Amazing, but true: the blog’s been up and running for more than a month now, and there’s been nary a top five list in sight. I couldn’t possibly go any longer without invoking this great blogging tradition, and given the time of year, it seemed only suitable to make it holiday-themed. If you’re looking for a few Christmas diversions on your winter getaway to the Black Hills, these five places should fit the bill.

The Adams House Victorian Christmas
Built in 1890 by a Deadwood financier and liquor baron, this mini-mansion is one of the boomtown’s most significant homes. Each holiday season, the staff of the Adams House trims the entire building with lights, garlands and historically-suitable Christmas decor. In addition, they team up with local high school thespians to produce The Victorian Christmas Tour – essentially a play that takes place all over the house. The audience is guided through the mansion, from room to room, to watch the plot unfold. The play is fictional, but it is based on real events, so you might learn a thing or two about Deadwood history in the process. Tickets for the tour are free to Adams Museum members, or $5 for non-members. The tour/play is scheduled only for Dec. 8 and 15, so it wouldn’t hurt to book in advance.

Storybook Island Christmas Display
Built in 1959 as a children’s theme park in west Rapid City, Storybook Island is fairly typical of the fantasy roadside attractions that began popping up in the Golden Age of pack-the-whole-family-in-the-station-wagon car trips. However, Storybook Island sets itself apart in its size (from eyeballing it on Google Maps, it looks to be about half a square kilometer), its setting (along the banks of Rapid Creek with pine-covered foothills as a backdrop), and its admission price (free). It closes after Labor Day, but reopens after Thanksgiving for its annual Christmas lights event. Volunteers cover every display with lights, transforming the whole park into a beautiful holiday tour-de-lights. The event is open from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on weekends until Dec. 14, when it shifts to a nightly affair. The lights go dark on New Year’s Eve.

Hill City’s Olde Tyme Christmas
I’m not a big fan of the word “quaint,” but it’s an apt descriptor for Hill City. An old mining and logging town, Hill City (population 871) maintains much of its 19th-century charm, thanks to its historic downtown, the Black Hills Central Railroad and the Alpine Inn. At the same time, it’s evolved into a modern arts community, with several galleries and even a bronze foundry. This creates the setting for the town’s annual Olde Tyme Christmas celebration, and when you throw in a winery and a large Christmas emporium just outside town, you’ve got a formula for pure holiday spirit. Businesses around town sponsor events until Dec. 24, but the highlight is probably Prairie Berry Winery’s Fezziwig Festival. Set for Dec. 1 and 2 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the festival pairs wine, food, live music and Victorian costumes.

Christmas at the 1881 Custer Courthouse Museum
Custer was the first town in the Black Hills, and its 1881 county courthouse – built with brick and accented with whitewashed wood trim – is a brilliant example of Frontier architecture. When the county outgrew the building, it was converted into a museum and cultural center. During December, the whole building gets the holiday treatment, complete with ornaments, music, baked goods and historical Christmas displays. They also stage a festival of trees in the museum’s original courtroom. That’s set for Dec. 1 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Reptile Gardens’ Jingle in the Jungle
Started in the Great Depression as a kitschy roadside attraction, Reptile Gardens has evolved into a major zoo – albeit a very specialized one. Claiming the largest collection of reptiles in the world, Reptile Gardens also keeps tropical birds and plants in its Skydome, a glass-roofed dome kept steamy and toasty year-round. Not a typical Christmas environment, but a pleasantly warm one – reason enough to bust out specially-grown red and white tropical flowers, poinsettias, and other holiday decorations for its Jingle in the Jungle festival. Beginning Dec. 15, the event runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the rest of the week. Tickets are $7.50 for adults, with discounts for kids. The whole show gets put away on New Year’s Eve.

Black Hills Central Reservations doesn’t have any designated Christmas vacation packages, but there are some winter getaways (like the Stay & Ski, Stay & Sled or Weekend Getaway packages) that can be adapted to take advantage of these events.