Into the Great Unknown: The Bozeman Christmas Stroll

On Saturday December 7th, my mom and I braved record setting frigid temps to celebrate the holiday season in the beloved Downtown Bozeman Christmas Stroll.

In its thirty-third year, this community festival features arts, crafts, fun family activities, caroling, a live nativity, horse drawn carriages that dash through the snow, food vendors, gingerbread houses, Santa and more. Main Street is closed off to vehicular traffic for four blocks from North Rouse to Grand Avenue, allowing strollers to meander this winter wonderland, a bucolic scene of ice, snow and lights. The atmosphere is akin to a Robert Frost poem or a Christmas card. Even the bah humbug cynics and scrooges of this world are stirred to embrace the spirit of the season during the Christmas Stroll. It is the one event that brings the community of Bozeman together. Hundreds of souls overcoming the bitter cold, with the warmth of this vibrant gathering.

Dressed in five layers, including the 'Darth Vader-esque' ski masks, my mom stepped out of our apartment onto Main Street, the glow of the sun dim, the mountain peaks rapt in an alpenglow of warm red and pink. The temperature as we started our excursion, -10 degrees at 4:00, the high temp for the day.

Downtown Bozeman is the anchor of the community with dozens of local shops, eclectic coffeehouses, grocery stores, banks, offices, art galleries, a variety of restaurants, clothiers...if you need it you'll probably find it downtown. Downtown Bozeman is what drew me to settling here, the community of locally owned shops and walkability. We step out of our front door and are a block from numerous coffee nooks, restaurants, the library, bookstores...LIFE IS DOWNTOWN.

Our steps crunched on the frozen snow, glistening white, shimmering as dusk shadowed the landscape. Stopping on the corner of Black and Main, we watched as Santa galloped downtown on a horse drawn caravan. Jolly St. Nick kicks off the Christmas Stroll by lighting the way to Christmas, stopping at each intersection to turn on the colorful array of luminous Christmas lights. With the sun disappearing into a winter's night, the hundreds of bulbs, joyously signal a chorus of 'Merry Christmas.' In even the loneliest of bitterly cold Montana nights, dark and unyielding, these holiday lights, offer reprieve and hope in the spirit of the season. The cold becomes invigorating as a call to community action and hope, instead of the dead frozen wasteland. The Christmas Stroll gets people to step outside and embrace the season of love, mercy, peace and community.

After enjoying Santa's parade, we followed the glow of the freshly lit orbs of reds and greens, strung on street lights. We fled the arctic cold for a temporary shelter inside, the jolly warmth of the 'Gingerbread Village.' Wells Fargo Bank, displayed dozens of handmade gingerbread houses. As I maneuvered the crowds, I was instantly struck by the talent and creativity of each of the gingerbread house entrants. Children barely six years of age designed inviting cozy houses. The detail and innovation in the architecture beyond awesome. Who would have thought that pretzels could turn into intricate siding, cereal - grand shingles, Twizzlers siding...melted blue gum drops turned into a lake, while bison shaped cookies adding a 'Montana spice' to the Gingerbread pasture. It is hard to describe the mastery of all the houses. Each one deserved a top award.

Topping off the gingerbread tour with a sizzling cup hot chocolate in the warmth of the bank, we cautiously reemerged into the elements. Our next stroll stop - a tour of the Emerson Cultural Center, Bozeman's go to destination for art, culture, music and dance...Housed in a grand art deco-gothic fused brick and mortar, designed by famed Bozeman architect Fred Willson, The Emerson is home to over ten art galleries, classroom space, non-profits, a inviting swanky bar and grill and theatre. It hosts community events year round, from the Winter's Farmers Market, concerts, theatre and dance productions, lectures, exhibits, Lunch on the Lawn and of course The Christmas Stroll...

Galleries stayed open late on Saturday night in the Emerson. Bozeman is home to an amazing array of world-class artists, from Native American traditions to grand western landscapes, watercolors, mixed media, pop art...it is an art lovers paradise. The awesome thing about the Emerson galleries is that they showcase affordable quality art from $10 enchanting watercolor stills to $300 oil on canvas landscapes depicting Bison on the Range to Old Faithful Geyser to the majesty of the Montana mountains. The Emerson builds a cultural bridge to introduce art to new audiences and attract aesthetes.

The Emerson hosts a fun-packed day of Christmas Stroll festivities from gingerbread house making, live music and arts performances, Santa and kids crafts...the galleries host demonstrations from wood-turning to card making.

I always leave The Emerson lifted up by the colorful paintings, eclectic crafts and jewelry. This visit we discovered several Bozeman based artists...Investing in art is the best investment you can make. It might not yield fortunes in gold, but it always lifts your spirit.

We left The Emerson at six o'clock. Bangtail Bikes, hosted a bike off to raise money for the Bozeman Warming Center/HRDC. We took a moment to applaud the efforts of the bikers enduring frozen conditions to raise warmth and compassion for a critical community non-profit.

The sounds of caroling, 'Noel,' Silent Night,' and 'O Christmas Tree,' filled the air with sweet music. Stepping into The Historic Baxter Hotel, we enjoyed a cup of hot mulled cider before journeying on. Over the next half hour we ambled in and out of shops, enjoying music and food while getting ideas for Christmas gifts and learning about non-profits and their Holiday drives. Bozeman has so many important non-profits that ensure the vitality of the region.

We enjoyed dinner at the Community Co-Op, before finishing the night at the Live Christmas Nativity. In the distance the sound of sleigh bells, a magical send off that prompted me to make a Christmas wish on a lone star, saying a silent prayer of joy and hope.