Many local business owners enjoy traditions big and small, while starting some of their own in the process.

Griffin James, owner of Cedar and Threads in downtown Alpena, said his family puts up its tree two weeks before Thanksgiving and that’s when the holiday season begins for his family.

“And Christmas at our house starts two weeks before Thanksgiving,” James said. “So, really like the middle, beginning of November. I want to get as much (of) the holiday cheer and joy in my house as possible.”

He said he watches the movie ‘Christmas Vacation’ every day during the holiday season. He even bought the double zero Griswold jersey seen in the movie.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss A wreath and a bow hangs on a lamppost in downtown Alpena.

“My wife and I would probably watch ‘Christmas Vacation,’ which is arguably the best Christmas movie of all time,” James said. “Like my favorite. I watch it every day. That’s how crazy I am about it. I love the movie, I just bought the Blackhawks double zero Griswold jersey that he wears in the movie.”

James said he likes watching Christmas movies with his kids. Some of the ones they watch include the old claymation movies like ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and ‘The Year Without Santa.’

One of the main parts of James’ traditions is gathering together with his family, watching those movies, and doing other family oriented things. They go out and see the Christmas lights around Alpena, which he said the city does an amazing job at.

“Really our family traditions are gathering together, watching Christmas movies,” James said. “We do, probably three or four times leading up to Christmas, we drive around and look at the lights which I know a lot of people (say is a) kind of (tradition.) I’ve found recently too, in the past two or three years, Alpena does (an) amazing job at people just personally putting lights up on their house.”

James said he wants to start a new tradition of getting Chinese food on either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Griffin James and his wife Andrea stand in their shop, Cedar and Threads, on Monday.

“I want it to stick and so like I want to be 80 years old and on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day we’re still getting Chinese food,” James said. “That’s how you start a tradition you start and you really go all into it and you get excited about it so the kids can feel it and sense and that is how you make a wonderful tradition. That’s what we’re going to do this year.”

Chanda Stafford, owner of Parallel 45 Books and Gifts, said it’s really important for the family to spend time together during the holidays.

One of Stafford’s traditions is the Elf on the Shelf and she said her kids love when it comes out. They also started a new tradition this year.

“This year, we went to Rooftop Landing Reindeer Farm,” Stafford said. “We’re going to start up that tradition every year because once a year they have Santa parachute in and it’s really cool. And so my boys have never seen anybody, you know, skydive before. And then just to see Santa and his elves parachute in is a really cool experience.”

Stafford went on to say that they have reindeer and they also have other things there as well.

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss A sign that says ‘Seasons Greetings’ hangs on one of the lampposts in downtown Alpena.

On Christmas Eve, they spend time with the family and celebrate together.

“We each open one gift and the boys each get a pair of Christmas pajamas that they wear and we usually read ‘Night Before Christmas’ as a family and that sort of thing,” Stafford said. “We like, take a drive down, especially Island View, where they have all the lights and everything set up. That’s beautiful on Christmas Eve when they have that set up.”

Stafford said they like to spend time as a family on Christmas Eve with no screens. They talk about Christmas and what it means. They’ll spend Christmas Day with just Stafford’s immediate family and then they’ll go see extended family.

Stafford said one year her dad had a Santa come and they had to catch Santa. Stafford has tried this tradition with her own kids.

“I did that with my boys a couple years ago where they were just getting ready for bed and all of a sudden there was a noise downstairs,” Stafford said. “And they got to sneak down and catch Santa. And that was a huge deal because you never catch Santa. That was a really big deal and that’s kind of a tradition that we’ve passed on with our family.”

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Jessica Krueger stands in her shop, The Style Wherehouse, on Monday.

Other traditions include the foods they eat and going to grandma’s house.

Jessica Krueger, owner of The Style Wherehouse, said some of their traditions include celebrating Advent and getting their Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving. They decorate the house, do some baking, and visit some of the grandparents in nursing homes. They also start planning holiday get-togethers.

“We start planning our holiday get-together with family,” Krueger said. “We have a large extended family so we have to see when we’re getting together with this side and this side and that side.”

Krueger said their traditions are more in the home since they’ve lost family members over the years.

“Our holiday get-togethers are getting smaller and less and less because we’ve lost a lot of family over the years,” Krueger said. “So our traditions are geared more towards our home now with our one daughter and a few family members. It seems there’s a little less running than there used to be when our families were big.”

News Photo by Alyssa Ochss Lights shine in downtown Alpena in this photo from Thanksgiving night.

Krueger said other traditions include going to church during the Advent season and on Christmas Eve. Her daughter also builds a gingerbread house and they go Christmas shopping and go around to look at the lights. She said they also usually go out of town to visit family members, but with COVID, they aren’t going this year.

Krueger said Christmas is a little closer to home this year.

Krueger said they always attend Christmas Eve service and right after they go see the lights. She said they go down Berington Circle where they have candle light along the road. She said they drive through without their headlights on and paper bag lanterns illuminate the road.

Some of the traditions they’ve continued from other generations include Christmas lights and going to church. She said they’re ones they can continue in their family when others have passed away.

Krueger said they also watch ‘Christmas Vacation’ every year as well.

“It’s going to be a little bit closer to home and just a more quaint Christmas this year,” Krueger said. “A few get togethers but hopefully good quality time just at home and together.”