St. Charles Meets St. Nick

By Mark Loehrke
Appears in the December 2024 issue.

This St. Louis suburb fully embraces the spirit of Christmases past

Stroll the historic brick streets of St. Charles, Missouri’s charming riverfront downtown at most times of the year, and you’ll be hard-pressed to envision more than a quarter million visitors descending upon this quaint collection of shops and restaurants every December. But those are exactly the kinds of numbers (if not higher) that town officials are anticipating once again this year when the Saint Charles Christmas Traditions festival turns this town (about 4½ hours from Naperville) into a real-life holiday diorama.

It’s been a steady surge in popularity that St. Charles (year-round population: 70,000) has watched unfold over the past five decades since the festival’s humblest of beginnings back in 1975, when a man named Archie Scott used the sled of a local youngster to pull a Yule log down the street on a cold December night. He was soon joined by several local merchants and residents, who sang carols around an impromptu bonfire on the banks of the Missouri River. More and more folks joined in over the years for what became an annual gathering, adding new holiday traditions and drawing curious revelers from around the region.

Today, the event features a full slate of parades, historical exhibits, and festive attractions over its monthlong run (weekends through Christmas Eve). The idea, says festival director Ryan Cooper (who started as a performer in the festival almost 20 years ago), is for visitors to feel as if they’re walking through a Victorian-era Christmas card, with the scent of roasting chestnuts in the air, multiple caroling groups singing songs of the season, and more than 30 costumed holiday figures—from the Sugarplum Fairy to Ebenezer Scrooge—roaming the streets and interacting with guests (while Santa Claus holds court in the Victorian train depot). Special events throughout the festival include a Friday-night Halloween-meets-Christmas “Krampus Karnival” featuring some of the “naughty” characters from Old-World lore as well as a Christmas Carol stroll on Wednesday nights, with scenes from the classic Dickens story coming to life throughout downtown.

Despite the festival’s growth over the years, though, Cooper says Christmas Traditions has never lost sight of its original mission: to be a place where Christmas past comes to life for the young and young-at-heart alike. “When you’re walking along the brick streets amid the glow of gas lamps, surrounded by blocks of 19th-century architecture, with the sound of carols and the scent of live pine greenery in the air, you truly feel like you’ve been transported to another time,” he explains. “It’s just the perfect place to get into the holiday spirit without feeling the stress of the hustle and bustle that often comes with the season.”

Show Me More

Originally known as Les Petites Cotes (The Little Hills), St. Charles is popular with visitors to the Show-Me State outside of its annual holiday extravaganza. Here are a few other highlights.

DO

While walking St. Charles’s idyllic downtown, you’re likely to come across Missouri’s First State Capitol building, which served as the state’s original seat of government for a brief period in the 1820s. Tours and special holiday-themed events are available throughout the month.

Venture beyond Main Street to explore the Lewis & Clark Boathouse (lewisandclarkboathouse.org), a museum that commemorates the launching point of the duo’s famed expedition in 1804. Art enthusiasts, meanwhile, will want to check out the Foundry Art Centre (foundryartcentre.org), an old train factory that has been transformed into a gallery and studios; in addition to other works, the gallery this year is featuring a special exhibition celebrating 50 years of the Christmas Traditions festival.

EAT

While St. Louis is just a 30-minute drive away, there’s really no reason for food lovers to leave the embarrassment of culinary riches that is downtown St. Charles. Tony’s on Main (tonysonmain.com) is a popular spot for everything from steak and seafood to pasta and sandwiches, while a little farther down Main Street, Salt + Smoke (saltandsmokebbq.com) will satisfy your craving for some classic Missouri barbecue.

If you need to attend to a sweet tooth, stop at Grandma’s Cookies (grandmascookiesonmain.com) or grab something decadent at Sugar & Slice Bakery (sugarandsliceonmain.com).

STAY

There are plenty of perfectly acceptable hotel options around, but to truly soak in the historic aura of the area—and maybe even enjoy a view of the Missouri River from your room—take a sleep back in time in one of the period-decorated suites of Boone’s Colonial Inn (boonescolonialinn.com).

Photos: Mary Van Winkle, Discover Saint Charles