Christmas in Ellicottville

Christmas in Ellicottville

The one-weekend event is transforming into a month-long celebration.

photo/Christopher Cove covenaturephotography.com

Casual tourists of Ellicottville might believe that Fall Festival is the best event in the village. Foodies tend to gravitate toward choosing Taste of Ellicottville as the prime time to visit. But veteraned visitors and locals alike (or maybe just anyone who likes the holidays) knows that Christmas in Ellicottville is the crown jewel of all local celebrations.

With this year throwing a Covid-shaped curveball at all planning for the event, the village has taken this in stride. While the events this year will look a bit different than in years past, the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce has outdone themselves with planning thus far. 

“We’re taking the Fall Adventures concept and putting it into Christmas in Ellicottville - so we’ll have a whole month of holiday cheer!” Project Development Manager of the Chamber Barb Pump said at the Chamber’s membership meeting held Thursday, October 29th.

 The meeting, attended by multiple store owners and stakeholders in the community, saw plans for each traditional activity hosted in town changed to help promote a healthy and safe holiday season. The activities will be stretched from Thanksgiving weekend to December 20th, which mimics the setup of Ellicottville’s Fall activities. While some events, such as fire truck and carriage rides, will not be allowed in any capacity, many family-favorite events will still be going on. 

First and foremost, the Chamber is encouraging businesses to help paint the town cheer. Businesses will be encouraged to participate in a window decorating contest to begin on November 27th. Winners will be chosen via voting on the Chamber’s Facebook page. To sign up, contact Meaghan Lucarelli at the ellicottvilleNOW office, 716-699-9816 or email her at info@ellicottvillenow.com. Along this line, there will also be a wreath decorating contest. Businesses will be provided a fresh pine wreath to decorate and eventually be auctioned through the Chamber’s Facebook page.

Children’s crafts will still be offered this year at The Wingate on select weekends. While numbers will be limited, the current plan is to offer 30-minute craft sessions with sanitation between each one. Reservations will be required.

A “12 Days of Christmas” scavenger hunt has been a staple activity for the past five years during the holidays, and will still be happening this year. Organizer Jessica Gilbert explained a bit about how this event will be adjusted for COVID.

“This year, we are obviously concerned with kids running in and out of shops, plus with the occupancy limits, it will be hard to allow kids inside just to mark each day of Christmas on their sheet,” Gilbert said. “So this year, we are re-working the activity. Businesses will post their ‘Day of Christmas’ in their storefront window, and kids can mark their sheet from the sidewalks. Once your 12 days of Christmas is all filled in, kids will take their activity sheet to Cupcaked where they will receive a goodie bag.”

Interested businesses can contact Gilbert at 716-640-3760 to sign up.

New to the snowy season this year will be a women-focused event under the theme of “Wonder Woman meets Elsa”. Women’s Winter Wonderland will center on a weekend of shopping, dining and wine tasting. Businesses are encouraged to offer a special if they are interested.

There are a few other activities the Chamber is hoping to bring back, including the Tree Lighting ceremony with complimentary hot chocolate, wandering carolers, live reindeer and the Christmas Stroll, as well as the We-R-Nuts vendor.  Details and final plans for these events will be announced as they come. 

Although there are many hoops to jump through this year, the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce is still dedicated to bringing holiday cheer to its streets. Merriment and good spirits will be rampant in the village, and is sure to leave visitors feeling just as well.

Any questions regarding Christmas in Ellicottville can be directed to the Chamber by calling 716-699-5046 or emailing barb@ellicottvilleny.com.