Christmas at Crossroads

Tonight I went to Christmas at Crossroads with some close friends and their three kids. We had a blast! If you've never been there, Crossroads Village is a mini-Greenfield Village with 34 historical buildings from all over Michigan assembled into and 1800s farming community, including a carousel, a railroad, and a paddlewheel boat on Mott Lake. For Christmas everything is covered in lights, there are crafts, a music show, and other activities. The only thing missing this year was snow.

We enjoyed walking around the village, admiring the lights, riding the carousel, talking to the Blacksmith, and riding the train. The train ride is about 45 minutes, with lighted decorations to see along the way. The conductor narrates the tour and we sang along with the Christmas carols during the turn-arounds.

We ended the evening by attending a concert in the Opera House. To my delight, the musicians were The Collecting Consort (Anne & Gary Wakenhut). I love hammered dulcimer and Irish harp music, so I bought one of their Christmas albums last year in Traverse City on a whim. I love it so much it's on my iPod, my laptop, and in my living room stereo. What a nice surprise that we got see their last show of the season at Crossroads! It was a half-hour show that included music and storytelling. HK and I really enjoyed it and even talked to Anne afterwards to thank her.

Every year I say I'm going to get to Crossroads and this year I finally did. It was a fun, Christmassy evening and I'm so glad I went! If you would like to go, it's not too late. Normally you have to walk around the village but on Monday nights and Christmas Eve (5-9 p.m.) you can drive through to see the beautiful lights. After that the village will be open to pedestrians Dec. 27-30 (4-9 p.m.).