It’s less than a week until the lifts at CBMR are up and running and here’s a shout out to Spirit. The spirit of light, the spirit of a new season, the spirit of blessing and being cursed to live in interesting times.

It’s Tuesday and the winter mood is high as we unload a beautiful winter visitor’s guide, which is now in the valley. Thanks to everyone who is there. The cold wind was howling and snow was blowing as we moved several pallets of guide books from a semi-truck to storage rooms so that these magazines could hit the road during ski season. You will make visitors happy.

According to the telephone forecast, the winter mood could be getting a break. My weather symbols show large yellow suns with temperatures in the mid to high 40s between Thursday and Sunday. I mean 48 and sunny on November 22nd? This is not exactly a normal or good mood for our location.

Luckily, the snowflake icons are returning in a big way starting Sunday, and the pow vibe could be here just before CBMR’s opening day on Wednesday! Accumulation of 1 to 3 and 3 to 5 inches is forecast to occur day and night for a few days and nights in a row. We could have one of them Openings? Perhaps.

Monarch always expects natural snow at opening and will begin taking tickets this weekend, Friday the 22nd. Monarch isn’t always open in November…that’s the spirit!

A big thank you to the local businesses and the local Chamber of Commerce who have been vocal and effective advocates for Christmas lights in CB. I mean, it’s not even Thanksgiving yet and the sparkly Christmas decorations are already huge. That’s the spirit – and that’s more than okay as we slide into the darkest days of the year.

That independent, let’s just do it, Crested Butte spirit (holiday or otherwise) came to the fore a few weeks ago after CB City Council members expressed some indifference toward supporting more lights in the city between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. But the energy exploded like a great wave that began to collapse when it hit the City Council’s initial shrugging and lack of enthusiasm to make Elk Avenue a little more festive in the future.

Some council members just don’t seem to understand that they weren’t asked to break the bank and take Elk Ave. to shine like a Clark Griswold Christmas House sequel on steroids. They were asked to become partners in a community movement to shed some light on a postcard-like street during a sometimes difficult time of year, at the start of the winter tourism season. It was more about mind than spreadsheets.

Companies have taken the reins and are bringing holiday spirit to the city. More lights, more decorations, an expanded WinterGlow party on December 7th – it’s all evolving. I have to say that the CB Parks and Rec department did a great job with the lighting at the Four-Way! They look great. The local businesses simply asked the city council to plan for a little more of the same next year and beyond, and perhaps take care of the city’s light poles so a local nonprofit didn’t have to do it. They wanted the city to work together and be at least a symbolic partner in bringing people together in light, in spirit.

It’s all good because it’s being done on a large scale. And that tree at the post office? Spectacular! Thank you again to the private business community for making this possible.

We could get into things like the Gaetz of Hell (this is where the Curse of Life could come into play in interesting times) or something called a “bomb cyclone” that is set to hit the West Coast, but we don’t want that dark spirit right now . We’re heading into the ski season, set to begin with fresh powder, along with a community initiative to light up the city on the shortest days of winter. Instead, let us embrace this positive spirit and focus on the blessing of living in interesting times.

– Mark Reaman