I’ll say it now—if Norman Rockwell had ever made it to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, he wouldn’t have had to stage a thing.



He could have just propped up his canvas and captured the whole shebang. In the land of a million Christmas trees, it’s all here—rosy-cheeked kids chasing Santa through a forest of 10,000 twinkly lights. Massive rock hearths dripping with stockings and smothered in pine boughs, ribbons and bulbs.

A bonfire-lit skating rink on a frozen lake. Horse-drawn sleigh rides. Mountains that look like they were sculpted by the hands of fairies. Cookie parties with the jolly ol’ gent.

 

Scrooge would loathe this place.

Christmas at Jasper Park Lodge

Fairmont properties have always done up Christmas to the nines—but at the Jasper Park Lodge, the party starts in November. Dubbed Christmas in November, this two-night package that occurs three times in the month, has been luring hundreds of women to their 446-room resort for 21 years.



Packing the weekend getaway with workshops, celebrity chef demonstrations as well as tours of the lavishly decorated Point “Cabin”, have kept families like the Curries, of Edmonton, returning repeatedly.



“We all love Christmas,” says Adrian Currie, 51, “especially my mom who’s here with me. She’s 80 and started coming here about 10 years ago. We enjoy each other’s company and this is the perfect getaway before the madness of Christmas takes over. As trite as it may sound—it reminds us of what Christmas is all about.”



If you haven’t yet made plans there’s still space in the JPL’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve packages.

Although Santa will be gone by January, there are other winter deals aimed at skiers and families that often include activities and special events. And be sure to book a treatment in its new $7-million spa, Reflections.

Cooking with the Chef at Home

Chef Michael Smith, from P.E.I. has worked Christmas in November for 12 years.



At 6 ft. 7 in., the Culinary Institute of America grad could cut an imposing figure but he doesn’t. He’s sort of lopey and, just as he does on the Food Network, he flails his arms around, and warns people not get stressed about cooking.



Canada’s bastion of cooking simple, healthy grub is all about tossing things in and tasting dishes as they bubble up.



He began his session at the Fairmont with a confession: “I love caramel. I’m addicted to it. It’s even on the title of my business card . . . they call me the caramelizer.”



And so, in a stock pot, Smith caramelized sugar until it thickened into the colour of toasted marshmallows (never, ever stir it!). Then into a crockpot it went, along with a bottle of something big and red (anything but a merlot).



Next a jug of cider was poured into the steaming vat along with several cinnamon sticks, a branch or two of thyme, a few star anise, a healthy bunch of fresh rosemary, a clove-studded orange, and a bay leaf.



“I’m a savoury guy,” he says, with a flourish. “ This mulled cider is not the sweet apple-y version but a big, burly sort."

For all of you who missed Christmas in November, here’s a wee present from the weekend’s host, Food Network’s Chef at Home, Michael Smith—a how-to video about making mulled holiday cider and playing the cookie game.

Mulled Holiday Cider Recipe

(Serves 8 to 10)



1 cup sugar

1 cup water

2 litres of fresh cider

1 orange

24 cloves

4 cinnamon sticks

4 bay leaves

2 sprigs of rosemary

8 star anise pods

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 bottle of burly red wine or several half-opened bottles



Pour water into a medium sized saucepan, large enough to hold the cider and wine. Add sugar and begin heating over a high heat.



The sugar mixture will form a syrup and come to a boil, continue simmering as the water boils away. Don’t stir or shake the pot!



When the syrup begins to brown around the edges, gently swirl the pot until the resulting caramel is beautiful golden brown. Working quickly and carefully add the cider to “shock” the caramel and prevent it from further browning. It will spatter so be careful. Bring the entire mixture to a simmer.



Spike orange with the cloves and add to the cider.



Add the remaining spices and vanilla then continue simmering for another 30 minutes or so.



Add wine, bring the mixture back to the simmer and serve immediately in a festive mug. Garnish each serving with a rosemary sprig.

The Cookie Game

Fans of Chef at Home and Chef at Large will remember Michael Smith’s tousled-haired son, Gabe. Hoping to foster the same kind of passion for food as his mom instilled in him, Smith invented a cookie game that he played with Gabe and eight of his pals last Christmas.



Here’s how it works:



Make a batch of sugar cookies—any ol’ recipe will do. If the batch is for 24 cookies, add 1 heaping tablespoon of the following spices per batch i.e. 1 Tbls. cinnamon per one batch, 1 Tbls. nutmeg for another.



Our class at the Fairmont tasted eight little cookies glued on individual trays with melted white chocolate. Then we had to guess the spice. We used, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, cardamom, curry, lavender, red pepper, rosemary.



“Christmas is all about tradition,” said Smith. “But it’s also about inventing new ones and spending time as a family in your favourite room in the house—the kitchen!”

To find out more about Jasper Park Lodge's packages, call 1-800-441-1414 or check out their website.