December is the most wonderful time of the year to experience the magic of the holiday season at Deer Valley Resort. Voted the United States’ Best Ski Resort four years running, Deer Valley provides a winter wonderland setting and ample holiday cheer for visiting guests with its on-mountain festivities and gourmet feasts.

On-mountain holiday highlights include a visit from Santa Claus on Saturday, December 24 in the Snow Park Lodge area from 9 to 11 a.m., and then in the Silver Lake Lodge area from noon to 1:30 p.m. Guests and their children are invited to bring cameras for a slope-side picture with the Jolly Elf. On December 30, Deer Valley Resort hosts its annual Torchlight Parade at dusk on Big Stick ski run on Bald Eagle Mountain, behind Snow Park Lodge. Closing out the year while taking in the lights and torches of the Synchronized Ski Team descending the hill in perfect formation delights the crowds year after year. Seafood Buffet will remain open during the event, serving its regular menu. Complimentary hot cider and cookies will be served on the Snow Park Plaza from 5:45 to 6 p.m.

Deer Valley Resort pioneered the concept of five-star, gourmet dining at a ski resort. Its acclaimed culinary scene serves up delectable holiday fare and helps to eliminate the stress of the holidays by offering convenient, to-go menu options. Deer Valley dining accommodates everything from intimate dining occasions to large group holiday fetes.

The Brass Tag, Deer Valley’s gourmet brick-oven restaurant, has prepared a prix-fixe, three-course holiday menu that includes baby iceberg wedges, a choice of chicken saltimbocca or braised agave-glazed short ribs and a pumpkin crème brûlée. The holiday dinner is $75 per person with included wine pairing or $50 per person without wine pairing (tax and gratuity not included).

To ring in the New Year with romance and elegance at Deer Valley®, The Mariposa is offering an indulgent four-course, prix fixe New Year’s Eve dinner. First course includes a choice of beluga lentil and smoked halibut stew, nori and sesame seared #1 Ahi, carpaccio of Yarmony Ranch wagyu beef or aged gruyère and chive soufflé. Second course options feature burrata, fresh basil and heirloom cherry tomatoes, sweet potato gnocci or kale trio and collard greens salad. Main entrées are harissa and fresh herb crusted Niman Ranch lamb chops, pan roasted sea scallops or seared bison fillet. A luminaria of passion fruit crémeux, Amano chocolate torte and passion fruit caramel sauce finishes off the gourmet night. The Mariposa dinner is $125 per person (tax and gratuity not included), with wine pairings offered for an additional $50 per person. First and second courses are matched with a three-ounce taste, ending with a five-ounce pour of wine with entrée.

Giving guests the gift of more time with loved ones, Deer Valley Grocery~Café offers a take-away menu with a delicious assortment of entrées, sides and desserts to supplement any holiday feast. The 2016 holiday menu includes Niman Ranch braised beef short ribs, duck confit, artisan Caesar salad, Deer Valley roasted garlic mashers and roasted butternut squash. The café’s pies and breads range from pumpkin pie with gingersnap crust, eggnog cheesecake, chocolate silk pie and apple cheddar pie to tiramisu yule log, cranberry orange pecan bread, cranberry linzer tart, pecan pie, wild rice harvest bread, French baguettes and traditional apple, blueberry and pumpkin pies. Orders placed by Wednesday, December 21 will be available for pick up on Saturday, December 24 by 7 p.m. at the latest. Holiday take-away menu pricing can be found at deervalley.com. Orders can be placed by calling 435-615-2400 or 435-645-6623 for Snow Park Bakery.

For more information on Deer Valley Resort’s holiday festivities and dining specials, please visit; deervalley.com