Day 306 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Balloons with Stained-Glass Ceiling

Uh oh! Looks like some balloons have escaped from their netting for our Masquerade Ball tonight!

Day 305 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Tree Coming Down

It's really difficult to say which more dramatic, watching the tree go up, or watching the tree come down. The Tree Team starts at the bottom pulling off ornaments and lights, then takes a chainsaw to the empty branches. They then work their way up the tree. The branches are composted, and the trunk is chopped into firewood, as we try to be as "green" as a hotel as possible.

Day 304 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Mezzanine from Piano

The mirrored effect you see in this photo is actually the reflection of the Mezzanine off the top of our highly polished piano.

Day 303 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Norfolk Pine

The seasonal spirit that is so evident in our lobby and throughout the hotel also comes into each guest room by way of our Norfolk pines, which replace the fresh flowers in the rooms and suites for the month of December.

Day 302 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ North Wing Poinsettia

This poinsettia keeps an eye on both the Historic Section and the North Wing from its vantage point, making sure to greet guests with seasonal cheer.

Day 301 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Ball Ornaments

The ornaments are getting put away, the lights are being wound up, and the tree will soon be a distant memory in a composting heap.

Day 300 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Merry Christmas!

From all of us here at the Hotel Boulderado, have a merry Christmas!

Day 299 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Events Center Tree and Reindeer

Next year, I will need to make a point of counting how many Christmas trees we have around the hotel. There has to be close to a dozen! Here's one done up in blue lights with silver touches.

Day 298 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Snowflakes

Sometimes Mother Nature doesn't want to cooperate and give us a naturally snowy white Christmas. So we took matters into our own hands in the Events Center by hanging plenty of snowflakes to ensure a white Christmas no matter what the weather.

Day 297 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Tree with Stained-Glass Ceiling

The very top of our Christmas tree is just below our lobby's stained-glass ceiling canopy. Lovely to see the glass glittering while the tree lights twinkle!

Day 296 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Icy Face on the Plaza

I could not have taken this photo if it wasn't for one of my fellow employee's tipping me off to it, and I'm so glad she did! Those icicles are in no way artificial, that's the real thing hanging off the arch and planters. Click here for a reminder of what this arch looks like during the summer months.

Day 295 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Decorating the Tree

I've been waiting all month to share with you how we decorate the top half of our Christmas tree, and here it is! We have to use long poles attached with hooks at one end. As one member of the Tree Team put it, "The hardest part every year is getting that first ornament onto the tree. Once the first gets on, the rest goes a lot easier."

Day 294 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Tree from Staircase

Everyone who climbs up or down our cantilevered cherrywood staircase is confronted with an amazing view of the tree in the lobby against the spectacular ceiling and Mezzanine.

Day 293 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Festive Front Desk

Between the garlands, Santa, candy canes, and extra information on our tree, our Front Desk is looking especially festive this time of year!

Day 292 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Candy Canes on Tree

Not even Boulder's largest living indoor tree would be complete without some candy canes on its boughs!

Day 291 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Reindeer Looking at Mezzanine

Some of Santa's reindeer are keeping a close eye on our Mezzanine in between holiday parties this season.

Day 290 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ "Pleasantville" Theater

Here's a couple in "Pleasantville" trotting off to the Vaudeville Theatre -- or maybe that's the Leaning Vaudeville Theatre, judging by the angle!

Day 289 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Wires for Tree

You'll need to look very closely at this photo of our Christmas tree to see the wires on either side keeping it steady. This is one of our safety precautions for having a 28' tree in our lobby, as the wires are connected to nearby pillars, which anchor the tree.

Day 288 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Detail of Peacock in Tree

Peacocks, pheasants, and owls, oh my! That is the theme of the four Christmas trees located in the atrium of the North Wing at the Hotel Boulderado. Here is a closeup shot of one such peacock, ready to wish our guests a happy holiday season!

Day 287 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Ornaments with Tile Floor

The same song always pops into my head whenever I look at our tree ornaments . . . "Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head!"

Day 286 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Ribboning the Tree

This is potentially one of the most dramatic moments I captured during the tree decorating process. Yes, that is a real piece of fabric that is being fluffed and coaxed to wrap around the tree -- no shortcuts here!

Day 285 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ "Pleasantville" Fire House

In addition to Ed, this is the other new feature in "Pleasantville," our miniature village found north of the Front Desk here at the Hotel Boulderado -- the Fire House!

Day 284 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Santa at Front Desk

Santa has been overseeing each and every check-in and check-out at the Front Desk to make sure every guest is as jolly as he is.

Day 283 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Nutcrackers

It just wouldn't be Christmas time without having a cozy fireplace and some friendly nutcrackers out and about!

Day 282 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ North Wing Atrium with Christmas Decor

Granted, the lobby gets most of the attention during the month of December because that is where the big tree is. But the decor and spirit can be found in all areas of the hotel. The atrium in the North Wing gets some special attention with bows, garlands, and four "regular sized" trees, each with their own theme.

Day 281 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Ornaments with Ladder

I snapped this shot while the Christmas tree was being decorated. I wonder if they picked the ornaments based on how well they hang between the rungs of our ladders for decorating ease?

Day 280 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Pleasantville

Here is a wide shot of "Pleasantville" so you can see the entire miniature collection. Can you find Ed?

Day 279 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ 2011 Christmas Tree

Here it is, in all its splendor and glory! Our 2011 Christmas tree is a 28' white fir from New Mexico.

Day 278 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Antique Photo of Firefighting Drill

This antique photos is on display in a couple of places around the Hotel Boulderado, and what you are seeing is a drill being performed by the Boulder fire department in the early 20th century. This was a common for many of Boulder's earliest community events, for the fire department to show off their efficiency and speediness with which they could fight fires.

Day 277 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Ed in Pleasantville

Each year in the lobby, the Boulderado staff sets out some very beloved Christmas decorations, which collectively are known as "Pleasantville." You can find "Pleasantville" just north of the Front Desk, near the cash register. There a couple of new additions to "Pleasantville" this year, and pictured here is one of them. This is Ed, and Ed has a funny way of moving around "Pleasantville" without telling anyone. Next time you're in the lobby checking out the decor and the tree, stop by "Pleasantville" and see if you can find Ed.

Day 276 of 365 Days of Boulderado Photos ~ Exterior in December

Baby, it's cold outside! I'm glad it snowed this morning so you can see the hotel like this. If you look very closely, you can see some of the Christmas lights still glowing in the early morning light.