Planning potential December trip to Geneva/Grenoble/Chamonix area, help & advice appreciated!

Hi! I'm thinking about a trip to the Geneva/Grenoble/Chamonix area during the Christmas and New Year's holiday. Mainly thinking about doing some mountaineering practice and hikes that's beginner friendly (I'm also planning to take The Mountaineers' basic alpine climbing course the next time they offer it). 

Any general tips / advice / recommendations / fun ideas? I'm also wondering how to get connected to the local community over there and find people to hike with potentially. Thanks in advance!

I stayed in Grenoble this summer and highly recommend it if you’re into climbing, skiing, or outdoor adventures. It’s a small cute town with great access to nature and has plenty of public transportation options to Geneva, Chamonix or Paris. 

It's maybe not the ideal time of year for hiking or mountaineering around there. December will normally bring the first big snowfalls of winter and the temps can be quite unstable. Everything will be very busy with family ski holidays, so I would expect most guides to be booked up.