The Spirit of Christmas Las Vegas Style

[Comphoppers]

Christmas for me has always been a busy time of year. A time of stressing over gift ideas, baking and fitting in special Holiday events. Exhausting but joyous. It is also the time of year when we receive unbelievable offers from fabulous Las Vegas.

THE OFFER
Ask anyone who works in Sin City and they'll tell you the slowest time of the year for them is the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Therefore, resort properties looking to fill their rooms are sending out special offers like this: Three complimentary nights at the Encore Wynn Las Vegas, including $150 in free play and two premium seats at Le Reve as an incentive to visit. An offer like that is hard to resist. After all, the ultimate daily goal of a Comphopper is to achieve a zero expense day.

VIVA LAS VEGAS

So, we set aside our original travel plans and hopped on a 7:30 am Southwest flight the Sunday after Thanksgiving from Milwaukee, WI. We had organized 10 complimentary nights. Our stay included two nights at New York, New York, three nights in a luxury suite at the Encore, three nights at the newly remodeled Tropicana and two nights in Paris. The various offers included some meals and other perks, too.

Surprisingly, I found the break refreshing. The stress of a busy Thanksgiving visit with extended family was behind us. We were alone at last. Able to do what we wanted without consideration of others. There was time to make special holiday plans, to dream, to rest and to rejuvenate before all the Christmas preparations and craziness began.

NASCAR BURNOUT

And, just because it was the “slow” season don't think that nothing was going on in glitter gulch. One afternoon, we stumbled upon a large group of people amassing on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd. in front of the Fashion Show Mall.

We spoke to a woman wearing a NASCAR jacket. She proudly told us that the top NASCAR drivers were about to “burnout” on the strip! We raced back to the Encore for our camera and joined the growing crowd to see what it was all about. Police cruisers and motorcycles blocked the boulevard, TV camera's rolled, the ten top NASCAR drivers arrived and then one by one roared into the center of the intersection, spinning around in a circle creating huge clouds of smoke from the burning rubber and painting the asphalt black with skid marks to the delight of their fans.

ROCK'N'ROLL MARATHON

The second time the strip was blocked was early on a Sunday morning. Nearly 28,000 people lined up in the predawn hours to participate in the Zappos.com Rock 'N' Roll Marathon and Half Marathon. The 26.2 mile route took them from the Mandalay Bay Resort down the strip to Fremont Street and back. It is one in a series of races held in various cities through the United States with donations going to various charities. Top times qualify participants for the Boston Marathon.

We watched Elvis lookalikes, men in tutu's, tinsel haired and Santa costumed runners sprint passed along with serious contestants while listening to the many bands along the way. The winners were back before some of the runners had even started. First time winner Josh Cox, from Mammoth Lakes, Calif., finished with a time of 2:25:05 while Dorota Gruca had a happy 40th birthday winning the race in a time of 2:44:31.

NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

Cowboy up! The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) was in town, too. Large screen TV's featured the event, country music presented it's awards and mechanical bulls were installed. Large, plastic, blow-up type, Crown Royal bottles dotted the scene signaling to fans the official areas where championship belt buckles were on display and rodeo items were for sale.

The two week long event was held at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas. It concluded December 11^th with Trevor Brazile adding two world championships to his All Around title, completing his second career Triple Crown.

LAS VEGAS CHRISTMAS SCENE

But for me, the best events and displays were those touting the holiday season. Artfully decorated Christmas trees, large jeweled ornaments, unique wreaths, red and white flower arrangements and draped garlands instilled a feeling of wonder. Billboards both stationary and those “pulled” down the strip on trucks advertised a host of holiday special events and sales.

We watched in awe as the Bellagio Conservatory & Botanical Garden was transformed into a winter wonderland complete with igloos, penguins, polar bears and of course that jolly old fellow and his reindeer. Seasonal music flowed out into the streets where red-suited contestants from a special “Santa Run” sauntered by flaunting their flowing white beards. Salvation Army bells rang while donated coins jingled. A sense of anticipation and good-will filled the air. We even went Christmas Shopping with points earned during the year for our gaming.

To soon, it was our last evening. We decided to make it memorable. We enjoyed a Filet Mignon soaked in Merlot butter with a glass of French Pinot Noir and dessert of Crème Brûlée directly across from the spectacular dancing fountains at the Bellagio. From our prime seats on the heated, outdoor patio of Mon Ami Gabi, we soaked in the beautiful sights, listened to holiday favorites and indulged in a bit of people watching. Reservations recommended.

The next morning, relaxed, refreshed and brimming with holiday ideas we headed back to Texas. Who knew the spirit of Christmas would be rekindled in Las Vegas of all places. Let the rush begin!