Say hello to the winter holidays with Frisco’s Wassail Days starting Saturday

Though there’s likely still Thanksgiving leftovers, Frisco is ready to bring some Christmas cheer to the community. The city’s Wassail Days celebrations begin on Saturday, November 26th and last through December 4th. As well as Wassail’s titular tastings, which are usually hot mulled wine or wine, people can expect fireworks, visits from Santa and more.

The first day of Wassail Tasting begins Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at the Frisco Historic Park Gazebo, 120 Main St. There will be carols, wassail, spiced wine, beer and s’mores sales benefiting the Family & Intercultural Resource Center come. Santa will help light the town tree at 6:30pm, followed by a fireworks show.

From there, through December 4, people are encouraged to visit 12 of the 55+ local businesses offering their own Wassail or an alternative holiday treat. Participants will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite Wassail recipe and fill out a punch card. The event started in 2008 and 55 companies together served over 24,000 sips of Wassail in 2021. Last year Rivers Clothing Co. won the competition.

Completed punch cards may be redeemed for a complimentary commemorative mug at the Frisco/Copper Visitor Information Center, 300 Main St., while supplies last. This year’s mug was designed by Michele Perl, owner of Ends Meet Art.

Perl is from New Hampshire and moved to Summit County in 2012. She left after a few years to get married and start a family, but they missed the mountain lifestyle. She and her husband moved back in 2019 with a 2-year-old in tow and now reside in Silverthorne.

Perl loved painting and drawing when she was younger, and she got more into painting in 2017 while experimenting with reclaimed wood from her husband, a carpenter. She eventually started Ends Meet Art as a side hustle from her career at Keystone Science School, and now her work can be found at places like Ohana and Summit Locals Art Market.

Landscapes are Perl’s usual motifs and she wanted to infuse the feel of quiet, peaceful winter nights into the mug. The perspective is from the Dillon Reservoir and it gave the town of Frisco a warming glow.

“It’s that feeling that your footsteps are leading you home,” Perl said of the mug. “…It was created with the idea that if you’re right-handed, you care about Frisco.”

One of the participating companies, Sunny Side Up Studio at 301 E Main St., will be hosting its third annual Christmas market Sunday 27th November. In addition to Wassail, people can make ornaments, decorate cookies, enter a holiday painting contest, and more.

The Sunny Side Up Studio is also just one of the places people can sign up for a call from Santa. Saturday through December 5, parents or guardians can visit Frisco Town Hall, Frisco Adventure Park, Frisco Historic Park & ​​Museum, Summit County Preschool, Frisco/Copper Information Center and Stork & Bear Co. to to log in. You can also fill out a form online at WassailDays.com. Santa will call all the children on his list on December 6th from 6pm to 8pm.

For more personal visits, Santa will visit Frisco Historic Park on Sunday and December 3rd and 4th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Carolers who start singing at 5 p.m. on Saturday will also sing at 10 a.m. in December. 3.

Also on December 3, people at Summit County Preschool, 70 W. Main St., can enjoy Breakfast with Santa. Breakfast buffet, Santa pictures and Christmas arts and crafts are from 9am to 10:30am. Tickets are $10, a Summit County Preschool benefit, and can be purchased online at SummitCountyPreschool.com.

Then, at 10:30 AM, head to the Historic Park Gazebo to pet Santa’s reindeer and listen as local author Misty Hymel reads her book, Twas the Night Before a Snow Day. The event also features take-home wassail, hot chocolate, cookies and craft kits for the kids.

Finally, the Frisco Nordic Center, 616 Recreation Way, will be offering free cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on December 5th, while supplies last and conditions permit. The last loan is at 2:00 p.m. The schedule is subject to change. Visit WassailDays.com for the latest information.