America’s Christmas City, Bethlehem, PA

Each year, throngs of people travel thousands of miles to spend the holidays in locations that offer great views, attractions, activities, dining, shopping and best of all, an immersion into the true holiday spirit. They can find no better destination than Bethlehem, PA, declared the official “Christmas City USA” in 1937 and is on a tentative list for declaration as a UNESCO site. discoverlehighvalley.com

 

On April 2, 1741, the Moravian Church, a pre-Reformation religious sect and the world’s oldest organized Protestant religion, received a deed for 500-acres of Pennsylvania land at the juncture of the Lehigh River and Monocacy Creek. On Christmas Eve of the same year they met, in a two-room cabin functioning as a stable and a barn, in thanks and celebration. Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf, the colony’s patron visiting from Germany, named the settlement “Bethlehem”. The settlements’ location in the heart of the fertile Lehigh Valley and the industriousness of the Moravian community guaranteed success for more than a century.

 

Historic Moravian Bethlehem was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2012, inclusive of 20 historic sites dated 1741-1845. The Moravians were a closed religious community that included blacks and Native Americans. Members worked at more than 35 trades in the self-sufficient community. A self-guided walking tour consists of more than 22 locations. Visitors can experience an old-fashioned holiday with modern elements. Decked out for the holidays, with more than 50 events and immersive activities, you can’t fail to feel the seasonal spirit. www.bethlehempa.org

 

The north side of the city contains the historic area and numerous Christmas-themed tours are offered. Visitors can take guided tours led by costumed docents, carriage, horse-drawn trolley, walking or custom tours designed for your group. The district is decorated with illuminated Christmas trees and storefronts make great viewing as you stroll along. Along the trail you must stop in the working Blacksmith Shop, the 1740’s Apothecary Museum, the 1746 Moravian Bookstore and the 1806, the oldest continuously operated bookshop in the world and the Central Moravian Church designated one of the Ten Greatest Places to Reflect on Christmas Eve. Special note should be taken of the 6-ft. Moravian star suspended inside the church belfry. 

 

The Johann Goundie’s Federal-style home built in 1810. It is the oldest brick home in the city. Goundie was a Moravian brewer and a house tour recounts the history of beer brewing in the area. It is filled with fascinating information and artifacts including the fact that ale was sold to wedding guests and the money was given as a gift to the bride, hence “bride ale”, or bridal.

 

The 1741 Gemeinhaus is home to the Moravian Museum. It was a communal gathering place and housed the Saal, a place for worship. The enormous structure, 94-ft. by 32-ft., remains the nation’s largest log building in continuous use and the oldest building in Bethlehem. A Christmas tour includes examples of the earliest Christmas trees, wooden pyramids with tree boughs attached to them, decorated with candles, apples and Bible verses and holiday Putz scenes. Putz scenes recount the story of the birth of Christ in miniature from the Annunciation to the Flight into Egypt.

 

Three adjoining houses make up the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts. The themed galleries often take the form of room settings. Holiday exhibits feature a series of individually decorated trees. Permanent exhibits include the country’s largest collection of 1830-1930 dollhouses, showcasing 40 houses and more than 5,400 furnishings.

 

From November 19, 2021 - January 9, 2022 the city will offer the Trees of Historic Bethlehem Tour. The twenty-six trees are adorned with decorations inspired by holiday movies Trees were decorated by the 

Bethlehem Garden Club and are on display in five historic locations.

 

The Bethlehem By Night Christmas Tour is extremely popular and is the ideal way to see the city. It includes a visit to the iconic Moravian Star set atop South Mountain. The stars were originally used in Moravian classrooms to exemplify geometric principles and later as symbols of the nativity. The first star was a $460 wooden construction. Bethlehem Steel donated a second star. The current LED-lit star is 91-ft. tall, is illuminated nightly and can be seen for 20-miles. www.christmascity.org

 

Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem® is recognized as one of the top holiday markets in the U.S. The annual market will be open November 19 -December 20^th. Artisans and vendors are both indoors and outdoors and the experience is enhanced by performances and scheduled activities.