Wintry whimsy is headed for the Palm Springs Tram, with Santa and holiday music in tow

WINTER, as in the sort of snowy squalls and foggy mornings we associate with the season, may not arrive first at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, but it does have a way of showing up well in advance of anywhere else in the desert region. That's because the tram's Mountain Station sits grandly above it all at 8,516 feet, surrounded by an alpine forest. The flurries have a way of falling at this scenic spot well ahead of Christmas, giving the whole area the atmosphere of a holly-jolly greeting card. So when we learn that several seasonal events are headed up, up, up to the tram's Mountain Station, all to give revelers some chilly cheer, we aren't surprised. For while the upper terminus of the tram, a mid-century charmer dating back to the early 1960s, doesn't look like the North Pole, it can feel like a special holiday destination, one that is topped by a magnificent glowing tree.

THE FAMOUS TREE OF LIGHTS... is well-known throughout the Coachella Valley, and spying a dazzling dot of light up on the mountaintop is pretty easy from several Palm Springs locations. But the tree isn't the only yuletide detail adorning Mountain Station; there's a chance to have Breakfast with Santa on Dec. 2 and meet Santa Claus on Dec. 9. Other moving and merry moments are also on the schedule, including appearances by a few local high school choirs. Just be sure to check the dates on the tram's site if you'd like to hear Christmassy classics performed on the Pines Café State inside Mountain Station. As for the glowing symbol of the season, the 45-foot tree? It will be lit on Dec. 3 by actress Judith Chapman. Find out more about the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway's wintry whimsy at this site now.