Savvy shoppers and holiday hedons know that the best time to get a snack, a cocktail and a whopping discount is Noel Night in Telluride.
Noel Night is the single biggest night of the shopping season for retailers and revelers alike. Merchants lure in customers with free appetizers and drinks — this year the season's best spread was at the Toggery, where owners Wendy Basham and Todd Tice served up gourmet aged cheeses with crackers, exotic vegetables with savory dip and a veggie version of foie gras, prepared by local chef Megan Langford.
Shoppers pick out their goods and then play games of chance to determine their discount. Some stores have dice for yahtzee (the better the roll, the bigger the percentage discounted), some have a magic 8 ball with various deals, and some let you putt a golf ball or pick a number out of a hat. The best deal this year was at Paragon Sports, which was giving half off the purchase price of Icebreaker long underwear. Icebreaker is at the top of every ski bum's list this year, because it is made of the finest merino wool, and is wildly warm, super soft and absolutely stink-free, no matter how infrequently it makes it into the washing machine.
Noel Night is also the night to light up the town's tree and to get a sneak preview of Santa — kids get their photos taken with Mr. Claus at the bank, and pets get their pictures snapped with "Santa Paws" at the Wintercrown plaza.
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