For Burlington Station in Two Harbors, Christmas isn’t just about shopping. It’s about gathering. With scavenger hunts, coloring pages and crafts, and an annual visit from St. Nick, the Vintage Christmas celebration has become a beloved tradition for families across the North Shore.
Saint Nick will be stopping by Burlington Station again this season to spread good tidings and offer a festive photo op. According to Mrs. Saint Nick, her husband is already looking forward to the event, which always gets him into the Christmas spirit.
“His wife describes him as kind of a bah humbug until it comes time,” said Ashleigh Swanson, Marketing Manager at Burlington Station. “Then he really enjoys it.”
It’s hard not to feel festive amid Burlington Station’s Vintage Christmas décor while browsing for treasures or simply enjoying the atmosphere.
“You can come in and just spend a couple hours here and get out of the snow for a bit,” Swanson recommends. “It’s lots of fun.”
This is the fourth year St. Nick has visited the event, handing out goodies to kids on the nice list. And once again, it’s completely free to attend.
“A lot of events here, we like to have no fee associated with it,” said Swanson. “We like to keep it either free or just a suggested donation. We just like to do things for the community and make it fun. This is kind of the time of year where everyone’s getting really festive but also kind of prepping for the long winter ahead.”
By bringing more people in to meet St. Nick, Swanson hopes they’ll also get familiar with Burlington Station and look forward to its other offerings.
“We have events going on through the winter, too,” said Swanson. “We also really like to share about that because it’s something for people to do.”
Swanson has been connected to Burlington Station since 2021, helping out whenever she was home from college after her sister set up shop there. Together with Peter Cpin, she now coordinates events and marketing for the venue. It’s work she’s grown to love.
“I really like the start-to-finish process where you come up with an idea, and you’re like, ‘okay, let’s do this,’” she said. “Then the whole preparation and then the execution and then actually seeing it come to life is really cool for me.”
The Meet Saint Nick at Burlington Station event will take place Saturday, December 6, from 10 AM to 3 PM. Stay tuned for more winter-season happenings at Burlington Station by keeping an eye on their Facebook page and the Northshore Journal for future features!
