This much can't be questioned about The Coeur d'Alene Resort: It really gets Christmas right.

Visit there any night this month, and you'll see glimmering trees and mammoth wreaths festooned around the halls. Dimpled people dressed as elves make rounds with baskets full of candy canes. And even from the heights of Beverly's on the top floor, diners can take in a full view of the bright lighting displays propped over the lake, a cheery reminder of the approaching holiday.

It's classy, without losing the warmth everyone craves when winter descends.

What more could a holiday-loving individual ask for... Except maybe a contagiously upbeat musical revue of favorite Christmas carols?

Oh, wait. The Resort has it covered.

The Resort's festive furnishings are a fitting frame for its musical holiday show, "Cool Yule," put on in conjunction with the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre.

Some might fear the roughly two-hour show will be over the top and cheesy, but that's not the case. Wednesday's performance featured a simple and fast-paced setup that will appeal to all ages: Four wildly talented performers crooning a variety of Christmas (and Hanukkah) songs, broken up with witty banter and intriguing holiday factoids.

The four cast members of the show are to be commended. It was obvious on Wednesday evening that a large reserve of energy is required for a small cast to keep up a lively holiday show for hours on a small stage.

Throughout the performance, the four actors are jumping straight from one song into another, with crisp and peppy choreography that surely took exhaustive rehearsal.

But the divas are tirelessly enthusiastic on stage, and each boasts beautiful, confident singing voices that give the familiar tunes a new level of appeal. The song list includes classic carols, sometimes with a jazzy or operatic twist, humorous seasonal songs and even a tribute to Rankin/Bass Christmas movies.

And the grand finale features a saccharine song about the Lake City's vacation appeal, written by performer Laura Sable and her husband, Bill Wiemuth, called "A Coeur d'Alene Christmas."

The performers provide just enough conversation on stage to string the songs together and offer some history about holiday traditions (did you know Martin Luther started the Christmas tree meme?). But there's not too much dialogue to get in the way of what audience members desire: Polished and stirring renditions of their favorite holiday pieces.

A glance at the performers' resumes in the program indicates this song-crammed show is probably a break for them. Sable has performed across the U.S. and in England; Kurt Raimer has guest soloed with the Portland and Seattle Symphony Pops orchestras. Mark Cotter has cut his teeth on Broadway, and Callie McKinney Cabe, who can belt a note at a length that would make others pass out, has starred in numerous Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre productions.

Bottomline, this offers a broad variety of music that will leave audience members eager to go caroling, or Christmas shopping, or maybe just prompt them to call their loved ones.

"Cool Yule" runs through Dec. 31. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. on Sundays. There are also two performances scheduled for Monday, Dec. 31, at 7:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Purchase tickets online at www.cdasummertheatre.com, or by calling 769-7780; or at The Coeur d'Alene Resort box office in the lobby, open at 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at noon on Sunday.