A Few (?) Words About Christmas in Branson

Branson, Missouri may have the most Christmas spirit of any town in the U.S. I turned on the radio on Nov. 1, the day after Halloween, and heard some insipid song like Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer." Oh, no," I thought, "I don’t think I can stand to start listening to this stuff yet, because we still have about 8 weeks to go until Christmas."  In one week’s time (Oct. 24-Oct. 31) while we were back in Oklahoma., it seemed the town had suddenly been blanketed with lights, the fall shows had all closed, and their Christmas counterparts were in full swing.

Now, I grew up in a home with Advent wreathes, Advent calendars, and a Jesse Tree. We always had a short Advent service at the dinner table each night before we could have dinner. We didn’t really acknowledge Christmas at home until a week before the big day. We probably would have stuck to the old tradition of putting up your tree on Christmas Eve and then leaving it up for the 12 days of Christmas except that we were so bombarded by “Christmas” in the secular world that we were tired of thinking about it and of looking at it long before the 12 days were up. Back then the secular Christmas season probably started when Santa rode on his sleigh as a finale to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade—I don’t really remember it showing up much before then. Gradually, the Christmas season has turned into the “holiday season” and it has started earlier and earlier until you now start seeing “holiday trees and holiday decorations” before the Halloween decorations are even down. As far as the retail stores go, Thanksgiving seems to just be a blip on the holiday radar!

So, do I fault Branson for jumping on the Christmas bandwagon so early? I did at first, but upon reflection, I don’t believe I do. I complained to my mother that I was already hearing Christmas music on the radio on Nov.1, and she pointed out that with the assault on Christians and Christmas, maybe we should be glad that Christmas is not politically incorrect in Branson. To those of us that live here, it may seem that there are more than enough of the silly, secular songs and too much commercialism, but there are also plenty of songs and shows that emphasize the birth of Jesus Christ. Branson is not afraid to let the world know that it is a Christian community and that the real Christmas spirit is alive and well. Branson thrives on the tourist trade so it has to appeal to a variety of tastes, but all you have to do is check out the Branson Daily Independent, listen to Branson Radio, or look at the many Branson websites to find an abundance of Christmas programming to fit all tastes—and it doesn’t all come from the many shows in town or from Silver Dollar City. The area schools, churches, and civic groups offer plenty of opportunities to get into the Christmas spirit, too. If you are interested in seeing some of what Branson has to offer for Christmas go to the website Branson Tourism Center. They have a great little video highlighting a Branson Ozark Christmas. Be sure to explore the rest of the site,too, because it has a lot of good information.