In the dead of winter, Coloradans come alive.

We chase powder to ski slopes. We blaze tracks in meadows and woods by snowshoe, snowmobile and dog sled. We party at festivals no matter the blizzard. We shop till we drop at shops across resorts, enjoying the views as we go. We drop into hot springs, awakening new senses. We awaken taste buds with après flavors. We cozy up to a fireplace, grateful at the end of the day.

The state boasts a long list of postcard towns that showcase the season, the internationally renowned likes of Vail, Aspen and Telluride but a few. Here we will spotlight four which might not immediately come to mind.

Today, Georgetown, with three more town profiles to come in the coming days.

Georgetown

How fortunate we are for Interstate 70 exit 228. That’s the exit for Georgetown. That’s the escape from the hustle and bustle of the highway and the city. This hideaway awaits less than an hour’s drive from Denver.

Sitting amid Rocky Mountain splendor, Georgetown is the antithesis of the metro. This is a town that prioritizes nostalgia and shies away from development. It prefers tradition over change. However close to Loveland Ski Area, real estate moguls have not quite had their way here. Not in Georgetown.

Victorian buildings of the silver boom are forever protected by a National Historic District designation that locals lobbied for in the 1960s. The buildings house businesses such as Kneisel & Anderson, a grocery store that has served generations since the 1890s. Other history is preserved at several museums.

And at no time is Georgetown more proud than during Christmas time.

The Georgetown Christmas Market is a tradition spanning six decades. Locals parade along in Old World attire and spread holiday cheer in song. Roasted chestnuts, horse-drawn wagons and St. Nicholas are all known to accompany the festivities, typically held the first two weekends in December.

The spirit of the season is also felt along the Georgetown Loop Railroad, which books Christmas-themed trips aboard a steam-powered locomotive.

The train departs from downtown, where shopping could occupy an afternoon. On Sixth Street is Buckskin Trading Co., with racks of fashion-forward women’s attire, and The Trading Post, with hats, hides and jewelry fit for the old West. Shoppe Internationale is the place for Christmas trinkets.

In such a rustic town, it’s only right to surround yourself with rustic accommodations that you’ll be happy to return to after a cold day of skiing or ice fishing on the town’s 55-acre lake. Fresh-baked croissants go with European hospitality at Hotel Chateau Chamonix, where wooden decks and hot tubs overlook the scenery. Saxon Mountain Retreat is a big cabin tucked among tall trees and listed as sleeping 16.

At night, fill up on pub fare at Cooper’s on the Creek, or gather round for brick-oven pizza at the Alpine Restaurant.