You are wrong if you think the weeks leading up to Christmas is the best and most festive time to visit Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland—the world’s largest Christmas store. Any time of year, you are swept into the holidays as you walk into the store.
Located in Frankenmuth, Michigan, I stopped for a one-day visit on a recent road trip before heading south to Cleveland.
Bronner’s knows no other way than festive, even if you visit in the springtime. More than two million shoppers and Christmas enthusiasts visit Bronner’s annually, 50,000 the weekend after Thanksgiving alone.
The massive store was bustling with shoppers and the curious on the spring day I visited.
Bronner’s features a fantastic selection of Christmas ornaments, trims, trees, Christmas lights, nativities, and collectibles. For example —1,000 figurines comprise Bronner’s Hummel collection and 1,700 Precious Moments. Christmas cards, garlands, stockings, Advent calendars, and wreaths are among the many available items. Of the more than 6,000 styles of ornaments Bronner’s carries, half of the glass ornaments are Bronner’s exclusive designs. Decorations and gifts from 70 nations, including 150 styles of nutcrackers, can be found at Bronner’s.
Notable celebrities and sports figures have shopped here as well.
John Wayne ordered a Santa Claus suit in 1976. Sports figures, including race car driver Al Unser, Jr., “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe, Olympic Gold Medalist Dorothy Hamill, and Detroit Redwing Sergei Fedorov, visited the store. First Lady Laura Bush, former Michigan governors and their families, Ted Nugent, Faith Hill, Marie Osmond, the Lettermen, Dave Coulier, and Polly Bergen also visited the store.
But like any commercial endeavor, its employees—always cheerful and helpful—add an extra special touch to the shopping experience. Talented craftspeople are waiting to personalize ornaments to celebrate families, a new baby, a new home, or other milestones.
The less than 5,000-resident community is also famous for its Bavarian architecture and Zehnder’s all-you-can-eat family-style chicken dinners. When you make plans to visit the Christmas store, make sure to carve out some time to explore the beautiful city.
Click here for more information and have fun. Ho ho ho!
Terrific photos, especially the last one!
Thank you!! 🙂