We attended the legendary Christmas Bracebridge Dinner at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Village, Yosemite National Park, in December of 2005.
At left is the rought-hewn stone guard house that announces your arrival on Ahwahnee property. You can see the circular Ahwahnee logo at the top of the structure.
The Grand Lounge at The Ahwahnee Hotel. Native American rugs, textiles, baskets, artifacts and imagery abound in the hotel.
Jeff under the port-cochere decorated for Christmas.
Built in 1927 to blend in with its surroundings, The Ahwahnee Hotel is dwarfed by the sheer rock walls of Yosemite Park that rise high above it.
The round pool is heated in the winter, allowing for a luxurious swimming experience. I floated, gazing up at the snow-capped peaks around me.
In the Great Hall Dining Room, having a bowl of cheddar cheese soup topped with a Bavarian pretzel to ward off the chill.
Above left: The gift store featured these absolutely gorgeous carved wooden Ojibway animal spirit figures. Each one was a very realistically carved and painted animal from Ojibway legends and stories, dressed in beaded buckskin, furs and feathers for winter, and carrying something that represented their individual power or "medicine." Each one stood about a foot and half high and I wanted to take every single one of them home with me, and put them all under my Christmas tree Above right: this mountain lion figure holding a white sage bundle became the cover of my Christmas card the next year.
