Driving down Willson Avenue on a winter evening in December is something I look forward to each holiday season. I love the curve of the road heading toward downtown, winter’s leafless tree canopy, stoic historic homes on either side, and a beautiful, dazzling, colorful display of Christmas lights from end to end. Willson’s extremely large pine near the corner of Mason Street glows brilliantly in blue light even before December’s page turns on the calendar, welcoming all passersby to the season of giving.

Once Willson has led you all the way to Main Street on the first Saturday evening of December, you may run right into Santa Claus cruising Main on a wagon, summoning holiday cheer—this year, to start off Bozeman’s 44th Christmas Stroll. The first Saturday of December is historically abuzz with holiday traditions, from children’s art activities to a burlesque-inspired Holiday Noir performance at the Emerson, to The Nutcracker at the Willson Auditorium, the annual Gingerbread House Contest display, the lighting of the Menorah and, hopefully, another Bobcat post-season game. All of this holiday cheer all in one evening is sure to set you up for with a heart for the holidays.

This month, look up while visiting downtown Bozeman; you will see the iconic holiday decorations at four intersections on Main Street, affectionately known to many locals as Christmas Spiders. Twenty-four feet of wire and tinsel cascade from above, while twelve streams of showy glitz stretch out from each center cone to create the iconic ornamentation. Images of a winter in Bozeman would not be complete without a shot of Main Street lit up in gold, white, green and red above a snow-filled street below, so be sure to get your picture taken downtown this December.

Tradition, especially this time of year, can be a way to soothe and comfort ourselves and create peace and calm in an often overly busy, overstimulated world. If you are seeking new holiday traditions that will provide peace for you and your loved ones, our events calendar is a beautiful place to start. It includes free events and learning experiences, as well as holiday options that may not be free, but will certainly leave you with memories that will last forever. A sleigh ride in Big Sky, a performance of Annie at the Ellen, the Bozeman Symphony’s Holiday Spectacular are all great annual traditions to add to your quiver.

I wish you a happy holiday season, and ask that you give as much as you get this season. There are many citizens struggling to make ends meet, to put Christmas dinner on the table, let alone gifts under the tree. If you can spend $125 on a Christmas Eve meal, consider sharing that amount with a community member who will remember your kindness every Christmas to come.