Victorian Christmas

Sharing is caring!

Every year our little town turns into a Christmas wonderland.  It’s a tradition that goes back as long as I can remember. So Christmas is pretty big in our town.  We have people coming in for food, sleigh rides and beautiful handmade crafts from local and not so local artists.  We decided to enjoy the festivities and visit Santa.

Small Town Christmas

Bellefonte is not very big but it’s growing every year.  We’re not too far away from Penn State Unversity so some of the real state companies are starting to buy up the property.  It doesn’t look quite the same as it did when I was little. But it still the same Christmas from years ago.

There are still beautiful old buildings, historical landmarks, and that small town feel that you might see in a Hallmark movie.  

Craft Vendors

We get some outstanding artists in to sell their art.  Some are handmade soaps, carvings, and even jewelry. There’s usually Amish cheese and homemade Christmas cookies and fudge. Lots of knitted scarfs and hats.  Wreaths and ornaments.

Aiden found a necklace that he wanted.  It’s made out of a scrabble piece and has Tow Mater from Lightning McQueen.  

And I found some pretty jewelry for unique Christmas gifts.   

Carolling

If you wander around you’ll find some folks dressed as Victorian men and women.  Some sing others tell stories of the town. Still, others will wish you a Happy Christmas and take pictures with you.  

Look for the local churches if you want to hear more.   Trinity United Methodist Church hosts hourly concerts. There are many musicians who play hourly if you know where to look.

Free Christmas Dinner

There are a few vendors who come in with fair food.  And there are tons of restaurants who would love your business but there are also a few places to get free food.  

If you stop in from noon until 2 pm the First Presbyterian Church of Bellefonte has a free turkey dinner available to all.  You can even get takeout if you like. They do have a donations basket out if you want to donate.

Visit Santa

There’s a little greenhouse right out front of the courthouse where you can get pictures with Santa.  He’s in Victorian Christmas clothes so it’s not the regular outfit but you can take as many pictures as your kid(s) will sit for.

Sleigh Rides

If you’d like to ride in the horse-drawn carriage head over early to sign up.  Although sometimes they have a free spot your better off getting a scheduled ride.  It’s around $30.

Local Shops

A lot of the local shops do sales around Victorian Christmas.  If you ever get a chance to visit you should wander through. There’s free and cheap if you hit the right places.

Do you get to be home for Christmas?

Does your town do a Christmas celebration?  What’s your favorite part about it? Let me know in the comments below.