ST CHARLES, Mo. — The holidays are full of hustle and bustle. But on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays in December, Main Street Saint Charles transforms into a place filled with Christmas joy. as thousands of people gather to unwind and share holiday cheer at the annual Saint Charles Christmas Traditions®.
For 47 seasons, Saint Charles Christmas Traditions® has been a beloved holiday tradition that takes attendees back in time. It features interactions with Christmas legends from various classic stories, such as the Sugarplum Fairy, the Nutcracker Prince, and visions of Santa from all around the world.
Over the years, many alumni and current Lindenwood students have had the opportunity to help deliver Christmas cheer at this annual celebration, including 2013 Lindenwood graduate Chris Strawhun.
Strawhun received his MFA from Lindenwood and attributes his time as an acting student to his performance connections at the festival and his confidence as a performer.
“I have a lot more faith, a lot more strength in my talents as a performer and it [Lindenwood] gave me a lot of good connections in the industry and in the area,” Strawhun said. “In my eight years with the festival, we’ve had dozens of Lindenwood alumni both current students, past students, people I went to school with, and it’s just a nice opportunity to come back together and perform.”
The Lindenwood campus is just minutes away from Main Street which hosts Saint Charles Christmas Traditions®, the largest free holiday festival in the Midwest. And it’s not just for local residents. People from all over the country travel to Saint Charles for this magical event, giving its performers great exposure and practice.
“It’s become the highlight of my holiday season, it’s something I look forward to every year, once we close it’s like, alright I need to get ready for next season and figure out, what do I need to do… And just it’s a great way to improve as performer is what I found and work just a lot of different acting muscles that I don’t always get the opportunity to use,” Strawhun remarked.
Festival Director Ryan Cooper has been with the festival for the last 16 years and says it is a “feast for all senses” when visitors come during Christmas time.
“You feel the bricks beneath your feet, and you smell the live pine greenery, and you know you see all the wonderful characters and their festive costumes and everything, and really you know Christmas Traditions is just a celebration of the holidays of yesteryear,” Cooper shared.
Guests are able to experience all that Saint Charles has to offer and more during Saint Charles Christmas Traditions® which runs now through Christmas Eve.
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