I took the last volunteer shift at the marshmallow roasting pit during Sheridan's Christmas Stroll the day after Thanksgiving.
My job was simple: slide marshmallows onto wooden skewers so little kids, and plenty of big kids, could toast them over the coals.
The fire was perfect for turning sugar into golden goo. It did nothing for staying warm.
Light snow drifted through Grinnell Plaza, and the wind had opinions. I kept pulling off my gloves to skewer marshmallows and felt that familiar Wyoming sting in my fingertips.
Then a kid would grin, hold up a masterpiece of toasted marshmallow, and the whole scene would sparkle again.
That's Wyoming's holiday season: cold air, bright faces, and the steady choice to show up for each other.
Across the state, the calendar floods with events that look different from town to town, yet they share a common heartbeat.
You see it everywhere: parades down Main Street, parks wrapped in lights, school auditoriums filled for concerts. Holiday markets where you buy gifts from someone you actually know. Santa arriving by firetruck or swinging into view in ways that make you laugh out loud.
These events are community in action. They pull neighbors into the same place at the same time, and they teach the next generation what showing up looks like.
Walk through a holiday stroll in Sheridan, Cody, Rock Springs, Casper, or Lander and you'll see the pattern.
Kids dart between cocoa stations. Parents stand shoulder to shoulder, swapping winter small talk that turns into real conversation. Store owners recognize customers by name. Local businesses stay open late and keep the lights on.
Volunteers handle the details—marshmallows, parking, floats, hot chocolate, safety vests. All the unglamorous work that makes a community feel easy.
When the parade rolls by, you're watching your own people.
The lights tell their own story. Winter nights arrive early here, sometimes before dinner.
We answer with glow.
Drive-through displays at fairgrounds, walk-through parks, neighborhood tours where locals compete for the best decorations. You can pile into a pickup, crank the heater, and point out the reindeer while your teenager pretends to be unimpressed. You can meet friends under the trees, sip cocoa, and let the kids burn off energy.
The lights do something else too: they soften the dark.
Then there's the music. Holiday concerts, symphony performances, choral nights, school productions, and the yearly return of The Nutcracker show another Wyoming strength: craftsmanship. People rehearse for weeks so a roomful of neighbors can be carried for an hour.
Choir directors, band teachers, stagehands, and volunteers make it happen. Audiences show up in their best sweaters and their work boots. The rancher sits next to the lawyer, the teacher next to the mechanic.
Here's the thing: art and work boots both require dedication. Wyoming gets that.
Holiday markets, craft fairs, and shop-local nights say something important: we take care of our own.
When you buy a wreath from a local maker or a gift from a downtown shop, you're keeping a neighbor's dream alive through the slow season. You're also keeping Main Street vibrant.
Small-town economies run on neighbors choosing neighbors. That matters year-round, but it shows most clearly in December.
But here's what strikes me most: generosity shows up everywhere this time of year, sometimes loud, often quiet.
Giving trees. Food drives. Toy collections at the fire station. Auctions that fund student lunch accounts. Fundraisers that send backpacks home on Fridays filled with food for the weekend.
A holiday season built around gifts can still be grounded in giving, and Wyoming tends to remember that.
Faith is woven through all of it. Christmas Eve candlelight services, community worship in school auditoriums, and "Blue Christmas" gatherings for people carrying grief create space for joy and sorrow in the same week.
Faith traditions remind us that celebration and compassion belong together. They also remind us that many blessings arrive through other people's hands.
So take in the activities. Go to a parade, even if it's windy. Stand under the lights. Bring a friend who moved here recently. Buy something small from a local shop. Drop a canned good in the donation bin. Sing the carols, even if you're off key.
Say a prayer of thanks, even if it's a quiet one.
We live in a place where winter can be hard and distances can be long. The holiday season gives us a reason to close the gap. It invites us to remember how blessed we are, and to act like it.
That's what makes it Wyoming.
