It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The holidays have arrived, and people are gearing up to celebrate with their loved ones. In the case of Christmas, many traditions have developed, such as exchanging gifts, streaming Christmas music and movies and decorating for the occasion.
Juliette Bryant (12) finds joy in practicing Christmas traditions.
“I like to go look at Christmas decorations because they are so bright and fun, which makes me more excited for the holiday season,” Bryant said.
Christmas can even bring a whole town together, as citizens take immense pride in transforming their home into a remarkable winter wonderland for everyone to enjoy. Christmas towns provide a great opportunity to boost tourism as the setting attracts consumers to spend money at local businesses.
McAdenville, N.C., also known as “Christmas Town U.S.A,” draws in around 600,0000 tourists annually according to gogastonnc.org. In 1956, McAdenville Men’s Club, along with W.J Pharr, founder of the textile company Pharr, wanted to find a way to bring Christmas spirit to the 1.5-square-mile community. Together, they came up with the idea to decorate the trees around the McAdenville Community Center with red, green and white lights. McAdenville gained national attention in 1980 when it was featured on CBS Sunday Morning and has since been featured on Good Morning America and Southern Living. They host many events such as a tree lighting ceremony, the yule log parade and the Christmas Town 5K. This small town of roughly 900 people continues to thrive because of their tight knit community and their dedication to making Christmas feel magical. McAdenville consists of around 250 evergreen trees, 100 vibrantly decorated homes and half a million lights adorning the streets, according to travelandleisure.com.
John Searby, CEO and Executive Director of Catawba Riverkeeper, shared on travelandleisure.com how much he cherishes living in the McAdenville area.
“This isn’t just a one-day parade or event—Christmas Town U.S.A. is a 26-day lifestyle. Every night, it transforms into this magical place where people are driving, walking, and enjoying the lights with their families and friends,” Searby said.
Leavenworth, Wash., describes its village as a “Bavarian snow-globe scene,” glowing with over half a million lights from Thanksgiving to February.
Leavenworth is home to one of the largest nutcracker collections in the world. The museum opened in 1995 as a private display of a nutcracker collection, owned by Arlene and George Wagner. In 2006, the museum became a non-profit organization with the donation of the Wagners’ collection and by gaining ownership of the entire museum building. Since being featured on CBS Sunday Morning and the Food Network, the museum’s story has inspired numerous collectors to donate their nutcrackers to be placed on display.
Santa Claus, Ind., not only takes their love for Christmas to the next level by naming their town after Santa Claus but also by celebrating Christmas year-round. A small farming settlement of German immigrants tried to apply for a post office in the 1850s under the name “Santa Fe.” Their application was rejected because there was already a city named Santa Fe in Indiana. According santaclausind.org, a local legend is how they decided on the name Santa Claus. The legend goes that on the night of Christmas Eve, the townspeople were gathered in a small log church to figure a new name for their town. The children were running around playing during this discussion. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew the church doors open and the sound of sleigh bells filled the air. The children chanted for Santa Claus’ arrival and the name for the town became clear. On May 21, 1856, the Santa Claus, Ind., post office was established.
Today, the town celebrates their history by putting on an array of festivities including Christmas dinner with Santa, light shows, Grinch Day, a holiday bake sale and a Christmas parade.
Christmas towns have so much to offer and can even inspire others to get into the Christmas spirit themselves.
Darby Ruff (12) loves the holiday season because it is a great opportunity to spend time with her family.
“I love decorating for Christmas because it is something my mom and I always do together and the decorations just make me genuinely happy,” Ruff said.
