Woodstock, VT and Hanover, NH-At Christmas-Good idea?

[AngelaGT]

Just made an AirBnB reservation in Hartland, VT-between 10-20 miles from both Woodstock and Hanover for 1 week at Christmas.  My dc are grown and not living nearby nor are they able to take a week off at Christmas to visit.  We plan to be touristy, cross country ski, and snowshoe.  Did I make a good decision?  I have not yet booked airline tickets and can cancel if desired.  I don't know the area well-living in WNC for 30 years and 20+ in Chicago.

Thanks!

[whitestavern]

I love Woodstock and Hanover! Lyme and Quechee are nice towns town too. Visit King Arthur in Norwich, VT, if you're into cooking/baking. There is a very real possibility there will be no snow for xc skiing or snowshoeing, but if you like downhill, the resorts have made snow by then. And if there's no snow you could do some hiking. You could also do a horse drawn carriage ride. Lots of quaint towns to meander through and shops to visit. If you like antiquing, there's that as well. Dartmouth College is lovely and may have some activities going on, though being break time probably not likely. If you've never been, I say go!

[Amy in NH]

DH & I rented an AirBnB in Hartland this past winter as an anniversary get-away - only 90 minutes from our home, but we had never really explored the location.  It is definitely worth keeping your reservation!  Be prepared for the possibility there might not be snow that early in the season.

[Carol in Cal.]

It’s beautiful there but it can be extremely cold, like 20-40 below zero.  You have to be very ready for that as even breath can hurt at minus 35.  There may or may not be enough snow for your plans.  

Bottom line—be ready to do some recreational things inside and enjoy them, and be ready to bundle up a lot if you go outside.

[MEmama]

14 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said:

It’s beautiful there but it can be extremely cold, like 20-40 below zero.  You have to be very ready for that as even breath can hurt at minus 35.  There may or may not be enough snow for your plans.  

Bottom line—be ready to do some recreational things inside and enjoy them, and be ready to bundle up a lot if you go outside.

I mean, the average high in Hanover in December is 33. A quick google search states that rarely gets below -9.

The Dartmouth campus is beautiful. OP might check to see if anything is going on there over break, or if they have any museums open. Hanover is a sweet, classic New England college town, lots of cute shops and restaurants to explore. I’m sure it’s lovely decked out for the holidays.

[Pam in CT]

You'll be good. As @whitestavern said, the x country snow is not (ever) reliable anymore, but the downhill places will have it made for you.  But there's lots of other stuff to do in the area in any event.  Don't miss the Montshire science museum, just on the VT side of the border but within 5 miles of Hanover -- one of my all-time favorite science museums.  The King Arthur Flour factory / tourist trap is also pretty fun with kids, and has a surprisingly excellent cafe.  Hanover is better without the kids IMO ( 😎 ) ....

(and while sub-zero temps do happen, it is vanishingly rare, and only ever for a day or two.  Just ordinary middle New England 20s-high 30s is usual.)

[Amy in NH]

You won't hit -20 temps in December.  That's a nighttime temperature in late January, and even then especially unlikely that far south.