your room, brunch the next morning, and a late checkout—what better way to start the New Year? Dec. 31. Hotel Landing
Winter Turndown Service
As the real chill sets in, all we want is an early bedtime. Hotel Alma gets it, and its winter turndown includes chocolate, a hot water bottle, an herb bundle, hot tea, and an Alma apothecary candle delivered to your room at 8 pm each night. Beginning Jan. 1. Alma, 528 University Ave. SE, Mpls., 612-379-4909, almampls.com
Holding Out Hope Package
For all you Purple People, Emery is game-day HQ. The game-day package—the name nods to the eternal fate of Minny sports fans—includes self-parking, a pair of koozies, and two craft beers. Ongoing. Hotel Emery
JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America
Post up in this MOA-connected high-rise, offering holiday deals worth packing for. The Nordstrom Shopping Package includes a $100 Nordstrom gift card for each night’s stay and a mall coupon. Arc’teryx has you covered this winter (with outdoorsy layers!) via personalized shopping appointments and 10 percent off, plus room delivery for hotel guests. The Marriott’s farm-to-table operation Cedar and Stone says you don’t need to cook for the holidays with special Thanksgiving and Christmas menus. Ongoing. JW Marriott Minneapolis Mall of America, 2141 Lindau Ln., Bloomington, 612-615-0100, marriott.com
Change of Seasons
It’s finally cozy season—when 8 pm is an acceptable bedtime, we can walk around swathed in knit blankets, and furry slippers are mandatory footwear. Patios are long closed, and we now embrace in-home entertainment. Whether you’re gathering with a few pals or inviting the whole city in, let’s make it an extra warm welcome for anyone braving the temps to journey over the river and through the woods—or just facing interchanges on I-94. It’s time to change out your rust hues and gourds for cranberries and evergreen garland. Cue some seasonal Carrie Underwood and start switching for snow.
Good Tidings of Trends
This year, the pros say that the trend is taking year-round pieces and styling them to say “holiday” rather than blowing your bucks on Santa plates (though we wouldn’t be mad about that). A mix of ceramics, taper candle holders, and modern glassware creates warmth and interest in table settings. “We feel people will give these everyday, unique items a holiday vibe by accenting the table with natural seasonal elements, whether that is foliage or things they collected themselves or dried fruits, like oranges [and] cranberries,” says Lindsey O’Halloran, senior buyer and product development manager for Patina Stores. Even though it’s the holidays and things tend to follow a similar palette and pattern, don’t lose your signature style. “Fill your home with things you love advises Jenny Putnam of the General Store of Minnetonka. “The best compliment I think you can receive is when someone says that your home looks like you.”
Keeping with the trend of daily items with a holiday spin, use something you already have and dress it up with accent pieces. “Creating your own tablescape or mantelscape is such a fun way to show off your style and your collections,” Putnam says. Mix vintage crystal stemware with sleek midcentury dishes. Display your ornaments in glass vases. “Did you inherit your grandmother’s Christmas china? Set your table all season long with it, but change it up [by] mixing in modern linens or vessels filled with glass ornaments,” Putnam says.
Trimming with Trees
Trees—the universal indication of merry season—are no longer just a guardian of presents, towering in the living room. Grouping together mini trees sprinkles holiday cheer in even the tiniest spaces. “Trees can be of all shapes, sizes, and colors—the more the merrier,” Putnam says. Mix materials like felt, wood, ceramic, and glass. “The trees can be whimsical or remind you of your favorites places in the Northwoods; just group them together and make your own statement treescape.”
Cups of Cheer
This is the year of switching up the drinks-and-dinner format—tried and true, but come on, it’s 2022! “We are expecting people to blend their holiday traditions they had pre-pandemic with some of the new hobbies and traditions they picked up during the pandemic,” O’Halloran says. “For instance, integrating a cocktail-making class [or] showing off your new cooking or baking skills.”
And maybe party favors are making a comeback? Pour those festive refreshments in holiday glasses, which are gifts for guests to bring home. Sip, sip, hooray!
This article originally appeared in the November 2022 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine.