Wanting to experience festiveness, we ventured out with Casey and Linda for a day of holiday fun.

Our first stop was Harveys Casino.
"Just in time for the holidays, elves from the Harrah’s and Harveys Lake Tahoe bakery departments have created two Gingerbread Virginia City displays in both of their hotel lobbies."
Our second stop was at Harrah's. "It took 400 pounds of fresh secret gingerbread spiced dough and 120 pounds of royal icing to create the hundreds of gingerbread cutouts, along with numerous frosted candies, candy canes and pine cones which are part of the displays. In addition, it took 200 hours of craftsmen-like hard work, with the help of five of Harrah’s and Harveys top international culinary students, to make this a reality."
This year, executive pastry chef Guido Landolt chose the famous and historic regional attraction Virginia City in the wintertime as his inspiration for the annual display, complete with houses, churches, a fire house, Comstock silver mines (complete with signature headframes), “clapboard” buildings, and with gingerbread renditions of St. Mary’s in the Mountains Roman Catholic Church topping the displays.
After lunch out, we headed into the forest, armed with permits, to hunt for our Christmas trees. Neither of us wanted a big tree, just something easy to carry, quick to decorate and enjoy immediately... Success was had.
 
And what's more festival than bowling with Santa and his elves? I do love the holidays!