Christmas in the Mountains celebrating 10 years

December 4th, 2009

By Marilyn Forbes, DAILY COURIER
Thursday, December 3, 2009

Shoppers are invited to head to the hills this weekend to kick off the annual Christmas in the Mountains, a seasonal event that mixes shopping with sales, specials and giveaways.

Now celebrating its 10th year, the event has grown from its humble beginnings and now showcases a large section of the Laurel Highlands.

“We started this as a group of four businesses that would have our Christmas open house events at the same time,” said Jeff Gales, owner of the Old General Store. “We decided to combine our efforts and formed the Christmas in the Mountains group.”

Usually only a weekend event, Christmas in the Mountains will be held from Friday through Dec. 13.

“Since this is our 10th anniversary, we decided to have 10 days of Christmas in the Mountains,” Gales said. “We have a lot of repeat customers and we always have some new faces as well.”

Some businesses will offer specials the entire time, such as Collections by Marty and Linda Brown’s Floral who will both feature 20 percent sales, while others will offer special one-day events like Brady’s Restaurant, which will host a breakfast with Santa, sponsored by the mountain Rotary, from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday.

Participating businesses will be marked with a yellow and green Christmas tree sign so shoppers will know which stores will be participating.

Shoppers will also have the opportunity to register for door prizes at each location. The door prizes this year have also expanded with the top winners having a chance to win a $250 shopping spree, a two-night midweek ski package for two at Seven Springs that includes lodging, ski passes and breakfast, and a one-night stay in the Frank Lloyd Wright Duncan House for two that includes two tickets for brunch at the Tree Tops Restaurant.

Several businesses will also use the event as a means to generate funding for local charities.

“I will be having live reindeer at the Old General Store (Donegal location) from noon to 4 on Saturday and Dec. 12,” Gales said. “Photos will be available and proceeds will go to the local food bank.”

The event has grown in popularity over the years and now is not only enjoyed by those in the Laurel Highlands area but by many who travel to participate in the unique shopping adventure.

“Local folks really enjoy the event as a way to shop local and many have made it a holiday tradition,” Gales said. “We also have a mailing list of over 3,500, some of whom travel from out of state to attend.”

Participating businesses include Gallery of Steel, Brady’s Restaurant, Linda Brown’s Floral, Collections By Marty, Country Pie Shoppe, Old General Store, Seven Springs, Frank Lloyd Wright Duncan House at Polymath Park Resort and Tree Tops Restaurant at Polymath Park Resort. For further information visit the website at christmasinthemountains.org.

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