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Photo story – A look back at Christmas in Davidson 2023

For three days and nights, the small town of Davidson, North Carolina, transformed into a holiday spectacle and winter wonderland, drawing tens of thousands to a pedestrian friendly gathering of holiday magic, mystery and wonder.
Callie Hobbs, Opinions Editor and Sports Editor
December 5, 2023
Christmas in Davidson 2023 included everything from candy canes, hot chocolate and holiday spirit to entertainment, food, crafts, trees and a certain visitor from the North Pole. (Callie Hobbs)
On day three of the Christmas in Davidson celebration, Girl Scout Troop 1924 painted the faces of the children (and each other) who attended a Breakfast with Santa event at the Homewood Suites hotel.
(CSD Journalism Class photo)
The Giving Tree Forest, a collection of more than three dozen holiday trees with each one decorated for a cause, charity or local organization, was one of the most popular attractions. Visitors voted on their favorites by making donations, all proceeds going to each tree’s beneficiary. (CSD Journalism class photo)
At the corner of Main and Concord, the brightest and tallest standing object caught everyone’s attention – the town of Davidson’s Christmas tree. The tree is lined with vertical, colorful lights and stays up longer than just the three day celebration. This permanent tree, which grows every year, is the visual staple of not only the Christmas in Davidson event but also of the town’s entire holiday season.
(Callie Hobbs)
Each evening, the PaintScaping show projected onto Davidson’s storefronts information about when to expect each show to start. Sound effects and music paired up with the projected animation created a cute “Christmassy” show with snowmen, Santa’s reindeer and silhouettes of children opening gifts from inside their homes.
(Callie Hobbs)
With downtown streets shut down for the event, there was plenty of room for bands and entertainers to set up and play in the streets. On Saturday night, this jazz band took over and performed for the crowds with a drum set, a keyboard and a tuba. The lively scene drew quite the audience.
(Callie Hobbs)
Craft booths took over a section of Christmas in Davidson, too. White tents housed small showcases of local creativity. These showcases included scenic paintings, pottery and decorative candles all for sale.
(Callie Hobbs)
When the crowd got hungry, the horseshoe shaped food court in front of what is now part of the fire station became the main destination. Many of the food booths featured were either business catered or volunteer run. There was a strong showing of hot pretzels, hot chocolate, cotton candy and donuts.
(Callie Hobbs)
Each night when the sun went down the Giving Tree Forest came to life. Arranged in a fenced circular formation, many individual trees colorfully shared messages of purpose, promise and hope. A line of visitors that spanned outside of the circle grew throughout each night. People walked the maze and chose to donate money to the tree they supported.
(Callie Hobbs)
Wrapping up each night, Santa Claus took photos with children of all ages. Elves rushed to be helpful while the line to meet Santa grew. Santa’s booth was a great way to end each night and bring back the nostalgic memories of Christmas time during childhood.
(Callie Hobbs)
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About the Contributor
Callie Hobbs
Callie Hobbs, Deputy Editor-in-Chief, Visual Media Manager
Callie Hobbs is a Community School of Davidson (CSD) senior. This is her second year in Journalism and throughout her first year she discovered a variety of related skills including multimedia and podcasting. She is excited not only to grow her skills and explore more opportunities/areas of journalism but also to grow as a leader in the program and continue to push herself out of her comfort zone. Callie hopes to continue chasing this passion by majoring in media/journalism, marketing or communications in college. Callie cares about leadership and kindness. She is also an avid runner who is the team captain of CSD’s Varsity Cross Country team, a 2x half marathon finisher (with plans to run a third this year), and a Girls on the Run Junior Coach for a local team. She is also an aspiring triathlete. Outside of school, Callie likes running/training, spending time with family, watching movies in theaters, thinking of ideas for her leadership roles/passion projects and writing. Quote? “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  -Plato Walk-up Song? “Ready For It?” -Taylor Swift