Santa Claus, Indiana The town of Santa Claus, Indiana is one of the world’s greatest tributes to the jolly old elf. Formerly Santa Fe, the town’s name was changed to Santa Claus in 1856 due to a U.S. Postal Service conflict. In the century and a half since, the entire town has become one giant homage to Santa Claus and Christmas. Everything from the street names to the … [Read more...]
SPANGLER CANDY FACTORY
Bryan, Ohio Of all the treats associated with the holidays, nothing comes more readily to mind than the humble candy cane. Candy canes have been the definitive Christmas candy since at least the 17th century, and though they have perhaps been surpassed in popularity by chocolate, candy canes remain the holiday icon. Children draw pictures of them. Christmas trees are … [Read more...]
SILVER DOLLAR CITY
Branson, Missouri Virtually every theme park in America which is open at Christmastime is festooned in coordinated decorations and light displays, usually on such a massive scale that only the focused efforts of a major corporate entity can pull it off. No place is this more true than at Silver Dollar City in Branson. Branson, the largest and most popular family vacation … [Read more...]
THE MCCALLISTER HOUSE, ETC.
Chicago, Illinois Home Alone was Americana movie mogul John Hughes’ great contribution to the Christmas genre, as well as his most successful film. It also made child star Macaulay Culkin a household name. Home Alone tells the story of Kevin McCallister, a youngster separated from his family over Christmas vacation, in a slapstick fight to the finish against thieves … [Read more...]
THE PARKER HOUSE & MUSEUM
Cleveland, Ohio A small house in the Tremont area of Cleveland is the pilgrimage mecca for fans of all things related to the holiday movie classic, A Christmas Story. This house, which was used for the exterior shots of the Parker home in the movie, was acquired by San Diego businessman Brian Jones in 2004. He subsequently remodeled the interior into a near-perfect replica … [Read more...]
BRONNER’S CHRISTMAS WONDERLAND
Frankenmuth, Michigan Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is the world’s largest Christmas store and a Michigan retail institution. Established by local resident Wally Bronner in 1945, Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland has grown into a three-hundred thousand square foot behometh, boasting the largest and most diverse selection of Christmas paraphernalia on the planet. Upwards of … [Read more...]
SANTA CLAUS PARADE
Peoria, Illinois Christmas parades, which have become an important part of the holiday season in America, had their humble beginnings not in the country’s enormous metropoli like New York, but rather in Peoria, Illinois. It was in this unlikely small city that the country’s first recorded Christmas took place in 1887. Even more oddly, this first parade in Peoria was not … [Read more...]
BOAR’S HEAD & YULE LOG FESTIVAL
Cincinnati, Ohio The traditions of the Boar’s Head Feast and the Yule Log both date back many centuries, and celebrations of both can be found around the world. However, in the United States, no place celebrates the Boar’s Head and the Yule Log like the congregation of Christ Church Cathedral in Cincinnati, Ohio. Inaugurated in 1940, it is not only one of the longest … [Read more...]
FESTIVAL OF FAITHS
Louisville, Kentucky The Festival of Faiths is a series of periodic events sponsored by one of America’s most unique religious institutions: the Center for Interfaith Relations. Based at the Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in Louisvule, Kentucky, the Center for Interfaith Relations was the unusual outgrowth of an effort to renovate the cathedral. Since the renovation, … [Read more...]
CENTRAL HOUSE HOTEL
Boscobel, Wisconsin The Gideons International is one of the best known yet unknown homegrown American Christian organizations. Virtually everyone who has ever stayed in a hotel room and found a Bible therein knows it was most likely placed there by the mysterious group known as the Gideons, but most people known nothing beyond this. The origins of this busy but little … [Read more...]
