St. Patrick's Day festivities enjoy an early start at SkyPark at Santa's Village

ST. PATRICK'S DAY, that festive finale among the major winter holidays, often is portrayed as time spent frolicking around emerald-hued valleys or streams that glint with all the colors of the rainbow. But there is one spot in California that can be on the snowier side when the occasion mirthfully arrives, and if snow isn't present, bundle-up temperatures will be, for sure: It's SkyPark at Santa's Village. The name of the midcentury attraction reveals its darling design aesthetic — its cottages hail straight from the Storybook Yuletide School of Architecture — but the mountaintop destination isn't solely about the charms of peppermint, gingerbread, and reindeer stories: It also honors other holidays on the calendar, including the mid-March's merriest moment.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY... is on a Monday in 2025, but you can get all of your fortunate festivities in before March 17 arrives. Shamrocks & Shenanigans, the annual leprechaun-inspired lark at SkyPark at Santa's Village, will kick up its happy heels over four days: March 8, 9, 15, and 16. Characters representing the spirit of St. Patrick's Day are always an adorable sight at the golden gathering, and the Pot o' Gold Puppet Show further enhances the uplifting atmosphere. A Key Quest and Coin Caper are among the diversions, while themed eats and drinks for sale will include corned beef, Irish nachos, and Guinness.

WINTER IS STILL HERE: For tickets — and you will want to get your ticket before heading up the hill, and check the weather forecast and road conditions, too — leap like a leprechaun might by this page faster than a rainbow appears. Make that a warmly attired leprechaun: Snowflakes have been visiting the area in profusion in recent days, with more ahead as mid-March approaches.