St. Michaels is already a beautifully charming little town. Well, at Christmastime, that charm is only magnified by the awe-inspiring decorations and festive events. Better yet, the Christmas in St. Michaels organization is a volunteer-based organization that has been giving back to their community throughout the year for the last 30 years. The Christmas in St. Michaels event has tons of Christmas fun for the whole family featuring events from the Gingerbread House Competition to a Yuletide Party to Breakfast With Santa. The young (and young at heart) should have no trouble finding plenty of fun for a whole weekend. Read on to learn more about this event:
The festivities begin at noon on Friday, December 9th when the Gingerbread House viewing begins and the Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe open. The Gingerbread House competition gets pretty intense as the first place winner receives a cash prize of $500! Other prizes ranging from $50 to $300 are also awarded. Just keep in mind that the “house” term is used quite loosely as some people build entire villages out of gingerbread and others build trains. The Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe features many artisan products available for sale from local vendors making it the perfect place to get started on your holiday shopping. The local jams, jellies, and baked goodies make great host(ess) gifts for all those upcoming holiday parties. Other items for sale include handmade crafts and we can’t forget about the “A Few of Our Favorite Things” cookbook full of the Eastern Shore’s favorite recipes. Friday night, put on your favorite dress and head on over to the Yuletide party where you can find a full open bar, festive cocktails, gourmet catering from local chefs, and valet parking. Mingle with friends – both new and old – while enjoying the cheer of the Christmas season. Tickets can be purchased in advance here: https://christmasinstmichaels.org/product/yuletide-party/
The fun continues on Saturday, December 10th with events such as Breakfast with Santa, the Talbot Street Parade, Santa’s Wonderland, and the ever-popular, tree lighting. Start your morning off by having Breakfast with Santa (for children ages three to eight). Enjoy a full breakfast at the Town Dock Restaurant and then make sure to tell Santa your Christmas list (don’t forget to remind him that you’re on the nice list!). From there, head on over to Talbot St. to watch the annual Christmas parade. Make sure to get there early as the largest holiday parade on the Eastern Shore is full of antique cars and boats, fire trucks, and a little guest appearance from Old St. Nick himself. Following the parade, you won’t want to miss out on Santa’s Wonderland where children will have the opportunity to chat with Santa. Children will also enjoy playing fun games, having their face painted, winning prizes, and also meeting with Major League Baseball star and St. Michaels native, Harold Baines. Throughout the day, visitors can enjoy free music throughout town (check out the event calendar here https://christmasinstmichaels.org/product/holiday-music/) and then end the night with a tree lighting event at Inn at Perry Cabin by Belmond.
Sunday, December 11th, concludes this Christmas weekend of fun and the Gingerbread “House” display ends with prizes being awarded at 2 PM. Sunday will also allow you one last chance to stock up at the Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe as that will be open until 3 PM.
But, let’s not forget the best thing about the Christmas season – giving! You can check out the full list of organizations that will be benefitting from the festivities here https://christmasinstmichaels.org/beneficiaries/ on the Christmas in St. Michaels website. Some of the events mentioned above require tickets so make sure to check out the website for more details.
