Finally, skiers and riders have the holiday fixin' they really want: snow.
The Thanksgiving holiday will see a growing number of New England ski areas turn on the lifts. In Princeton, the folks at Wachusett are confident of opening tomorrow.
"If all goes according to plan, this will be our earliest opening in five years," said spokesman Tom Meyers. "Given what the past few winters have been like, it's been harder to come by. We're hoping this bodes well for what is to come."
Wachusett scheduled a handful of trails to open: Upper and Lower Conifer Connection, Indian Summer, and the learning area. Meyers said the ski train from North Station to Fitchburg is ready to roll.
In the Berkshires, Jiminy Peak plans to open tomorrow. Killington, Mount Snow, Okemo, Stowe, Jay Peak, Sugarbush, Bromley, Stratton, and Smugglers' Notch are all making snow when the temperatures permit in Vermont.
"The temperatures have not only been good, but consistently good," said Jen Butson, Ski Vermont's public affairs director. "That has made all the difference. This is 180 degrees from last season, and it's only a sign of things to come."
Granite State areas open include Attitash, Bretton Woods, Waterville Valley, and Loon. Cannon and Sunapee are gunning for tomorrow with Crotched and Wildcat planning a Saturday start.
Sugarloaf and Sunday River are operating in Maine.
"We plan on offering over 20 trails this holiday weekend," said Sunday River's Alex Kaufman, including popular cruisers such as Spruce Peak's Risky Business and Monday Mourning on Locke Mountains.
Naturally, there's limited terrain this time of year, and it's always best to call ahead or go on the Web to get the latest conditions.
Considered to be the grandfather of aerial skiing, 1952 double Olympic medalist Stein Eriksen last Saturday received the New England Ski Museum's Spirit of Skiing Award, which exemplifies skiing as a way of life.
"This is a great accomplishment to me, that I have had an influence on skiing in America," Eriksen said while at Sugarbush, where he taught skiing in the early 1960s.
While at Sugarbush, he ran into a Vermonter named Billy Kidd.
"He's one of my favorite American skiers that made it," said Eriksen, who will turn 80 Dec. 11. "[Kidd] made it with his personality, the way he skis, and the way he presents the sport of skiing."
A double-black diamond trail at Sugarbush - Stein's Run - honors his legacy. He's still skiing, but not like he did during his heyday.
"I don't do the aerials anymore," he said. "Well, not on purpose."
Globe correspondent Tony Chamberlain contributed to this report.