Howdy Ags,
My wife and I are going to Banff in Calgary next month. Really going hopefully to do some ice skating on Lake Louise and Lake Lorraine, maybe get in a day of skiing. First time being up there and Canada for that matter. Any recommendations on those or any other activities, places to eat, etc.?

We had Greek food at the Balkan Restaurant in downtown Banff when we were there last summer. It was very good.

How long are you planning, and do you have lodging yet?

We're staying 4 full days. Haven't booked lodging but planing on staying at an AirBnb, some nice condos and apartments, in Banff

Ice skating at Lake Louise is pretty magical. Definitely do that and high tea at the Fairmont Lake Louise. Likely will need a res for high tea.

There are some services at lake Louise, but you are in a national park so it's limited, Banff or Canmore for larger selection of food/grocery/supplies.

Staying in Banff proper is ideal, the ski days are
short so you can still have some nightlife in town.
The Greek place mentioned is good, grizzly for fondue experience, I like Chuck's steak house and Park Distillery. Really all the food is decent, a lot of the restaurants are owned by same group so it's all about the same, nothing really stands out for me.

Skiing, I preferred Lake Louise, there are a couple of places though, you will have to drive or bus to all. You can hit up Costco in Calgary on way out for discount lift tix.

If you are up for something different you might consider winter glamping at Mount Engadine for a night or two and then the rest in Banff.

It's hard to mess up, just build in travel time and plan it out so you aren't trying to bounce LL and Banff too much.

Remember the conversion rates when looking up costs.

Have fun, I love that area.

We've been at Christmas twice, most recently just last month. My "trip report" would up here.

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3517513

We love tubing at Mr Norquay, snowshoeing, and the Johnston Canyon ice walk. New experiences this trip were cross country skiing at Lake Louise and snowmobiling in Panorama, BC (about a 2 hour drive, but well worth it).

The Balkan is a great restaurant, and we really enjoyed Bear St Tavern last trip. Banff Ave Brewing has an amazing elk burger. My faves are fondue at The Waldhaus and afternoon tea at Chateau Lake Louise.

We stayed at the Wolf Den B&B, and it was perfect.

Lorraine Lake is further north in Jasper NP. The Icefields Parkway closed in the winter, so might want to check accessibility from Banff.

Lake Abraham might be an option.

Moraine Lake is near Lake Louise, but the access road is also closed in winter. You can maybe hike there.

The exchange rate is about 0.7, so it's a great deal when spending money locally (Airbnb and hotel prices probably won't reflect this).