Christmas Towns' bring holiday spirit alive during December
George Bailey would be proud.
The protagonist of Frank Capra’s Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life, literally bet his life on saving a small town for the holidays. The 1946 drama featured the fictional town of Bedford Falls, NY.
Small towns across the US and Canada are donning the garland of bygone eras. In some cases they are recreating 17th and 18h century themes for the month of December.
“It’s like stepping back in time,” Cathy Whittlesey, executive director of the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce, “Nevada City is a well-preserved, historic gold mining town. We have gas lights on the streets and the town is decorated with natural greenery and little white lights, so the stage is kind of set with the town.”
According to Whittlesey, small towns like Nevada City draw tourists and artists alike because visitors want a more romantic experience than "big box” shopping. Residents of Nevada City walk the narrow, cobbled streets in Victorian attire.
The fishing village of Kennebunkport, Maine, ushers in the holiday season with “Christmas Prelude”—caroling, parades, tree lighting, and Santa’s arrival on a lobster boat.
“The annual event brings in people from as far away as Europe,” said Sheila Matthews-Bull, chair of the Christmas Prelude committee.
The 3,700 inhabitants of Woodstock, Vermont, host an annual celebration of all things Christmas during Wassail Weekend. It features horse parades, period music, the small shire town feels like stepping back in time to 1890.
“Visitors can celebrate the traditions of 19th century New England,” said Beth Finslayson, Woodstock Chamber of Commerce Director. “Everything is very true to life in 1890,”
Looking for a spot to enjoy traditional Christmas? There are plenty of locations to choose from. Here are 13 of the most unique holiday villages and towns:
East
This town of 6,000 residents puts on a Dickens affair for its annual Victorian Christmas. The town was founded in 1790 and maintains its Old World charm.
Known as the City of Festivals, Bethlehem is situated on the banks of the Lehigh river about one hour west of New York City. The town’s German ancestry blooms every year with the German Weihnachstmarkt, an open air market.
Holiday festivities occur throughout December in a recreation of Victorian Christmas. The quaint town is on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s roots go back to 1800, when the town was a crossroads stop between Philadelphia and Cape Charles, Va.
The Appalachian Mountain community recreates a Dickens village for Christmas with some 80 scenes and nearly 200 lifelike figures. Every night the town puts on a dazzling music and light show.
This town sits about nine miles from the heart of Washington, D.C., yet it is like stepping into the 18th Century. The historic hometown of George Washington does it up big for the holidays with a Scottish Christmas Walk Weekend and a Boat Parade of Lights along the Potomac.
The town made famous with President Bush puts on its annual Christmas Prelude, a holiday festival featuring all things lobster.
Woodstock is the embodiment of holiday spirit with Old World charm and festive activities throughout the month of December. This town of some 3,000 residents celebrates “Wassail Weekend,” a tribute to it’s signature hot spiced beverage. From horse-drawn carriages to caroling, parades and crafts fair.
Midwest & Central
It’s Ozark Mountain Christmas, with more than 100 bands from bluegrass to Cajun to Irish tenors. Every night through Dec. 31 visitors can attend the Bfanason Limousine Christmas Light Tour.
A few miles off the tip of Michigan, surrounded by frigid waters of lake Huron, sits one of the most unique holiday experiences in North America. The only way to get there is by boat, and visitors immediately are transported to a much simpler era in American history. Motorized vehicles were banned 100 years ago, the same time Henry ford was building thousands of Model T vehicles at his massive Dearborn facility four hours to the south.
The entire town of 1,500 residents transforms itself into a Dickenson Village Festival—old-fashioned English meals, English High Teas, decorated house tours, and English Market. Every evening there is a lighted Main Street parade at dusk and a full musical production.
West
The Polar Express train ferries riders of all ages to form the historic Durange station to the magical North Pole. Christmas in Durango is a uniquely Old West experience with its authentic Main Street, highly decorated shops and festive restaurants. The Winter Solstice Artisans’ Market takes place the end of November through Christmas Eve.
Got a yearning for Bavarian Christmas? Leavenworth is the place, a town fashioned on Germany’s famous Munich region. It comes alive for the holidays with roasting chestnuts, caroling and mountain holiday charm.
The cobbled streets of Nevada City date back 150 year to the height of California’s Gold rush. Each December the residents stage Victorian Christmas, which occurs on Wednesdays and Sundays throughout the month. It features street vendors, bands, horse-drawn carriage rides and characters in Victorian dress.