Christmas in Skagway

Winning cash money at the local Skagway Elks Lodge. A proud Skagway Christmas tradition!

You can always tell when it’s Christmastime in Skagway. The bohemian waxwings are flitting about. Snowflakes fall delicately on winter hats. And the grocery store is out of everything you need for Christmas dinner. It is truly a magical time of year. Let’s take a romp through Skagway during the holiday season!

A blog about Christmas? What a great idea!

Thank you. It’s not always easy to come up with great blog ideas yet somehow it happens. I’m probably inspired by all of this frankincense and myrrh laying around town. Unfortunately, all of the gold was mined back during the Klondike Gold Rush. Sorry, baby Jesus!

What do you do in Skagway during Christmas?

Well, Skagwegians enjoy a traditional holiday like everyone else in America. First, we chop down a big tree to create the town’s 80 foot long Yule log. Once it’s hollowed out and filled with peat moss, we douse it with gasoline and light it on fire. Then we cook salmon fillets over the Yule log and enjoy side dishes of herring eggs and crow livers before washing it down with copious amounts of White Claw.

Kidding. We drive out to Dyea and chop down a Christmas tree to decorate our homes. Well, I don’t. My wife used to make me do this but I felt bad for the poor woodland creatures that used the tree as a home or whatever. Last year we bought a fiber optic tree online. It flashes in all sorts of wonderful patterns and I don’t have to clean up pine needles. Win/win. Once we are finished decorating we head to the Elks Lodge to play pull tabs and bowl. Is there anything more Christmasy than that?

How do you get gifts all the way to Alaska?

We try to buy gifts locally but that’s not always easy because there aren’t many stores. You may be able to buy a coat or something but you’re not going to find any evening gowns for the Christmas ball. There is also no Christmas ball so just get over it.

If you’re shopping for me just buy me a gift certificate from the liquor store and call it a day. Many people shop for gifts on amazon.com or some other website. Then a few weeks later they realize that it didn’t ship in time and Christmas is officially ruined. Way to go, DAD!

In our home, we like to make handcrafted ornaments, sip on egg nog, and sing Christmas carols. Kidding. We usually imbibe in Christmas cheer with friends in their homes and at local bars. I like to wear a fish mask and light candles at my fish alter to ensure another year of great fishing. It works too!

There is a whole lot of other stuff to do

It seems like there is another Yuletide activity every single day throughout the month of December. There are Christmas concerts, the tree lighting, Santa train, live music at the local bars, Merryoake on Christmas Eve. You get the idea. Sometimes it seems like there is too much to do. Speaking of which, I need to order my wife a Christmas gift online! I hope it gets here on time. Let’s keep this our little secret but do you know what I’m getting her this year?

A tour from M&M Tours in Skagway, Alaska! I’m such a good present giver. Last year I bought her a vacuum cleaner and do you know what she bought for me? A two-week vacation on my buddy’s couch! I sure do love the holidays in Skagway.

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