Welcoming the Christmas season

Saturday will mark another year of growth for a holiday tradition in downtown Madison.

Plenty of familiar things return for the ninth annual Madison Christmas Stroll between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. – including great shopping, refreshments, entertainment and a visit from Santa. But the Madison Merchants Association seems to add a new and exciting dimension to the event with each edition, and this year is no exception.

“We have more stores participating in this year’s Christmas Stroll and, for the first time, four of them are out of the downtown area,” said Merchants Association spokesperson Barbara Brooks, owner of Heavenly Touch Massage. “Four merchants in the Rockingham Square Shopping Center will join us for Saturday’s event.”

Always & Forever Florist, Goodwill Industries, Karra’s Place and the new Mighty Dollar will join the traditional downtown shops along S. Market and W. Murphy streets for this year’s Christmas Stroll, bringing the number of participating stores to 23.

“Having more shops involved adds a new level of excitement and extends the event into more of the town,” Brooks said.
Saturday’s event also brings new things like a tram for travel between stores and a magician to entertain visitors of all ages.

Returning attractions include the chance to enjoy hot cider or hot chocolate, along with cookies and other treats, while shopping for local bargains. Children will have the opportunity to share their Christmas list with Santa Claus from noon until 2 p.m. in the lobby outside Christian Life Bookstore, located at 108 S. Market Street.

Also returning is the chance for shoppers visiting all 23 merchants to win up to $200 in a cash drawing. Each participating merchant will have a map of all shops on the Christmas Stroll with a place for each merchant to sign.

When all the signatures are in place, shoppers can leave the map with any merchant to be included in the 5 p.m. drawing. First prize will be $200, with a second prize of $100 and third prize of $75.

There will also be separate prizes of a boys’ basket and girls’ basket for children participating in Saturday’s event. Winners do not need to be present for the drawing.

Danny Smith, owner of Flynn Furniture on W. Market St., said the downtown merchants have tried to change several things about the annual Christmas Stroll through the years, but found the more traditional they keep it, the more successful it seems to be.

“We’ve tried making it a two-day or three-day event, but found the one day on Saturday works best for everyone,” Smith said. “We started out thinking of it as just an old-fashioned downtown shopping experience and discovered that idea still seems to be the best focus for merchants and shoppers alike.”