San Francisco to Seattle (or vice versa) in DEC

Hi all,

My gf and I are planning to do a roadtrip in the west coast during the christmas/new year break. However, both of us know very little about the west coast therefore we need your help. We are planning to fly to SF or Seattle on Dec 25th and then fly back to ATL on Jan 3rd. Currently our plan is to go up seattle from SF (dont think there should be a difference either way).

So it would be great if you guys can give us suggestions for must stop locations, and which route to take, or any good eats along the way..where to stop for new years eve?

We are considering on stopping by Lake Tahoe for a day or two for some skiing (don't know if it's worth it). I have done a bit of research and saw that a lot of people are suggesting Crater Lake. Not sure if december is the best time to be visitting these places in the west coast T_T

Anyways..any comments/suggestions would be appreciated!!