Travel + Leisure magazine readers have chosen “America’s Best Towns for the Holidays” and four Colorado burgs have made the list. Aspen took the top spot in the pool of 25 festive spots.

The article said about Aspen, “A combination of luxe living and quaint charm helped this Rocky Mountain town capture the spot as the merriest of them all. Wandering along Cooper Avenue, you may chance upon cookie exchanges, public s’mores roasts or elf meet-and-greets. But the two most famous hotels in town act as the nerve centers for holiday cheer. The lobby of the Hotel Jerome regularly hosts carolers, while the Ajax Tavern and Element 47 at the Little Nell both serve fabulous holiday meals, with indulgences like venison loin with huckleberries, black truffles and chestnut-and-caramel profiteroles. The Little Nell also hosts the all-you-can-sip Bottomless Cristal New Year’s Eve Party.”

The other three Colorado towns with super holiday spirit are Vail, No. 2; Breckenridge, No. 6 and Telluride, No. 18.

Check out the whole story at www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/americas-best-towns-for-the-holidays.

The Virginia Village/Ellis Community Association’s  Community Hops Program released its Carnation Cream Ale Thursday at Esters Pub, 1950 S. Holly St. This ale is the first community-brewed, publicly available beer in Colorado. VVECA also unveiled the newly developed, community-driven logo. Both the release of the ale and logo are part of the VVECA initiative, “Virginia Village Beautiful 2015” program, new approaches for building a stronger community and identity.

“The efforts to create this ale and a logo are perfect examples of what a community can do when they work together,” said Scott Whitfield, president of VVECA.

The Carnation Cream Ale is a simple cream ale brewed and dry hopped with Virginia Village-grown Cascade and Brewer’s Gold hops. The dry hopped process adds a tart finish and the carnation petals represent the neighborhood. Virginia Village housed many carnation greenhouses during Colorado’s carnation heyday that started in the 1920s. By the mid-20th century Denver was known as the “Carnation Capital of the World,” and Colorado remained the number one producer of carnations worldwide until 1974.

The VVECA Community Hops Program, launched in 2015, brings together local gardeners and homebrewers around the dream of not only growing hops, but turning those hops into a community-brewed beer. Neighbors collaborated with Brew on Broadway, an Englewood-based brewery, to craft the beer.

“The motivation for creating a community hops program comes from the idea that historically people organized their communities around growing crops, sharing resources, and, not surprisingly making beer,” said Seth Gregg, leader of the VVECA Community Hops Program. “We found gardening and beer-making to be relaxing as well as create a strong sense of community.”

The neighborhood also sought to develop a stronger identity for its residents, and held a logo contest to solicit ideas that captured the neighborhood’s character. A community contest drew hundreds of online votes and much debate about how to represent a changing neighborhood of low-slung ranch homes from the 1950s and 1960s. Joe Schlue’s design was selected as the winner by the community.

“Crafting a logo is no different than crafting a fine neighborhood beer. You strive to capture the essence of place, balance its complex characters—sour, spicy, bitter, sweet—and compliment the rich heritage,” Schlue said. “I have a real connection to Virginia Village and being able to contribute in this way was a rewarding experience. Besides, who wouldn’t want to see something they made on a bottle of beer?”

The Denver Center for the Performing Arts is partnering with Hard Rock Cafe for a night of holiday hits, rock ‘n’ roll and show tunes to benefit DCPA Education and The Denver Actors Fund on Monday. This special event marks the first time in history that all DCPA shows performing or rehearsing at the same time will share a stage for a benefit concert.

The night also includes exclusive auction opportunities such as two tickets to opening night of “Sweeney Todd” with access to the cast/crew opening night party, two orchestra tickets with a backstage tour to Disney’s “The Lion King” and more.

Cast members from Disney’s “The Lion King”, “A Christmas Carol” and “The SantaLand Diaries” will entertain attendees following happy hour and dinner at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Hard Rock Cafe Denver on the 16th Street Mall in the Denver Pavilions. Cost is $25 for the show (food and drinks not included). For tickets, go to www.denvercenter.org/holidaycabaret.

One hundred percent of ticket sales equally benefit DCPA Education’s student matinee program and The Denver Actors Fund. The fund is a source of immediate relief when members of the Denver metro theater community (on or off stage) find themselves in situational medical need.

The Denver Flea — a second-year event series that cultivates the Colorado lifestyle and represents the craftsman community — returns with its four-day holiday edition Dec. 3 through 6.

In 2014, the Holiday Flea took over Bindery on Blake for a weekend of maker discovery; this December, the Flea continues its takeover tradition at a new venue: the 80,000 square foot warehouse that was once home to The Denver Post, one of the largest newspaper production sites in the country. While dormant for the past decade, The Holiday Flea will bring it back to life by transforming the space into one the biggest parties of the holiday season.

“At our first Holiday Flea, the sense of community forged between makers and Colorado locals was tangible,” said Casey Berry, co-founder of Denver Flea and founder of Imbibe Events. “Over the last year, that connection has continued to strengthen, and we’ve created even more ways for attendees to enjoy the festivities.”

The Holiday Flea brings a variety of different experiences for its four-day run, showcasing its community of 150 Colorado-centric return vendors and curated new additions. Wares range from handmade jewelry, leather goods and artisan food products to local beauty lines, art, illustrations and beyond. Vendors include Spinster Sisters, Knotty Tie, Western Daughters and Rare Finds. Entry to the Flea is $5 and includes a Denver Flea tote, New Belgium beer and donation to local nonprofit Reading Partners.

“The last two years have been incredibly successful,” said Blake Adams, co-founder of the Denver Flea. “We’ve grown the Denver Flea brand, refined our roster of amazing Colorado craftsmen and craftswomen, partnered with organizations we care about, and applied feedback from our vendors and attendees to make the Denver Flea the best it can be. The second annual Holiday Flea will be a thoughtful culmination of all of these elements, and a really good time.”

Parking is available all weekend; valet is included for anyone who purchases tickets for the Thursday and Friday festivities.

Attendees can purchase entry tickets at www.denverflea.com. To learn about the Holiday Flea plus background on  vendors and their brand stories, visit www.denverflea.com and scroll over “Behind the Brand.”

Rioja server extraordinaire Neil Maxwell passed away Nov. 15 after a long illness. Family, friends and colleagues will celebrate his life during a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. today at Euclid Hall, 1317 14th St.

Join them for a toast to the man who made the word “hospitality” come to life.

In Denver’s restaurant world, Maxwell was a serious stand-out. I named him Top Server in The Rocky Mountain News, and restaurant consultant John Imbergamo honored Maxwell in a 2012 story for Eater Denver (www.denver.eater.com/2012/8/29/6550381/why-rioja-server-neil-maxwell-is-a-true-pro).

Maxwell’s restaurant resume included stints at Piatti, Denver Buffalo Company, Sambuca and Rioja since the award-winning restaurant opened in 2008.

The super server always had a hug for me whether I ran into him at Rioja or at King Soopers at Ninth and Corona. He was a delightful man, and I will miss him.

Eavesdropping on a man’s Facebook post: “Wait, Thanksgiving is next week?”

With another strong sales tax report and an influx of new businesses, the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District continues to produce positive economic results for Denver.  In 2014, Cherry Creek North businesses generated nearly $10 million in retail sales tax revenue for the City and County of Denver.

“Cherry Creek North is experiencing an unprecedented economic upswing and the data clearly indicates that people want to live, work, visit and do business in this thriving neighborhood,” said Julie Underdahl, president and CEO of the Cherry Creek North Business Improvement District.

The largest category of sales tax collections in Cherry Creek North in 2014 was from restaurants and hotels, which increased 6.4 percent. The second largest category, clothing and accessories, increased 9.1 percent.

“2014 saw large economic growth including a 9.7 percent increase in office employment and almost 400,000 square feet of new office and retail space under construction,” Underdahl said.  “Strong investments in Cherry Creek North continue to demonstrate the attractiveness of the area to residents, visitors and employers.”

Over the last five years, the retail vacancy rate in the BID has dropped by more than half from a high of 14 percent in 2009 to less than 4 percent at the end of 2014.  So far this year, 17 new businesses have opened their doors in Cherry Creek North with more announcements being made monthly.  These businesses include financial, oil and gas, clothing, food and beverage, health and personal care and services industries. Several well-known national retail businesses opened first-ever locations in Denver, choosing Cherry Creek North as their home. This growth resulted in an additional 300 jobs in Cherry Creek North.

Other report highlights include:

Sales Tax Revenue

•  Sales tax collections in Cherry Creek North increased 6.4 percent from 2013 to 2014 generating nearly $10 million in retail sales tax for the City of Denver.

Assessed Valuation

• The total assessed valuation in 2014 in Cherry Creek North of $159.2 million represents 1.4 percent of the total in the City and County of Denver.

Jobs

• Businesses in Cherry Creek North employed approximately 6,800 workers in 2014, with 3,350 office workers earning an average annual salary of $142,500 and 3,450 workers in the retail, hospitality and other personal services earning an average salary of $28,800.*

Real Estate

• Cherry Creek North recorded a fourth-quarter retail vacancy rate of 3.9 percent, the lowest level recorded since the start of the data series in the first quarter of 2006.
• Cherry Creek North vacancy rates were lower than those throughout Metro Denver and the City and County of Denver at the end of 2014.

Make it a Brunch Friday instead of Black Friday at Postino WineCafé (2715 17th St. – www.postinowinecafe.com), where the menu is expanded for brunch to include scratch offerings such as Walnut Toast with triple crème brie and tartly sweet house made berry preserves, or the Ciabatta French Toast with the house made berry preserves, almonds and vanilla crème fraiche to finish.

The signature bruschetta boards are also available, including the seasonal bruschetta of roasted butternut squash, roasted pumpkin seeds, ricotta and fresh chives.  Drizzled with two oils – pumpkin oil and olive oil – it’s a creamy, cozy seasonal delight.  Wash it down with a selection from the eclectic and approachable wine list where any glass of wine is $5 until 5 p.m.

The just opened Del Frisco’s Grille (100 St. Paul St. - www.delfriscosgrille.com/cherry-creek) in Cherry Creek North will lure mall shoppers with two holiday cocktails, offered starting on Black Friday and continuing through the entire month of December.

Cozy up to the Cinnamon Apple Mule, with smooth apple bourbon, spicy-cinnamon-y Jim Beam Fire with ginger beer and fresh squeezed lime. It’s a Colorado version of the Moscow Mule.  If you’re looking for something served straight up and sweet, try the White Chocolate Candy Cane Martini with Stoli Vanil Vodka, Godiva White Chocolate, Peppermint Schnapps and a dollop of cream.  Finished with crushed candy canes, it’s a holiday drink to sip when you’re done shopping.

Also, in a support of shopping locally, when you bring in a receipt from any Cherry Creek retailer, your table at the Grille will receive a complimentary order of the signature cheesesteak egg roll to enjoy on Black Friday.

Take martinis to another level this holiday season at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse (8100 E. Orchard Road, www.delfriscos.com) in Denver’s Tech Center. Starting Black Friday, Nov. 27 through Dec. 31, toast to holiday cheer with the new Pumpkin Spiced Latte-tini which includes Stoli Vanil, real pumpkin and pumpkin syrup, half and half and is garnished with a dash of nutmeg.

You can also cozy up this holiday season at Del’s with the Chocolate Eggnog Martini made with Stoli Vanil, Godiva Dark Chocolate, eggnog and is garnished with shaved chocolate. If you prefer to forgo the chocolate in your eggnog – opt for the Eggnog Martini. This cocktail boasts the Stoli Vanil, Bailey’s Irish Cream, eggnog and is garnish with nutmeg.

The white chocolate candy cane martini at Del Frisco’s Grille and Postino’s fall seasonal bruschetta.

Join The Woodhouse Day Spa owners Tina Lovelace and Jeff Sporkin as well as Littleton city officials as they celebrate the open house of the new Woodhouse Day Spa at 8351 Southpark Lane, Littleton, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 2 (also known as my personal national holiday, aka my birthday).

Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and beverages as you explore the 7,600-square-foot New Orleans inspired urban oasis nestled on over two acres in the heart of the Southpark neighborhood.

RSVP to the event preferred but not required at www.facebook.com/events/659549677482009/ or at www.eventbrite.com/e/woodhouse-day-spa-littleton-ribbon-cutting-and-community-open-house-tickets-19213776924.