Giddyup! It's Time for Cowboy Christmas
In some parts of the US, Santa wears a cowboy hat. Here's where to find a Western holiday.
I’m told that when I call I should ask for “Cowboy Claus.” That, plus a couple of pictures I found on the Ovando Old West Christmas Fest page of a mysterious man on horseback is all I have to go on. He’s wearing a long leather duster, blue jeans, and a black cowboy hat. On his face is a familiar—and unmistakable—voluminous white beard.
Founded in 1806, Ovando, Montana is a close-knit ranching community of about 100 people nestled on the banks of the Blackfoot River, a pit stop for those on their way to the vast Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. From the highway you’ll see a locally famous bar named Trixi’s Antler Saloon, an old barracks strewn with retro arcade games, gambling machines, and animal heads. Head into town and you’ll hit a row of Western false-front buildings including a restaurant called the Stray Bullet.
If this town has a resident Santa, one might more easily picture him carrying a six-shooter than a bag of presents.
But when I get the big guy on the phone, his jovial tone indicates quite the opposite. This is no tight-lipped mountain man, but a warm garrulous do-gooder prone to explanation, probably thanks to years served as a wilderness outfitter. His appointment to Cowboy Claus came ten years ago, by accident. The old Cowboy Claus’s dog decided to have puppies on festival day, so the town needed a last-minute replacement. “I was a bit apprehensive, but it has turned into probably the greatest volunteer thing I do every single year.”
Over the past few years cowboy culture has leapt over the fences of ranches and into the mainstream. While the rise in popularity can easily be attributed to the Yellowstone—or Beyoncé—effect, many communities across the country have been keeping the culture alive, especially during the holidays. Las Vegas’s Cowboy Christmas, coinciding with the National Finals Rodeo, for example, has taken place since 1986. And the Ovando Old West Christmas Fest has been around for two decades, filling the air with smells of hot chocolate, gingerbread houses, and petting zoos. They even hold the trademark on the phrase “Cowboy Claus” (maybe. Cowboy Claus is pretty sure).
The most important thing you need to know about Cowboy Claus is that he’s not the actual Santa Claus, but merely in his employ. “I'm here to assist Santa Claus, because he has so many stops that he has to make,” he says. “I'm a distant cousin. And that’s what I tell all of the people as I ride into town.”
After arriving on his trusted steed—a gorgeous sand-colored Halflinger named Nickles and Dimes, St. Nick for short—along Highway 200, Claus heads to the town’s museum, where there is a little saw horse set up for visitors that come from as far as Kalispell and Missoula. “I get all the kids to line up, and they hop up on that saddle and tell me what they want for Christmas.” Today the museum houses a collection of local memorabilia, stories of settlers, homestead maps, and information about Ovando's past. But appropriately for a rugged Cowboy Claus’s stead, it was once an old Western saloon called “Bucket of Blood.”
While Ovando’s Cowboy Claus is merely Santa’s proxy, about 800 miles southwest, the capital of Wyoming claims to have the real deal. Throughout the month of December is Cheyenne’s Old West Holiday, where every Saturday you can meet Santa, at the 1883 Whipple House.
It’s the real Santa, too. As the story goes, Kris Kringle started out as a rancher in Wyoming. Then one day he was hand-selected for the job of Santa Claus, Tim Allen-style. That’s according to Domenic Bravo, CEO of Visit Cheyenne, who happens to also play Santa during Old West Holiday. “Ultimately, Santa Claus gets selected, but he obviously had a life before that,” explains Bravo. “He has to go to the North Pole, but luckily, the rest of the year he gets to keep his old life.” When he’s not at the North Pole, Santa homesteads in Cheyenne with his horses, while his reindeer and Mrs. Claus head up north early to hold down the fort and get presents ready. And when the time comes Santa hops on a historic airplane, and takes off to join them.
When we talk, Bravo, a former Nevada law enforcement park ranger, intentionally slips in and out of the character of Claus. I ask what makes Cheyenne’s Western Claus different from the one at the New Jersey mall and he answers “he’s obviously better at taking care of reindeer.” To the question: “How long has this Old West Holiday tradition been happening?” He answers “Of course Santa homesteaded here before he became Santa; he’s had his homestead in Cheyenne since the 1700s.”
“He has to go to the North Pole, but luckily, the rest of the year he gets to keep his old life.”
In reality, Old West Days were created in 2020, stepping up Cheyenne’s reputation as a rodeo town and home of the famed Cheyenne Frontier Days. It takes the downtown back in time with “Santa Stops,” like “Cindy Lou’s Apothecary,” Rusty the Rocking Horse at the Wyoming State Museum, and Kringle Ranch where you can meet Santa’s horses. There’s an accompanying map and passport to keep track of your progress and maybe eventually win a prize. And other events throughout the month include a running of the Santas, a Christmas Parade, letter writing to Santa and a cowboy Christmas market with Western gear and items like antler Christmas trees.
“Here in Cheyenne things have always been pretty Western,” says Bravo. “It's kind of fun to be able to highlight it differently during the holidays.”
On December 15 doors open at 9:30 am at the Cheyenne Airport Terminal to see Santa off to the North Pole. At 10:30 am Bravo boards the plane and up, up and away he (and his pilot) goes. But they don’t actually go anywhere. “The airport is pretty large, because we also provide the airstrip for the Air Guard,” says Bravo. “We just quickly go up and then land back down. Just enough to keep the magic in place.”
There’s the traditional image we think of when it comes to Santa Claus: white beard, red cheeks, red suit, and black boots. The influence for this particular image is attributed to Thomas Nast, a Civil War cartoonist who in 1862 drew Santa Claus for the widely-read Harper’s Weekly. Influenced by his native German tradition of Saint Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop known for his kind generosity, he depicted a melancholic Santa as a symbol of the sacrifice by the Union during the Civil War. It was Nast who later took Claus to the North Pole, and gave him a workshop and a book filled with the names of children who were naughty and nice.
But Santa has always reflected local cultures. In India he comes by horse-drawn cart. In Australia, December means summer, so he surfs and jet skis, and sometimes his sled is pulled by kangaroos (there’s a song about this called “Six White Boomers,” which meant something different when it was written in 1960). In Mongolia the tradition was brought over by the Russians and called “Grandpa of Winter.” He wears blue and silver, and brings presents to New Year’s Eve parties. In Japan he is the round and jolly Buddhist monk, Hotei-osho.
And in some parts of the US he is a cowboy. These days our symbol of rugged individualism is less brawny and wanderlust-y and more down and dirty in the agricultural sense. He appreciates nature. He writes poetry. But for cowboy Santa, two things will never change: He will always have the hat and the white beard, and he will always come bearing presents.
Looking for some Cowboy Christmas magic for yourself? Here are options, from Jackson Hole to Brooklyn
A Cowboy Christmas
Santa Ynez Valley, California
Through December 21
Held at the stables of Santa Ynez Valley Horseback Rides, this cowboy Christmas is a full-on production. That means not only are there activities like horseshoe ornament creation, petting zoo, and pony decoration (with bows and tinsel and things), there’s also an experiential “North Pole ride” where kids have to stop the Grinch from stealing presents, and a “tipsy ornament challenge,” a race where adults compete on horseback balancing an egg on a spoon. Plus Santa comes with his own mini “reindeer”, ( which we’re guessing is a pony, but you’ll have to go to find out).
Cheyenne’s Old West Holiday
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Through New Year’s Eve
Cheyenne was already known worldwide for their Frontier Days rodeo and western celebration, held since 1897 and now drawing 200,000 people annually in search of Western immersion. So it was a no-brainer to branch out into the holiday realm. Their Old West Holiday was launched in 2020 and transforms the town into what it would have been like in the 1700s, where, they say, Santa homesteaded before he got the calling. There are Santa’s Stops throughout town to get your “passport” stamped and activities including holiday lightings, trolley tours, Christmas teas, magic shows, a yuletide market, and so much more.
Holiday events in Jackson Hole
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Through New Year’s Day
Jackson Hole’s Santa may drop in on a snowboard rather than pulling up on a trusty steed, but the town has an undeniable Western pedigree. The historic Wort Hotel has 12 days of festivities, including a naughty or nice Christmas party at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. And visitors can take a sleigh ride through Wyoming’s National Elk Refuge, which is pretty much just like being at the North Pole.
Old West Christmas Light Fest
Boerne, Texas
Through December 23
Held in the Western-themed village of Enchanted Springs Ranch, surrounded by Texas Hill Country, there are not just lights at this festival, but a mechanical bull, laser tag, and live music in the ranch’s functional saloons. The mission of the ranch is to foster a deeper appreciation for the natural world and its creatures. Roaming freely on their land there are longhorn cattle, buffalo, deer and antelope. During the festival visitors are welcome to get up close and personal with smaller critters at their petting zoo, plus bring their own pets to enjoy the festive action.
Wild West Christmas
Dogwood Pass, Ohio
Through December 22
If you want an Old West Christmas go straight to the source: the Old West. Or at least a replica. The secluded Dogwood Pass in southern Ohio was designed to be as close to a late-1800s mining town as possible, and during the year operates as a tourist attraction where visitors can immerse themselves in 32 buildings of a living history—including some more theatrical aspects, like Wild West Shows and gunslinger fights. During the holiday season it’s all that, plus plenty of lights, and visits from Santa and the Grinch.
The Cowboy Channel’s Cowboy Christmas
Las Vegas, Nevada
December 5-14
Coinciding with the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, the ultimate showdown of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, Cowboy Christmas is a massive Las Vegas market affair with 350 exhibitors on more than 500,000 square feet of show floor in the Vegas convention center. If you get tired of browsing everything from handmade furniture to custom western wear, you can wander over to a live stage with performances, the junior rodeo finals, or to have an audience with Santa.
Old Fashioned Cowboy Christmas
Medora, North Dakota
December 6-8
Near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora may be best-known for its long-running summertime Broadway-style Medora Musical. But there’s no shortage of entertainment in winter months, including the play, A Magical Medora Christmas (through December 22) and their own Cowboy Christmas festivities, which takes over the snowy streets with vendors, horse-drawn carriage rides, lights, a pub crawl, gingerbread house competition, book signings, rides, and performances by bluegrass act the Waddington Brothers. They’ll also be showing the National Rodeo Finals at the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Christmas Rendezvous
Augusta, Montana
December 8
Augusta is a charming town of 316 people, exactly what you picture when you think “small-town Montana.” A gateway to the Bob Marshall Wilderness and the Lewis and Clark National Forest, every year they also host one of Montana’s oldest rodeos, for some extra Western pedigree. At their Christmas Rendezvous there's your requisite rustic made-in-Montana handcrafted items and your outdoor fire pits, plus a visit from Santa. But you’re going to want to wear your best gear for the horse-drawn hay rides.
Holiday at Grant-Kohrs
Deer Lodge, Montana
December 8
The Grant-Kohrs Ranch is a national historic site that commemorates the Western cattle industry. Built in 1862, every year it opens its doors for outsiders to travel back in time and see how those who ran the cattle empire lived. There are also horse-drawn wagon rides and marshmallows to toast. And if you’ve ever wanted a hand-forged iron candy cane straight from the blacksmith shop, well, you're in luck.
Paisley Fields Presents: A Cowboy Christmas
Brooklyn, New York
December 13
The venue of Littlefield is more known for its indie comedy shows. But this December 13 it goes country, when Brooklyn-based queer country artist Paisley Fields hosts a night of music and line dancing (including lessons if you’re not up on your moves). On the roster is music from Dale Hollow, She Returns From War, and plenty of glitter.
Phippen Museum’s Cowboy Christmas
Prescott, Arizona
December 13 to 15
Arizona’s Phippen Museum traces the culture of the American West through works by cowboy and Indigenous artists (you’ll know you’ve found it when you see the bronze statue of the bucking bronco outside). On Cowboy Christmas expect a Western-themed storytime, arts and crafts, and a special pet photo session with Santa for furry friends.