The city of Las Vegas is not normally analogous with Christmas proceedings.  It brings to mind none of the usual paraphernalia associated with the holiday – no dreamy expectations of snow covered boughs of Christmas trees, egg nog by the fire, stockings on the hearth or any of the other images archetypical of the holiday season.  But Christmas in Las Vegas is enjoyed by millions every year, and if you think the most extravagant city in the country is going to miss a chance to celebrate something, you are dead wrong.

In Vegas, the buildup to Christmas is the key time to visit – loads of shopping and the faint promise of wealth to ease the holiday season.  This is the most popular time for Christmas shows in Las Vegas too, as visitors count down the days to the nation’s most anticipated holiday.  A Las Vegas Christmas Day however, is different entirely.  The majority of the crowds are made up of foreign travelers and locals.  French, German and a host of other languages pervade the conversations of people as they pass.  Outdoors, Vegas looks pretty much the same as any day, perhaps even a little more deserted.  The streets not choked with revelers, the strip takes on a quaint charm – or as quaint as Las Vegas could ever be.  Looking at the midday stragglers swerving in and out of Mandalay Bay or MGM Grand, it may as well be Arbor Day on the strip. 

But once you step inside, you everything changes – there’s no longer a question as to what the date is.  Casino employees are adorned with Santa hats, there’s faux ivy and flyers for Christmas shows in Las Vegas everywhere.  But one of the things the city seems to take pride in is consistency, its dedication to providing you with the same atmosphere as any other day.  But a Las Vegas Christmas brings a few new twists to the city’s makeup. Every hotel has their own special way of celebrating the holidays – whether it is Wayne Newton’s month long run of Christmas shows in Las Vegas (usually at a different casino each year), the fine-tuned fountains at the Bellagio or the overwhelming collection of Christmas lights that make the Fremont Street Experience even more impressive than usual. 

A Las Vegas Christmas is a study in how enormous a holiday can get.  Every hotel has towering trees spread throughout their establishments, and the addition of even more lights sends power bills staggering all across town.  Places like the Bellagio Conservatory have festively arranged their grounds to celebrate Christmas in Las Vegas, as well as lesser known spots throughout the city such as the atrium in Sam’s Town, just off the strip.

As you can imagine, however, the larger, high-grade casinos are the ones that celebrate Christmas in Las Vegas with the most effort and production.  The entire interior of the Bellagio makes you wonder if they have a monopoly on Christmas decorations.  Ornaments climb into the air above guests and visitors, the tree has to be the largest in all of Vegas and there is red, green and white everywhere you look.  Santa’s workshop doesn’t have this much Christmas cheer.