By Marianne Davis
Shepherdstown, WV, understands the Christmas season in all its innocence, joy and excitement. Honoring the modern and the historic, there is something for everyone at the four-week Christmas in Shepherdstown celebration, including family fun, late night entertainment, arts and feasting.
The triumphal return of Santa Claus launches the Christmas season the Friday after Thanksgiving, followed by the lighting of the town Christmas tree and a community chili dinner. Opening weekend is highlighted by Unity in the Community, which features a variety of children’s activities. Parents can drop their children off at the Black Box Arts Center for arts and crafts, singing and acting workshops while they explore the town’s shopping and dining options.
Shepherdstown natives boast a vibrant, 21st-century community with a deep pride and respect of the town’s rich and varied past. To honor its history of being on the frontlines of the Civil War, the opening weekend of Christmas in Shepherdstown offers dozens of events organized by the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War and the history department at Shepherd University such as a reconstruction of a winter encampment for Union troops, historic walking tours, period music, a 19th century Christmas with period-style toys, scholarly lectures and a panel with academics from West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Georgia. 
After venturing into the past, embrace the present with the annual Shepherdstown Christmas parade on Saturday, December 3, which draws visitors from around the state as well as Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania and D.C. Every weekend in December offers horse-drawn carriage rides through town and mulled cider and roasted chestnuts on the street corners. Children will find Santa popping up all over town during Christmas in Shepherdstown, so no one will miss seeing him.
Other attractions include a live appearance by Charles Dickens reading “A Christmas Carol,” an authentic Victorian Christmas dinner at Shepherd University and special menus at local restaurants, special programs at the library, concerts, tours of stately homes and a performance of “The Nutcracker.” Community churches also offer a variety of activities, including live nativities and a cookie walk.
Live music is a Shepherdstown trademark, and visitors are treated to Victorian carolers, the annual TubaChristmas performance, a holiday brass concert, traditional tunes and even bluegrass. The Shepherdstown Opera House also shows free holiday movies.
Lovers of handcrafted goods will find two different artist and artisan markets, and the Shepherdstown Farmers Market will be open, weather permitting, until mid-December. Several local artisans will also open their studios for tours.
All of these holiday activities are ongoing while the busy little town goes about its typical business. There are free wine tastings every Saturday, exhibit openings at art galleries and live music of all types at the bars and restaurants. The ghosts of Shepherdstown never sleep, so Shepherdstown Mystery Walks will go on as long as weather permits. The Charlestown Gazette-Mail named Shepherdstown one of the Foodiest Towns in West Virginia, and visiting diners won’t be disappointed with offerings as varied as German, French, Asian fusion, Thai, Japanese, Middle Eastern, West Virginia favorites, new American cuisine, the best tacos in the state and American favorites with a Shepherdstown twist. There are no chain restaurants or stores in the town, so shopping here means local owners with a global focus, and shoppers benefit from the unique point of view. Shepherdstown is proud to welcome visitors to share in the joy of the Christmas season!
About the Author
Marianne Davis is the director of the Shepherdstown Visitors Center. After a 30-year career in bond markets, Davis found all she ever wanted in West Virginia.
