The Lighted Boat Parade begins along St. Michaels Harbor at 6:00 p.m. on Sat. Dec. 11 as part of Christmas in St. Michaels. Photo Courtesy George Sass, CBMM Volunteer.
Christmas in St. Michaels is celebrating its 35th year of fundraising festivities with the return and expansion of its weekend of holiday events taking place on the water and in the heart of historic St. Michaels, Md. This year’s events include a Lighted Boat Parade and festive Talbot Street Parade; a Tour of Homes; Breakfast with Santa; Holiday Music and Meals; a Santa Dash; a Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe, and a Light up the Night drive-by house and harbor tour.
The goal for this year’s Christmas in St. Michaels events is to raise funds to distribute grants to local beneficiaries. More than 25 family services, education and child development, and community enhancement organizations depend on Christmas in St. Michaels funds to support their programs and activities.
The Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe located at St. Mary’s Square’s Granite Lodge kick off the weekend event at noon on Fri., Dec. 10. Proceeds from every sale benefit local nonprofits, with shoppers finding one-of-a-kind, artisan-crafted items and culinary delights available only during this weekend event. The Marketplace and Sweet Shoppe are open for select hours through Sun., Dec. 12 at 3:00 p.m.
Holiday music will fill the air throughout the weekend event, including a special Mid-Shore Community Band performance of seasonal music from 10:00 – 12:00 noon on Sat., Dec. 11 at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Talbot Street. The Jackson Jubilee Singers are set to perform at 1:30 p.m. with soul-stirring gospel music.
Family-favorite events include Saturday’s Breakfast with Santa, which takes place from 8-10:00 a.m. at the waterfront Foxy’s Harbor Grille, with limited $10 tickets available for online purchasing. The 10:30 a.m. Talbot Street Parade, Santa Dash, and the Tour of Homes are wonderful mid-day events, with the Lighted Boat Parade beginning along St. Michaels Harbor at 6:00 p.m.Parade routes, event details, online tickets, and more are at christmasinstmichaels.org.
The Tour of Homes takes place during select hours on Dec. 11 & 12 during Christmas in St. Michaels, with limited tickets available for advanced online purchase. Photos Courtesy William Willhelm.
“The Tour of Homes is one of the highlights of the Christmas in St. Michaels weekend, and it’s great to have all our events back after last year’s pandemic pause,” said Christmas in St. Michaels Board President Pat Martin. “Christmas in St. Michaels has one of Maryland’s longest-running home tours by featuring historic homes in the village and some very special countryside homes.”
The Tour of Homes takes place during select hours on Saturday and Sunday, with limited tickets available for advanced online purchase. The $25 per person ticket includes a one-time admission to all tour homes; transportation to the countryside homes; a detailed tour guide booklet with local information, detailed home and other major St. Michaels landmark descriptions; and free admission to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum for Saturday and Sunday.
Christmas in St. Michaels’Old Fashioned Eastern Shore Christmas Dinner takes place on Sat., Dec. 12 starting at 11:00 a.m. and lasting until 3:00 p.m., or when the meals are sold out. Dinners include sliced roast turkey, Maryland fried oysters, and a large assortment of sides and desserts. The event will be held at the Union United Parish Hall on Fremont Street in St. Michaels with dine-in and carry-out dinners available at $20 per person, with tickets sold at the door, the day of the event.
This year’s 18th Christmas in St. Michaels Collector’s Ornament features Maggie the Fire Truck—a local legend with an interesting history—and was rendered by local designer and artist Scott Sullivan. Maggie was in operation until the 1950s, and is often seen and celebrated today at parades and local festivals. The Limited-Edition Ornaments are packaged in a keepsake box and are now available for purchase at select area stores and on the Christmas in St. Michaels website.
Christmas in St. Michaels began in 1987 when a group of energetic volunteers recognized the need for daycare services in the community. Funds were raised through community support, and a daycare center was established, now known as Critchlow Adkins Children Centers. Sponsors and patrons of Christmas in St. Michaels since that time have helped raise more than $1.4M in support of numerous local non-profit organizations.
Proceeds from Christmas in St. Michaels help the people served by local non-profit organizations. Event updates, online purchases, and more about Christmas in St. Michaels are at christmasinstmichaels.org.
Francine De Sanctis says
While in the past, I enjoyed Christmas in St Michaels, I think under the COVID-19 cloud it should be postponed.
Many of the events are held indoors and masking won’t be enforced or vaccinations required. What are we doing here? Will we take this deadly pandemic seriously or only when it effects our family?