The twinkling lights dazzle as the yearly countdown begins. The crowd anxiously waits for the speakers to blare the words, “Light it up!” At last, the children’s tree switch is flipped, and the glow of dozens of lights illuminate our downtown square in a red, green, and white hue. Santa prepares himself for his descent from the Briggs building, and children patiently (or not so patiently) wait to tell him of all their Christmas wishes. You can hear the shuffle of the crowds moving in and out of stores, sweet beverages in hand that release a pleasant steam into the crisp chill air.

           This tale is as old as time for anyone who has attended Window Wonderland in previous years. Each holiday season it attracts some of the biggest crowds that downtown Wooster has seen all year, and it is very easy to see why.

With our picturesque displays of windows, and the festive atmosphere to match, you will find yourself being swept into your very own holiday movie.

Our reindeer, who will be hooving it up all night on the downtown streets, can attest to the fun you’ll have. But if you won’t take it from the reindeer, then the horses pulling the carriages will tell you the same thing. Even if carriage rides aren’t your cup of hot chocolate, then there will also be toy train rides for the locomotive fans.

           In order to keep your spirits high, Summer Stage Wooster will be providing a musical performance at 7 p.m. A helpful group of elves, that resemble the College of Wooster cheerleaders, will also be taking part in this performance.

           Once you can feel the holiday spirit (or a sugar high) pulsing through your veins, the big man himself will be making his appearance. Santa will be escorted off the building by the Wooster Fire Department, and once he has had some milk and cookies to recover from his long journey, he will be ready for his glamor shots in the pavilion. Mrs. Claus made the trip here with him, but she decided that she would be meeting children in the magical shop that is Friendtique.

           When Santa and Mrs. Claus decided to come and visit, they also asked if a few of their friends wanted to stay behind for a while. Their elves happily agreed, and we hope you’ll have as much fun finding them as they did while hiding.

Forty-five businesses will be participating in the third annual Elf Scavenger Hunt, and we challenge you to find all forty-five of them. Each elf will be hidden somewhere in the participating stores, and it’s up to the city of Wooster to find them.

By printing off your elf passport, or picking one up from Main Street Wooster, you can mark off each elf as you start to find them, starting on November 18th. The elves will stay hidden until December 26th, but all passports must be completed and taken to the Main Street Wooster by 4 p.m. on December 28th.

If you manage to complete these tasks during your whirlwind of festivities, you will be entered in a raffle to win fifty downtown dollars. We will randomly select five winners from the drawing, who will each win their downtown dollars and some fabulous prizes!

While we couldn’t quite figure bring the north pole here, we did figure out how to bring a piece of the spirit into downtown.

Thirty-three downtown businesses will be offering cookies, eggnog, goodie bags, donuts, crafts, and so much more! Some businesses decided to host sales for the evening, and some decided to add some new holiday items to their menus, but no matter what you take part in, you’re also taking part in the community spirit that exists in our downtown.

However, with community, competition often follows, and Window Wonderland is no exception. Each year we host a friendly competition of window decorating including winning titles such as, best use of product, best seasonal theme, most beautiful, most original, and people’s choice. As we’ve said before, community and competition go hand in hand, so Wooster residents will be able to vote on their favorite window display up until the next day. The winner will be announced in the Daily Record, so make sure to use your vote wisely.

This kick off holiday cheer will be commencing downtown, at 3 p.m. on November 18th, and extending all of the way into the wee hour of 9 p.m. During those six hours, there will be plenty of music, food, and festivities that will send you home with a bit of pep in your now magical step.