Beautiful short treks to do during this Dashain Festival

Great idea, but a couple things I'd add. Be careful if the guest house is short staffed. It's even more likely that you could get something from the food or tea. Very often, at least in the Kathmandu Valley, the guest house staff goes home and the owner doesn't always know how to deal with all the kitchen issues. Be especially careful with fried or bitten rice.

Sure!   The folks around the hills of Pokhara Valley are mostly Gurung people. Many are Buddhists and they do not celebrate Dashain so earnestly.They are a bit different than the Newar and Chhetri folks of Kathmandu.
Furthermore it may  be advisable for short trekking and day treks to bring your own sandwichbox for a good home made picnic.

Thanks for clarifying that. I was thinking that even if they live in the same town I don't think you can get them to work, so I think I will be advising people who are here for this festival to go outside the Ktm Valley.

Good morning from Pokhara. Thanks for your replies. Generally those people who run lodges and tea houses in the hills all over Nepal will be open during the festivals. If one lives in Kathmandu and really want to be sure, then go to Helambu. (north east of Kathmandu valley) All lodges are open in the villages of Talamarang, Kutumsang, Melamchi Ghyang, Tarke Ghyang, Shermathang and  one day walking up north of Sundarijal. The folks who run lodges there are all Sherpas, thus Buddhists. They are very good hosts and they do NOT celebrate Dashain or Tihar. They follow the Buddhist festival calendar.