Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is ‘Christmas City,’ plus a casino

Another seasonal draw is Christkindlmarkt, a holiday market where dozens of vendors sell everything from ornaments to pottery to jewelry to Christmas-themed candy. There’s a food court, live music, ice carving, and, of course, Santa, all under two enormous heated tents. A single-day ticket costs $8, though children under 13 are free.

Barbara Ogno, 65, of Little Egg Harbor Township, N.J., visited Christkindlmarkt on a recent Thursday with her daughter. She came away duly impressed. “It’s a very nice little town … especially if you have a day and want to take your family someplace,” she said.

Ogno had visited the Sands on a previous outing, but not this time. “This trip is about Christmas shopping. We have to put that on the back burner for a while,” she said with a laugh.

Another popular attraction is the Christmas Putz at Central Moravian Church, just off Main Street. The putz, a centuries-old Moravian tradition, uses narration, music, and antique wooden miniatures arranged on a moss- and rock-covered platform to recount the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. White lights illuminate each tiny scene as the Nativity story unfolds.

Construction of the putz (from the German word for “decorate”) begins in early November when Moravian families head north to the Pocono Mountains to gather the moss. Central’s putz opened in 1937; it’s free, but donations are accepted.

Anna Kodama, a church member and putz volunteer, said visitors find it to be a good escape from the hustle and bustle of a commercialized Christmas.

“They come here and exhale,” she said. “It’s nice. It’s dark and it’s quiet and they’re told a story.”

And then there is the glittery new Sands, the opposite of dark and quiet. And something of an odd duck in this flock of Christmas geese.
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If You Go…

BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania: http://www.christmascity.org/ or http://www.historicbethlehem.org/ or http://www.lehighvalleypa.org/ for information about Bethlehem’s holiday attractions, tickets, and Christmas-themed and casino-themed travel packages to Bethlehem and the greater Lehigh Valley. Also, http://www.pasands.com/ for Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem.

GETTING THERE: Bethlehem is located off Interstate 78 in eastern Pennsylvania.