Hi all!
My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary in December. We were originally planning on going to Europe, but I recently started a Master's program and won't have a lot of time. We would like to take a long weekend trip (Thursday-Sunday). We are thinking of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, or Rhode Island. We live in Nevada, so we would love to go somewhere with a lot of snow. Are there any interesting places that you can recommend (hotels, things to do)? We are NOT set on these states and any suggestions are welcome!

It will take you most of a day to go to the northeastern states you have listed and the same back. Snow also not guaranteed at all near the coast in early December. Maybe consider Whistler?

What are your interests? Although we usually don't have much snow before January, northern NH should have some. Some places rent snowmobiles. highland Bike Park rents bikes and offers moutain biking year round. It's a former old time small ski area in Northfiled NH. You can take cross country ski lessons in many places. If there's no snow you can still go biking. If mountain biking is too much, there are rail trails where it's all flat. NH,s White Mountains are close enough to Maine coast for a day trip.
concord NH might be a safe bet since it,s only an hour south of mountains if you want to do something snowy. If there isn't much snow, you can rent a bike.mthere's an independent movie theater as well as a couple of live theater venues, walkable downtown. Decent restaurants. There are actually hiking trails since the city includes a lot of rural areas. It is also close to MHT so you don't spend all your time driving to a destination.

If there is snow, some places are grooming trails for bicycles with fat tires. If you already know how to cross country ski you can rent skis. There are groomed trails around.

If you can’t get to France, go to Quebec City. It has the French language, culture and food and “romantic” European-style architecture (it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO). Founded in 1608, the original French settlers built in the French style of that period. It is the only fortified city north of Mexico. There are buildings, houses and churches dating from the 1600s including Maison Puiseaux, Maison de Madame de La Peltrie, Basilique-cathedrale de Notre-Dame, Maison-Duc-de-Kent, and Seminaire-du-Quebec. Eat rabbit at a French classic bistro such as Le Lapin Saute or eat yummy crepes at Le Billig. Grab a croissant or baguette at Panetier Baluchon. It will have snow. Air Canada has flights from LV to Quebec City. I think you need to add a couple of days to your trip due to travel time.

Portland, Maine is a super cute town! It's hard to guarantee snow, but my friend up there was posting a lot of photos with snow from her land this past winter.

The drive through Utah is fun. I would head towards Yellowstone from Nevada.

Hmm. Given that travel times can be delayed in areas likely to have snow, I wonder if you have considered traveling a shorter distance. Have you thought of Lake Tahoe or is that too close?

I like the Whistler idea! From Nevada and wanting snow in December I'm not sure the New England states are really your best bet. I'm crazy for Vermont and New Hampshire (used to live there) but for a short trip to see snow not sure that would be my pick. Plus from any major airport is going to require a bit of driving to get to the scenic spots. Pacific Northwest would be another idea. You'd need to go up to the mountains for snow. There are issues about rental cars and winter weather (if chains are required, etc.) also are you experienced driving in snow and ice?