Five Local Celebrities Share Their Favorite Holiday Traditions

Photo courtesy of Ksenia Yakovleva

Christmas pajamas, baking sweet treats, swooshing down the slopes and decorating trees with family … oh my! There are countless ways to get into the holiday spirit here in Colorado. We caught up with some noteworthy Denver celebrities to hear about their favorite traditions to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year. 

LISA HIDALGO 

Denver7 weekday morning meteorologist

Lisa Hidalgo was born in Wheat Ridge and grew up in Golden, moving to Lakewood and graduating from Green Mountain High School in 1996. Lisa earned a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado in Boulder and went on to earn her meteorology degree from Mississippi State University. The crazy world of television news had her moving from Grand Junction to Colorado Springs to Las Vegas and eventually back to Denver, all within just a few years. She’s been at Denver7 for 18 years and just loves forecasting in her hometown. Lisa is a runner and an avid reader and loves spending time with her husband, two teenage daughters and their two rescue dogs. She’s a sucker for a chihuahua mix!

What are your favorite holiday and or winter traditions?

I absolutely love December. First of all, my birthday is Dec. 10, and in my household we don’t just celebrate birthdays, we celebrate birth months. I also can’t get enough of the snow, and Christmas just makes me downright giddy. One of our favorite family traditions is our crazy Christmas card. My husband and I started this tradition more than 20 years ago during the monster Denver snowstorm of 2003. The entire city was stuck for days and we decided to take a picture in shoulder-deep snow while wearing bathing suits, leis and drinking margaritas. Our Christmas cards have been goofy ever since, and now our girls are just as excited to come up with the theme every year. I also just love the elements (a good quality for a meteorologist) and will sometimes just sit outside in the snow. I’ll get bundled up, bring out my electric blanket, pour a glass of wine and read a book in the snow. I’m pretty sure my neighbors think I’m crazy!

What is the best holiday gift you have received?

It only took about 15 years for my husband to figure me out, but he finally did! A few years ago he surprised me with an industrial ice maker. It’s not very romantic but it makes perfect Sonic-sized ice, and I’ll take crunchy ice over a diamond any day!

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

Instead of a New Year’s resolution, I pick a new thing every year that I want to learn about or teach myself to do. Over the years, I taught myself how to knit a scarf, train for and then run a marathon, and one year I tackled six classic novels that I had never read. This year, me and my daughters learned how to play mahjong and now we’re teaching the entire family. At this point, I think 2025 will be the year that I learn how to bake macarons. Hopefully edible macarons! 

Photo courtesy of Westword

TROY GUARD

Chef, owner and founder of Denver-based TAG Restaurant Group

Chef Troy Guard, a Hawaii native, began his culinary career under his mentor, renowned Chef Roy Yamaguchi, in Maui. Guard’s global experience includes opening restaurants across Asia and leading kitchens in New York. In 2002, he settled in Denver. In 2009, he launched TAG Restaurant Group, which now operates multiple acclaimed concepts, including Guard and Grace, Los Chingones, Bubu, HashTAG, Done Deal and TAG Burger Bar. Guard has received numerous accolades, including being named Best Chef in Denver by Eater, one of the Great Regional Chefs of America by the James Beard Foundation, and being recognized by the Michelin Guide. He’s also deeply involved in philanthropic efforts throughout Denver.

What are your favorite holiday and or winter traditions?

Every other year, my wife, Nikki, and my kids go to Maui to spend time with my family that lives there. We bury turkeys in the ground and cook them like a kalua pig. It’s the best turkey you’ve ever had in your life.

I also love Christmas since it’s the only time we’re able to get the entire family together. I have two brothers and two sisters, with two of them living here in Colorado, one living in Arizona and another in San Diego, so we always trade off with who hosts each year.

What is the best holiday gift you have received?

When I was 6 years old and growing up in Hawaii, I wanted a bike so bad for Christmas and my parents surprised me with an orange bicycle on Christmas morning. It’s the first thing I thought of so it must still be the best gift I’ve received.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

Like every year, I’m looking forward to good health and happiness for another lap around the sun. Most of all, I’m looking forward to my kids continuing to be healthy and grow. 

Photo courtesy of Jensen Sutta

DANA DAVIS

Executive director of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation

Dana, a Colorado native, has spent most of her adult life as a philanthropist, activist and spokesperson for the Children’s Diabetes Foundation in Denver. Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when she was 7, her mother Barbara and father Marvin founded the Barbara Davis Center for Children’s Diabetes. Forty-plus years later, Dana and her team are leading the way for a cure.

What are your favorite holiday and or winter traditions?

Since moving back to Denver from California almost 10 years ago, my traditions have changed. I love the festive holiday lights at the Denver Botanic Gardens and the zoo. The Denver Zoo has the best hot chocolate, and that gets me in the mood for the holidays ahead!

Walking around Cherry Creek North is so beautiful and cozy with all the shop windows dressed up for the season! This year, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation is one of the nonprofits for the Giving Machines in Cherry Creek North. Nothing says holidays like giving back to others.

What is the best holiday gift you have received?

When I was 9, I was a huge equestrian. My parents said if I took care of my diabetes I could get my own horse. On Christmas, I received Mr. Perfect, aka Mr P. He came with the name and it was so true! He was the best!

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

I am looking forward to the world being in a more respectful place. I love the start of a new year! A reboot for work and life. There are so many possibilities! Personally I am hoping to take a trip to somewhere tropical and disconnect. 

Photo courtesy of Gary Pettit

SHARON MAGNESS BLAKE

Philanthropist and owner of Thunder, the Denver Broncos mascot for over 30 years

Sharon Magness Blake loves to throw parties, especially fundraisers for nonprofits.

As the co-owner of Thunder, along with her husband, Ernie Blake, Sharon enjoys Broncos games in Denver as well as the other activities that Thunder is involved in all year long.

What are your favorite holiday and or winter traditions?

My favorite Christmas tradition is Thunder’s Christmas Party for the Girls and Boys Club. Thunder comes to Empower Field at Mile High, then rides the freight elevator to the club level with over 300 members of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Denver for a Christmas party hosted by the Broncos. We also have been involved for many years with Volunteers of America, and adopting families for the holidays is so rewarding every year!

What is the best holiday gift you have received?

My husband gave me a trip to Cape Cod, which was on my bucket list.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

Good health. 

Photo courtesy of Amanda Tipton Photography

SCOTT FINLAY

President & CEO of Central City Opera

Scott, the president and CEO of Central City Opera since October 2023, hails from a small town in rural Louisiana. With degrees in both business and music, he credits music for opening doors he never imagined possible. Married to Tom Duggan, they share their lives with three sons and their families, including three granddaughters, Ella (13), Molly (10) and Max (6 months). Scott considers his role at Central City Opera the honor of a lifetime and is excited about leading the organization into its centennial celebration in 2032.

What are your favorite holiday and or winter traditions?

One of my favorite holiday traditions is the Christmas night dinner that Tom and I host every year. We work together to create a fabulous meal that always includes Tom’s specialty, prime rib, along with Yorkshire pudding, sweet potato casserole, and a red velvet cake—just like the one my grandmother used to make—accompanied by an array of other delicious sides and desserts. The time spent with family during this dinner is deeply cherished, creating beautiful memories that we treasure year after year.

What is the best holiday gift you have received?

My most treasured holiday gift is the Advent tree my mother crafted for me when I was a child. My father carefully cut the shape of a Christmas tree out of thin plywood, while my mother painted and decorated it with candy, each piece numbered for the countdown to Christmas. Although I can’t recall the specific gifts I received that year, the love, care and devotion my mother put into that Advent tree are what truly made that holiday unforgettable.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

I’m absolutely thrilled that, for the first time in over 10 years, all of our kids and their families are living here in Colorado. We are really looking forward to the year ahead, filled with more time together, celebrating holidays, birthdays, and all the special moments in between. The thought of being closer to our grandkids, watching them grow, and creating new memories as a family brings me so much joy!