New Idaho Christmas Village offers a dose of holiday cheer
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REXBURG — A new Christmas attraction has opened in the Upper Valley near Rexburg.
Tucked into a small wooded area just up the road from Yellowstone Bear World, Idaho Christmas Village offers visitors a full holiday experience, from caroling to kissing under the mistletoe. Though the weather outside may be frightful, Idaho Christmas Village’s cast of characters is ready to warm you and your family up with a hot mug of Christmas cheer.
“I’ve always wanted to do a Christmas Village,” Stuart Deacon, Jr., who does online media for the village and who originally came up with the idea, told EastIdahoNews.com. “In Idaho, there’s not too many places you can go and see Santa on a daily basis because we’re a farming community. The closest you get is maybe a mall in Idaho Falls, and even then, photos with Santa Claus cost $30 – $35.00.”
Deacon, Jr. envisioned an attraction that gave visitors a full holiday experience, all in one location and at a reasonable price.
“I wanted to have something – not really an amusement park but something where people could not only see Santa and get photos, but also enjoy some food, also see some entertainment, storytelling, a fire-breathing magician and buy little Christmas ornaments and things like that, all in a very cozy setting,” Deacon, Jr. said.
Idaho Christmas Village has all of that and then some. Along with meeting Santa and chowing down on yummy seasonal eats, visitors are treated to Christmas folk tales from Scandinavia and an eye-popping fire-eating show from magician Ainsley Furgason.
Visitors can also interact with Christmas Village’s cast of characters, sing carols and play games. Couples can even spend a romantic moment or two under the mistletoe.
“I think that if locals come expecting to have a good time and to enjoy what’s here, even though it is very small and cozy, they’ll have an experience that’s unparalleled around here,” said Deacon, Jr. “We’ve got a fire-breathing magician, we’ve got a professional Viking telling stories, we’ve got a kitchen that serves hot food, we’ve got the custom-made ornaments you can’t get anyplace else and we’ve got a pretty good Santa Claus.”
Idaho Christmas Village is located at 5900 S 4300 W Rexburg, ID, just up the road from Yellowstone Bear World. The village is open December 13, 14, 20, and 21 from 4 to 8:00 pm. Admission is $5 per person. You can find more information on the Idaho Christmas Village website and Facebook page.