It's a Wonderful Life

With an abundance of festive cheer set against a landscape of snow-laden firs, Vermont has all the charm of the classic American Christmas movies, but dig a little deeper and you’ll discover a state like no other in the US

- Orla Thomas

Wrapped in down jackets and woolly hats, the crowd gathered for the parade lets out a hoot of laughter as the inaugural performer trots into view. A Shetland pony with a Rudolph nose and antlers fixed to her harness, she moves skittishly down Woodstock’s main street. She is led on reins past shop windows strewn with baubles and fairy lights, and redbrick houses with lacquered front doors hung with wreaths of holly. Also among the seasonal cavalry are mighty shire horses towing cartloads of elves, girls dressed as Christmas trees perched on ponies, and older ladies riding side-saddle in full skirts and fake-fur hand muffs. Weaving among them on Rollerblades is a woman wearing a top hat, who shovels up the occasional pile of manure left in the merry conga’s wake.

The parade is the highpoint of Woodstock’s annual Wassail weekend, and, although the light is fading fast, the crowd’s exuberance is slow to dissipate. Seeking respite from below-zero temperatures, some retreat into the historic Woodstock Inn for cups of hot cider and mulled wine. I gather with others around a huge bonfire that has been lit on the green. A father and daughter, both wearing Victorian-inspired costumes, stand warming their hands at the blaze. ‘The key to Vermont winters is to embrace them,’ says Rick Read, who’s from the nearby town of Hartland.

Fourteen-year-old Sydney, looking like Red Riding Hood in her bright coat, nods earnestly in agreement. ‘You have to go into them with a lot of spirit and determination,’ she says. ‘And there’s so much spirit here at Christmas! A real sense of community. It’s fun to get dressed up and be a part of that.’