By Jim Mikula, President/CEO
December in Fredericksburg starts and ends with two wonderful family events. The Light the Night Christmas Parade will dazzle Main Street on December 6th. Before and after the parade, Markplatz will have six wineries and several food vendors including Fredericksburg High School’s Culinary Students in their food trailer offering holiday delights. At 6:30pm, the parade will begin with 160 floats lighting up the night!
Spoiler alert! Santa Claus is bringing with him several of his hard-working elves from the North Pole. The elves heard about our parade and asked Santa if they could join him this year. When Santa asked if this was OK, we gave him a clear YES!
After the parade it is family time on Marktplatz. Families with small children can have a picture with Santa and Mrs. Claus, along with the visiting elves. Come one, come all - there is no charge to have the photo with Santa, so we hope everyone feels welcome to bring your children to create a treasured memory of themselves with Santa!
The month (and year) ends with the family-friendly New Year’s Eve Countdown to 2025 from 3-6:30pm at Markplatz. The City’s Parks Department puts on this excellent event for families. Plenty of children’s activities and games are available plus food vendors. This celebration not only provides entertainment for families but also fosters community spirit as residents and visitors gather to welcome the New Year together. For those unable to attend in person, the event will be livestreamed on FBGLive starting at 5:30 PM.
In between the Parade and New Year’s celebration, the Christmas Nights of Lights shine at Markplatz. Fredericksburg’s Christmas Nights of Lights continues nightly through Jan. 6. Each evening will feature holiday music starting at 5 p.m., with an audio presentation and lighting countdown beginning at 6 p.m. After the countdown, the music will conclude at 6:30 p.m.
If you haven’t been to any of these events before, please consider attending and being a part of Fredericksburg’s Christmas traditions. I have visited several areas of Germany during the month of December, and I was truly impressed by the number of locals who participated in their community Christmas festivities.
Through the month of December this column will highlight some local stores for you to consider for your holiday shopping. The Grasshopper (113 E Main St https://www.thegrasshopperfbg.com/) for gifts, jewelry, décor and Christmas Market has everything from stocking stuffers to authentic Nutcrackers made in Germany. The store also offers commemorative Fredericksburg Christmas Tree ornaments.
If you want something made In Fredericksburg, you can go to Black Chalk Home & Laundry (306 S Lincoln Street www.blackchalkhome.com) and purchase Fredericksburg Cast Iron pans and accessories. The pans are made right here in FBG! Having worked in hotel kitchens for many years, I really enjoy the “chef quality” of our FBG Cast Iron pan.
If you are looking for food specialties, we have two world class companies in town: Fischer & Wieser (www.jelly.com) and Opa’s Smoked Meats (https://opassmokedmeats.com/). Everyone likes Fischer & Wieser’s Original Roasted Raspberry Chipotle Sauce®, and we Fredericksburgers always enjoy Opa’s Bratwurst sausages!
Please enjoy all the Christmas festivities in town, and please shop locally. Maybe a few purchases in town will help a small business owner afford extra gifts for staff and family!
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