Guide to Celebrating the Holidays in Sturgis, Michigan

The Christmas holidays are always a magical time of the year, and nowhere is that more apparent than in small town .  Big cities may have larger parades and more stores packed to the rafters with gizmos, gadgets and presents, but small towns retain the wonder of the season in ways that the big cities just can't.  The small town of
Sturgis
in southwest
Michigan
is no exception.  With a population of just under 15,000, Sturgis is a quintessential American small town.  In the late Fall every year, the small city's downtown Christmas decorations go up, signaling the start of the local festivities.  The downtown's old fashioned black lamp posts are trimmed with evergreen boughs and red ribbons, and many downtown business hang wreaths and concoct elaborate Christmas themed window displays.






The Free Church Park in dowtown Sturgis becomes home to Santa's village shortly after the decorations go up.  A small, storybook style cottage is decorated with seasonal accoutrements and Santa is in residence in the evenings and on weekends to take requests from all the local children.  During the grand opening of the

Christmas
Village

, the City of
Sturgis
brings in several reindeer and offers horse-drawn sleigh rides at the

Free
Church
Park

.  Parents can bring their wee tykes to visit Santa, pet a reindeer and have a carriage ride.






One of the favorite traditions of many local residents is the annual Christmas bazaars sponsored by local churches.  Crafts made by church members and by other merchants are available for sale in church basements and halls, and many residents get a good portion of their Christmas shopping done at the bazaars.  In addition to darling, handmade Christmas decorations, many bazaars offer handmade toys, locally crafted jams and jellies, homemade venison jerky, and other gifts which simply cannot be found in stores.