22nd Annual Rudolph Country Christmas takes place December 9, 2023

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, WI (WFHR/WIRI)

Hundreds gathered on a brisk Saturday in the rural community of Rudolph, Wisconsin for the annual Christmas celebration. Vendors set up in the Fire Station parking lot for an afternoon of selling, music, crafts for the kids, and horse drawn wagon rides. Mrs. Claus, Santa, and two of his reindeer were in attendance for pictures and to hear wish lists. The kids got their faces painted and could make their own s’mores, while the adults had their own fun available at the pop-up Christmas Bar with the Kiwanis Club.  Up and down Main Street, revelers joined in the fun with The Largest Basket Raffle You’ve Ever Seen, the Soup and Pie sale at the Legion Hall, and AHS Carolers adding the sounds of the holiday season. The Christmas Rummage Sale took place at St. Philips with brats and cookies for sale in the afternoon.

The biggest draw of the event is having holiday cards and letters hand stamped at the Rudolph Post Office. This began in 1945 as a Girl Scout project by Postmaster Lillian Blonien. The Rudolph decorative stamping tradition continues to this day with an estimated 12,000 to 18,000 cards and letters hand cancelled during the busiest day of the year for the Rudolph Post Office. USPS Sales Representative Becky Trzebiatowski said in addition to the special cancellation offered on the second Saturday in December at the annual event, people come from all over to hand stamp their envelopes with another “Rudolph – Home of the Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer Stamp”.

For some vendors, this is their biggest event of the year. Marcy Scott of Marcy’s Mittens has been coming to the event for at least eight, if not ten years. She said she comes because of the people and it’s profitable for her. This fun event is the only location where she sells her wares, which are fleece lined mittens made from wool sweaters. This is her winter hobby and she’s made hundreds of pairs. Marcy said, “We see a lot of familiar faces and people come and show me their mittens from a couple years ago that they’re still wearing them, and it makes me very proud.”

The full day of events ended with a parade and fireworks. Next year, the 23rd Annual Rudolph Christmas Event will take place on December 14, 2024.