Christmas in Merrickville returns for 30th year on Saturday

A small village southwest of Ottawa will transform into a Christmas wonderland on Saturday, a tradition decades in the making, attracting visitors from far and wide.

Volunteers on Thursday were busy at work preparing a Christmas scene along St. Lawrence Street in Merrickville, Ont.

"It started out as a very small community event and it has now grown into one of the largest Christmas events in the Ottawa Valley," said Carlos Card, owner of Chaiya Decor.

Thirty years ago, shop owners started this tradition by thanking local residents one Saturday evening. 

Christmas in Merrickville has now grown into a full day event, closing off the main street, and attracting visitors from Quebec and Ontario.

"For two years, like everyone else, we haven't been able to have the event so this year we're going really big. We're actually expanding the size of the event, we're closing the street one block further, we're going to have a makers market on the street," Card said. 

"We put out burn barrels and there's hot dogs and marshmallows for the kids, there's some characters going around the village you can have your photographs taken with," he added. "We have Elsa from Frozen coming to do a meet and greet with the kids, we have Santa Claus here. There's enough to do here to keep you busy all day long."

The Christmas in Merrickville sign ahead of Saturday's celebration. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Village businesses say they are ready for the thousands of shoppers about to descend on the village. 

"It's huge, it's the busiest day of the year and it's a good family day, lots of people come out every year," said Heather Dalliare of The Merry Christmas Shop.

She says they have something for everyone, with one shopper looking for a specific item just this week.

"A skunk ornament! We didn't have it, we had every animal but the skunk!" Dallaire said. "We had it, but we didn't have it when they wanted it!"

The Christmas in Merrickville sign ahead of Saturday's celebration. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Merrickville-Wolford Mayor Mike Cameron says the event is a way to showcase the village's unique charm.

"If you're looking for the spirit of Christmas I think we have it here," Cameron said. "We're inviting not only our community but our surrounding communities and we love the support that we get from other communities."

"If you really want to experience a country Christmas, Merrickville-Wolford, the village is where you need to be," he added. 

"One of the things that always amazes me about this event is that it is such a great example of community involvement," added Card. "The local businesses, the local residents, the mayor and the council gets involved, we have tons and tons of local sponsors, it really is sort of the quintessential community event."

Santa Claus helps set up for Saturday's Christmas in Merrickville celebration. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)

Even Santa himself was in town early, helping to put the final touches on the Christmas display, excited to meet all the children on Saturday and finalize those Christmas lists.

"We're nearing the end! We have to make sure the lists are all up to date, the naughty and nice list, but so far the naughty list is pretty short," he told CTV News. 

Christmas in Merrickville begins at 8 a.m. on Saturday and the parade starts at 11 a.m. The entire event runs until 7 p.m. and it's free to attend.

"We can't even tell you how excited we are, we are chomping at the bit to get this thing off the ground, we've been planning for months and months and months," Card said. 

"The earlier you get here the better for the parking spots," he smiled. "Come early, dress warm, and be prepared to stay here for the whole day."