Tiny white lights glimmer like stars through the trees, guiding holiday travelers to the doorstep of the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park (about 40 miles north of Fort Wayne). Perched on a hill overlooking Lake James, this venerable inn resembles a gingerbread house amid 1,200 acres of snowy woods near the town of Angola.

Families with small children often gather in the lobby near logs blazing in a massive fieldstone hearth, one of several at the inn. A recent renovation added more than 50 new rooms to the lodge. Four modern wood cabins in the nearby forest provide more-spacious accommodations.

Brisk rides along two quarter-mile toboggan tracks supply roller-coasterlike thrills. You also can explore more than 10 miles of hiking paths or five miles of cross-country ski trails. Ice skaters and fishermen share the frozen lake. Other park facilities include an indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool and video game room.

The second and third Sundays in December, Santa Claus and his elf arrive aboard a toboggan for a brunch buffet with guests at the inn's dining room. Afterwards, old St. Nick distribute candy canes and sugar cookies to kneefuls of giggling children beside the roaring hearth in the adjacent Lonidaw Lounge.

On Christmas Day, tempting aromas fill one of the banquet rooms during the annual holiday buffet. Guests might feast on filet of cod almandine or roast pork loin with walnut stuffing, as well as fresh-baked strawberry cake and other delectable pastries.

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