I warm my hands around a mug of hot chocolate and recall the enchantment of my own childhood Christmases. A time when elves danced in the flames of our fireplace, and fairies floated down on moonbeams to brush their wands along our patio railings and silver-frost them with glitter.

Christmas is spinning its age old magic this year at the Fairmont Jasper Lodge's Beauvert Lake, where an exuberant crowd of skaters are whooping and twirling across the ice, their shouts of glee floating to me across the crisp winter air. Beyond the lake and trees, the late afternoon sun transforms the tips of the surrounding mountains into peach ice-cream.

Dusk falls early and, as I stroll back to my log cabin, over ten thousand Christmas lights twinkle through shrubbery and along the eaves of the main Lodge building. It has begun to snow, but the flakes are fine and light as castor sugar. Perfect weather for Santa, according to Simon, a ginger-haired four-year-old sprite whose folks are staying in the cabin next to mine, "If its too warm," he says, "the reindeer will get sweaty and tired. That's what my Grandma told me."

Well Santa has definitely had no problems getting to the Lodge. Nor has Mrs. Santa and the Elves. About 150 small fry ranging from chubby toddlers to self-conscious eleven-year-olds (trying hard to look blasé, but not quite succeeding) are lined up to meet the merry old Elf, in the Mary Schaffer Ballroom, and I catch a glimpse of Simon with his seven-year-old sister, Jodie-their parents and Grandma Betty in tow.

The kids make short work of the Christmas gift wrap, while we adults make equally short work of downing a lavish selection of cocktails (the Vodka laced fruit punch is deceptively smooth!), and vocal cords duly lubricated, we gather around the Great Hall fireplace to join in a carol sing-along. The choir voices are clear and true-while our contribution has more verve than finesse. Not that it matters. It's the Christmas spirit that counts, and we've all imbibed plenty of it!

Christmas morning dawns clear and cold. The Great Hall with its wreaths of poinsettias, and the roaring fireplace in the Emerald Lounge exudes warmth and goodwill. A festive Scavenger Hunt is in progress around the Lodge grounds, but I'm scavenging for food. Not that I've been starved over the last couple of days. Each meal has been a feast and the cuisine has included delicately herbed salmon, or cilantro strewn pesto , crusted pork loin and on one memorable occasion, a decadent crème brule.

It is open seating at the Christmas Brunch served in the elegant Beauvert dining room, and the hall echoes to the sounds of conviviality as people hug each other and exchange Christmas greetings. At my table a young couple from Ontario confess shyly that this is their first Christmas as husband and wife, while Jane and Walt from Ohio who are sitting beside them, announce that they are celebrating their silver wedding anniversary. We raise our champagne flutes in a congratulatory toast. The extravagant buffet sends my calorie intake soaring to new heights, but it's well worth it.

Brunch over, I join a group on a journey through history. Like its counterparts in other cities, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is a part of our Canadian heritage. The forerunner to the Lodge was "Tent City" and back in 1915 visitors were accommodated under canvas (the floors and walls were wooden) at the rate of $2.50 to $3.00 a day.

The main Lodge was built in 1922, and about a dozen log bungalows, each with four bedrooms and a lounge, allowed visitors to experience a cozy retreat in the Canadian wilderness. Sadly the main building went up in flames in 1952, and the present Lodge with its splendid Great Hall, the Emerald Lounge with its majestic stone fireplaces, the medieval high-ceilinged Beauvert Dining Room, the rustic Moose Nook grill and the complex of kitchens, administrative offices and shops, rose phoenix-like from its ashes.

The Lodge has seen its share of notable guests. I ogle at Bing Crosby's favorite cottage, and the golf course where he won the coveted Silver Totem Pole trophy in 1947; imagine myself on the set of the movie, "Rose Marie" filmed here in 1953, and mingle with the ghosts of royalty in the exquisitely decorated Outlook Cottage which hosted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1939.

When I get back to the Lodge, I run into Grandma Betty. "C'mon," she says, tucking her arm into mine. "We're on our way to drop Jodie and Simon off. They're going to decorate Christmas cookies." In the kitchen a swarm of kids are donning aprons and chefs' hats. Above the excited chatter, a woman with an impressive voice, lines the children up. "All right, is everyone ready?" she yodels. You bet they are! Betty and I leave them to it, and while she takes off for a bingo session, I sip mulled cider by the fireplace in the Emerald Lounge and look for elves in the leaping flames.

It's my last chance to see them, before I leave to travel back to Vancouver on VIA Rail. They're there all right. Just as they were over fifty years ago when I was Jodie's age. They're still dancing. Still magical. Still a part of Christmas past and Christmas present.

IF YOU GO:
Getting There: Guests travelling by VIA Rail's Silver & Blue Class are welcomed on board with champagne, platters of festive pastries and fruit. The cabins, although economical space-wise, have their own private toilets and washbasins. The meals, served in their tastefully decorated dining cars, are fresh and appetizing and the service is excellent. The train worms its way through evergreen forests, past ice-frosted lakes and the rugged grandeur of the snow-covered Canadian Rockies. For details of prices, schedules and booking availability go to www.viarail.ca

WHERE TO STAY:
Jasper National Park offers visitors a choice of motels and hotel accommodation throughout the year. For information on attractions, hotel packages and restaurants visit http://www.discoverjasper.com/

The Jasper Park Lodge celebrates Christmas with style. Their program includes tobogganing, nature walks, snow shoeing, wagon rides, skating and campfire parties on Lake Beauvert. Children are welcome at the Hangout where they enjoy crafts and board games, and are also encouraged to participate in the Children's Recital event; family movies are screened in the Tekarra Cinema (shows are supplemented with complimentary snacks and beverages), and except for December 24, 25 and 31, the children wrap up the day's activities by nibbling on cookies and milk while listening to bedtime stories around the fireplace of the Great Hall. Adults are invited to attend a Christmas Eve non-denominational service held at 9.30 p.m. in the Mary Schaffer room, and to join in a traditional Yule Log ceremony with costumes and music on Christmas evening. Additional user pay services include babysitting, spa facilities, and tickets on a ski shuttle to Marmot Basin.

The Festival of Christmas Package (December 23rd to 27th) starts from a four-day total package price of $1,476.00 based on double occupancy (children 18 and under stay free if sharing a room with parents), and includes a gala Christmas Eve reception and buffet dinner, Christmas Day brunch and dinner banquet, and a Boxing Day lavish buffet dinner. This also includes all holiday activities and events, an in-room Christmas tree, decorating ornaments, and gratuities.

Other packages covering New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, Bed & Breakfast, Ski Excursions etc., are also available. Obtain a brochure or visit their web site as below
Contact Information:

The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
P.O. Box 40, Jasper, Alberta, Canada T0E 1E0
Telephone: Ph: 1-800-441-1414 or call direct 1-780-852-3301 Fax: (780) 852-5107
Email: jasperparklodge@fairmont.com
Website: www.fairmont.com

Fascinating Reading for History Buffs: Jasper Park Lodge by Cyndi Smith (available in the Jasper Park Lodge bookshop in the shopping arcade.

About the photos:
Top: Luxurious Point Cabin built in 1926.
Next: Getting into the spirit of Christmas.
Next: All aboard for an old fashioned wagon ride!
Bottom: Exquisite Christmas décor: Stanley Thompson Cottage.

Margaret Deefholts is a Canadian author and freelance travel writer/photographer.