A Hometown Christmas in Ontonagon, Michigan

In this era of corporate greed and online shopping it can be hard to find any sincere holiday cheer. But there's one small town in Upper Michigan that hasn't forgotten the meaning of Christmas.

Ontonagon (pronounced On-tuh-NOG-un), Michigan is a small town with big-time holiday spirit. The community-which calls itself "Harbor Town"-sits on the South Shore of Lake Superior and is home to about 2,000 residents. While you won't find a Macy's, a three-story mall, or even a Wal-Mart in Ontonagon, you will find a lot of friendly, genuine people eager to share their Christmas cheer with you.

Each December for the past 6 years, Ontonagon has hosted a "Hometown Christmas" event. In 2006, the festivities will run from December 1st to the 3rd. You won't find any big businesses or corporate sponsors at this festival; Ontonagon's Hometown Christmas is entirely community-organized, community-run, and community-oriented. In the past, the event has included live reindeer, a fireworks display, and a parade (open to both business and individual entries.)

For many people, the community-wide decorating is the highlight (bad pun intended) of the Hometown Christmas celebration. Businesses and residences alike deck their halls to the max in a community-wide show of friendly competition. You can start your light-seeing tour on Ontonagon's safe and easily-walkable main drag, River Street. When the sun goes down, you'll want a car to reach the outskirts of the village where some of the best-decorated houses hide. The residents of Ontonagon put up many attractive lighting displays on an annual basis, several of which are downright astounding.

If you're looking for some holiday entertainment, the Harbor Town Players-Ontonagon's local theater troupe-puts on a holiday show congruent to the Hometown Christmas celebration every year. This year's show will be a performance of "Babes in Toyland", and it will run from November 30th to December 1st at the Ontonagon Theater of Performing Arts. Ontonagon's amateur thespians always give it 100% on stage, providing a thoroughly entertaining Christmas show year after year.

On December 10th, one week after the Hometown Christmas festivities have wrapped up, the Theater of Performing Arts will also be host to the Ontonagon County Clergy Council's Christmas program.

Another worthwhile entertainment option is the Ontonagon Area Elementary School's annual holiday concert. This event takes place at the high school gymnasium and features students in kindergarten through sixth grade. The kids generally sing a mix of yuletide classics and contemporary holiday jams.

If you've had your fill of theater and music and feel the need to get some Christmas shopping done, Ontonagon has several attractive options. You won't find any big retailers in the village, but River Street is lined with quaint, locally-owned shops. Christmas shopping in Ontonagon wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Ontonagon Museum. The museum gift shop has a wide range of gift items ranging from the typical (candles, books, t-shirts, soaps, and candies) to the uniquely Ontonagonian. Many of the gift items in the museum and other downtown shops are influenced by either Upper Michigan's deep Finnish heritage, or Ontonagon County's long-gone "copper rush" days.

The only chain store you'll find in Ontonagon is the Family Dollar. While it isn't exactly a Christmas shopping mecca, the "FD" is a great location for last-minute stocking stuffers and affordable decorations.

The very best thing about spending Christmas in Ontonagon might be its location. The village is nestled at the mouth of the Ontonagon River on a pristine stretch of Lake Superior, and while beach fun is obviously limited around Christmastime, the Lake still offers some stunning winter views. The highly-popular Porcupine Mountain State Park and ski area is a short drive away if you want to get in some skiing (downhill or cross-country) or snowboarding. Ontonagon is also something of a snowmobiling hub, with miles of well-groomed trail connecting the village to other areas of the county and beyond. And if ice fishing is your thing, there are several productive bodies of water in the vicinity.

Whatever particular flavor of holiday cheer lights up your tree, you can probably find it in Ontonagon. "Harbor Town" may not have the shopping options of 5th Avenue or the spectacular tree-lighting celebration of Rockefeller Center, but it's one of the last few options out there for an honest-to-God small-town Christmas celebration and all the warmth and joy that comes with it.