Christmas Day in Las Vegas is a strange thing. There are fewer people milling around the casinos and the general vibe is a little subdued. It didn't quite feel like it was Christmas or that it was a Vegas vacation. Something felt off. We thought that it would be best to get out of the Golden Nugget for the afternoon and drive around the city. Our drive took us over to Red Rock Canyon.

Initially, we were going to pay the entrance fee and go on a driving tour of the canyon. However, it seemed like all of the tourist had the same idea as us. It was packed! We don't do crowds, so we made a U-turn out of the entrance gates and drove through the non-tourist section of the canyon. We've done the main entrance tour and it's stunning. Really, it's something not to be missed. However, I would argue that we were able to take in some gorgeous views by driving the opposite direction.

The best and most adorable part of our Christmas was finding a herd of wild burros. We saw signs saying not to feed them ( and we didn't), but they came right up to the fence and they were friendly enough to pet.

The burro herd was our "Christmas Miracle". Later in the trip, we drove back and tried to find them, but they were gone. We enjoyed our Christmas afternoon, away from the casinos and out in nature.