With the flick of a switch, the tree is lit. Then Santa arrives by horse-drawn carriage to greet all the good boys and girls. It's all part of the beloved and unique festivities held every weekend in December at Skytop Lodge.

“It's magical. Beautiful decorations, so many activities with Santa. They make it very special,” said the Mills family of Villanova.

A sweet part of the experience is the life-size, edible gingerbread house on display in the lobby; a replica of Skytop Lodge.

“It's amazing, it’s perfect. I want to live in it,” said the Nowak family of New Jersey.

Building the gingerbread house starts in early August. Ingredients include 825 eggs, 720 pounds of flour, 800 pounds of royal icing, and about 150 pounds of candy. The design weighs 2,300 pounds and takes over 250 hours to make.

“There are seven or eight of us in the bake shop at all times and everybody has a hand in this. Some of us have been almost exclusively working on the gingerbread house for the last month, then I have other people who work in other parts of the hotel that have helped us as well,” explained executive pastry chef Matthew Kluttz.

Skytop Lodge offers a full lineup of activities, especially this time of year, including cookie decorating, holiday arts and crafts, and fireside story time. Skytop is also home to an ice skating rink and snow hill. There's even a special package guests can book, taking them by hayride to a nearby tree farm to cut their own Christmas tree.

“Whether you've been here year after year or this is your first experience at Skytop, you can tell traditions are being made. And memories, for that matter,” said general manager Jeff Rudder.