Seven Trivia Facts You May Not Know About Michigan and Christmas
You’ve probably finished off your turkey by now, and Christmas is just a few weeks away. Carols are playing, and we’re trimming trees and decking the halls. Grab a cup of eggnog and read up on this Michigan Christmas trivia. It might come in handy as a conversation starter if you find yourself at an awkward Christmas party this holiday season.
1. There is a town named Christmas, Michigan. You’ll find it in the Upper Peninsula, about five minutes northwest of Munising on M-28. Look for the giant wooden Santa Claus along the road. The town is named for a factory once located there that produced Christmas paraphernalia. There’s a post office in Christmas, and people often visit there in December to mail their cards and packages, so they’ll be postmarked “Christmas.”
2. There are several other towns in Michigan that have Christmas holiday related names including: St. Nicholas, Snow, Bell, Antlers, Holly, Spruce, Star, North Star, and Shepherd.
3. Michigan is the third largest producer of fresh Christmas trees in the United states and offers the most variety of evergreens in the country.
4. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, The World’s Largest Christmas store, is located in Frankenmuth, MI. It’s open year round and turns on its Christmas light display every night, ringing up a daily electric bill to the tune of $1250!
5. The state tree is an evergreen. It’s the towering Eastern White Pine, once a staple of the Michigan lumber industry. It’s a little too tall for most houses, but it could be a Christmas tree if your ceiling is high enough.
6. Starting in May each year, the State of Michigan takes nominations from its citizens for the state Christmas tree that goes on display in the capital city of Lansing. To be considered, the tree must be a spruce or fir tree with a minimum height of 65 feet. This year’s tree is from the Western Upper Peninsula.
7. Author Chris Van Allsburg, who wrote the book The Polar Express, is from Grand Rapids. It was eventually made into an animated film. In the movie they reference Herpolsheimers, a large department store that was once in downtown Grand Rapids. The movie’s world premiere was also held in Grand Rapids.
