Dressing up for dinner. Live music. Cards until midnight. Two grand mountain resorts, 45 minutes apart, and two very different ways to spend Christmas.
Some of the happiest memories our family has are from Christmas at The Homestead. We went for several years running, and it became its own little world. During the day there were the saunas and the mineral baths, the pool, bowling in the downstairs alley. In the evening we dressed up — really dressed up — for a three-course dinner with live music, and then there was dancing. After dinner the games started: cards late into the night, laughing, pranks, other families at the next table doing the same thing. Nobody was looking at a phone. Nobody was in a hurry.
My parents took us to The Homestead, but they loved The Greenbrier too — they went there on their own in the springtime. That’s the thing about these two resorts: they sit 45 minutes apart in the Allegheny Mountains, both have been welcoming guests since the 1700s, and both go all in on Christmas — but they do it very differently. The Homestead does a cozy, old-fashioned, dress-for-dinner Christmas. The Greenbrier does a spectacle. Here’s how to choose.
Christmas at The Homestead or The Greenbrier?
From a family that spent its Christmases at one, while the parents slipped away to the other in spring.
You Want a Cozy, Classic Christmas
The Great Hall tree, afternoon tea with a live pianist, dressed-up dinners, the mineral springs and spa by day, and a small ski hill and ice rink out back. Intimate, traditional, unhurried.
Check Homestead RatesYou Want the Big Spectacle
A 60-foot tree on the front lawn, 100+ decorated trees inside, Saturday tree lightings with Santa, the Christmas Eve Gingerbread Ball, and The Nutcracker. More is more.
Book at Greenbrier.comThe Greenbrier Wins
Weekends with Santa, dinner in Santa’s Village, the Gingerbread Ball where kids dance with Santa on Christmas Eve, sleigh rides and ice skating. It’s built around wide-eyed kids.
Book at Greenbrier.comThe Homestead Wins
Spa days in the springs, bourbon tastings, dinner and music, a holiday bar, and evenings of cards by the fire. It’s the Christmas our family still talks about.
Check Homestead RatesChristmas Side by Side
| Category | The Homestead | The Greenbrier |
|---|---|---|
| The vibe | Cozy, old-fashioned, intimate | Grand, festive, full spectacle |
| The tree | 23-foot Fraser fir in the Great Hall | 60-foot tree on the front lawn + 100+ indoors |
| Season kicks off | Tree arrives Thanksgiving week | Tree lightings every Saturday, Thanksgiving to Christmas |
| Signature event | Christmas Eve reception & Feast of the Seven Fishes | Christmas Eve Gingerbread Ball |
| Santa | Breakfast with Santa | Weekends with Santa, dinner in Santa’s Village |
| Winter activities | Ice rink, small ski area, s’mores wagon rides | Ice skating, sleigh and carriage rides |
| Grown-up extras | Spa & mineral springs, bourbon tastings, holiday bar | Casino, wine and mixology events |
| Best for | Couples, grown families, spa lovers | Young kids, first-timers, big groups |
| From DC | ~3.5 hours | ~4 hours |
| Book at | Hotels.com ✓ | Greenbrier.com |
Christmas at The Homestead
The Homestead’s holiday season starts the week of Thanksgiving, when a 23-foot Fraser fir is carried into the Great Hall. Some families come every year just to watch it arrive. The tree lighting follows a couple of nights later, with Santa, and from then through New Year’s the whole resort is dressed for the season.
What made it special for us wasn’t any single event — it was the rhythm of the days. Mornings slow. Afternoons at the spa, in the sauna, or soaking in the mineral water that has drawn guests to Hot Springs since 1766. Then everyone disappears to get dressed, and the evening begins: a three-course dinner, live music, dancing, and afterward the cards come out. That rhythm is still the heart of Christmas at The Homestead.
What’s on in a typical season
- Afternoon Winter Social in the Great Hall, with a live pianist, desserts and tea — a daily tradition during the holidays.
- Christmas Eve: a holiday reception hosted by the resort’s management team, followed by a Feast of the Seven Fishes dinner (recent years: about $120 per adult).
- Christmas Day brunch in the dining room (recent years: about $110 per adult).
- Breakfast with Santa for families with little ones.
- The Yule Log: guests sign their names to it each evening in the Great Hall, and it’s burned the following year.
- Outdoors: ice skating, horse-drawn carriage rides, and the S’mores Express — a tractor-pulled wagon through the woods to the equestrian center.
- Indoors: gingerbread decorating, bourbon tastings, holiday movies, a daily history tour, and Blitzen’s, a seasonal holiday bar.
Don’t count on skiing at Christmas. The Homestead’s small ski area usually opens in late December or January, depending on the weather. If snow happens, it’s a bonus — plan around the spa and the rink instead.
Christmas at The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier doesn’t do anything small, and Christmas is no exception. A 60-foot tree, a giant toy train and more than 150,000 lights cover the front lawn, and more than 100 decorated trees fill the hotel. Hallmark even filmed a movie here, Christmas at the Greenbrier.
My parents went to The Greenbrier in the spring rather than at Christmas, but its holiday season has its own devoted families, and it’s easy to see why. The Greenbrier’s holiday calendar runs from November into early January, and it is packed. Every Saturday between Thanksgiving and Christmas there’s a tree lighting on the front lawn, with carolers, hot cocoa and Santa. The Dorothy Draper interiors — already bold the rest of the year — are wrapped in ribbon, garland and poinsettias.
What’s on in a typical season
- Saturday tree lightings from Thanksgiving to Christmas, with carols, cocoa and Santa.
- Weekends with Santa in early December: storytime, photos, and dinner in Santa’s Village (recent years: about $95 per adult, $55 per child).
- The Gingerbread Ball on Christmas Eve, where kids dance with Santa.
- The Nutcracker ballet performances during Christmas week.
- Workshops: cookie decorating, gingerbread houses, wreath-making and holiday mixology.
- A Christmas Eve service in The Greenbrier Chapel.
- Outdoors: ice skating and horse-drawn sleigh and carriage rides.
Not staying? You don’t have to be an overnight guest to stroll the lights on the front lawn or catch a Saturday tree lighting. It’s a great evening out if you’re staying nearby.
What to Pack
At both resorts, Christmas is a dress-up holiday — and that’s half the fun. Pack at least one formal outfit per evening you plan to dine in the main dining room: jackets for men, dresses or elegant separates for women, and something festive for kids. Add a warm coat, gloves and boots for sleigh rides and skating, a swimsuit for the pools and spa, and a deck of cards. Trust me on the cards.
Booking Tips
- Book early. Christmas week is the busiest stretch of the year at both resorts, and many families rebook for next year before they check out. Aim to book by early fall.
- Reserve the holiday dinners separately. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, Santa events and the Nutcracker usually require their own reservations and fees.
- Consider the weeks before Christmas. Early December weekends have the decorations and much of the programming at lower prices than Christmas week.
- Check the event calendar. Both resorts post their holiday schedules in the fall. Dates, events and prices change every year.
Book Christmas at The Homestead or The Greenbrier
The Homestead books on Hotels.com. The Greenbrier books through greenbrier.com. Holiday weeks fill fast at both — the earlier the better.
Christmas at The Homestead and The Greenbrier: Common Questions
Which is better for Christmas, The Homestead or The Greenbrier?
For young kids and big holiday spectacle, The Greenbrier. For a cozier, more traditional Christmas built around dinners, music, the spa and time together, The Homestead.
When do the holiday decorations go up?
At The Homestead, the Great Hall tree arrives Thanksgiving week and stays up through New Year’s. The Greenbrier’s holiday season runs from November into early January, with tree lightings every Saturday from Thanksgiving to Christmas.
Can you visit for the holidays without staying overnight?
Partly. The Greenbrier’s front-lawn lights and Saturday tree lightings are open to visitors. At The Homestead, some events, like Breakfast with Santa, have been open to the public, while the Christmas Eve reception and holiday dinners are generally for resort guests and members.
Is there a dress code at Christmas?
For the main holiday dinners, yes — expect jackets for men and dressy attire. Daytime is relaxed.
Is there skiing at The Homestead over Christmas?
Sometimes. The ski area usually opens in late December or January, depending on the weather, so treat it as a bonus rather than the plan.
How far apart are the two resorts?
About 45 minutes. Some families stay at one and drive over to see the other’s lights.
Quick Reference: Christmas at The Homestead vs The Greenbrier
| Choose | If You Want |
|---|---|
| The Homestead | A cozy, classic Christmas — dress-up dinners, live music, the spa and springs, cards by the fire |
| The Greenbrier | The full spectacle — a 60-foot tree, Santa weekends, the Gingerbread Ball, The Nutcracker |
| Both | Stay at one, drive 45 minutes to see the other’s lights |
Decades later, what I remember most isn’t any one event. It’s getting dressed up for dinner, the music, the dancing, and everyone around a table afterward playing cards and laughing too loud. That’s what a grand resort Christmas gives you: a few days where the whole family is in the same place, doing the same thing, with nowhere else to be. Pick the one that fits your family. You won’t regret either.