Christmas and Thanksgiving in Sheridan.
How Sheridan does the holidays — and how Gratitude hosts them.
Sheridan does winter holidays the way small western towns tend to: honestly, unfashionably, and well. The tree on the corner of Main and Grinnell goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. The parade happens the first Saturday of December, and it’s the kind of parade where you know half the people on the floats. The Occidental Hotel down in Buffalo puts out a holiday tea that sells out every year.
At Gratitude, we mark two nights on the winter calendar. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving is the Gratitude Thanksgiving — a long-table dinner for twelve locals whose family isn’t coming this year, pay-what-you-can, application-based. Applications open October 1. It’s the most important event on our year, and the one the brand is probably named for.
The second Saturday of December is the Christmas Concert. An acoustic duo in the Parlor. Twenty-five tickets. Mulled wine on the sideboard, Lucy’s shortbread in a tin. It sells out every year and it should.
If you’re traveling into Sheridan for the holidays, a few specifics worth knowing:
WHAT TO DO:
- The Brinton Museum’s wreath-making workshop (early December)
- The downtown tree lighting (Saturday after Thanksgiving, 6pm)
- The Occidental Hotel’s holiday tea in Buffalo (by reservation)
- Ice skating at Kendrick Park (conditions permitting)
- A slow drive up Red Grade Road for snow views (weather permitting, daylight only)