Willkommen to Frankenmuth

Willkommen. In German it means welcome.
An offer to come and join in.
Something we don't hear enough of these days.

Well, there is a place that's all about being welcome.
Welcome to family time.
Welcome to playtime.
Welcome to Christmas time all year long.
Welcome to Frankenmuth.

These words grace the homepage of http://www.frankenmuth.org/. Frankenmuth, also known as Michigan’s Little Bavaria, is a local treasure. I learned today the meaning of the town’s name. I’ll file it with the rest of the useless facts that I seem to know. If you’re a fan of random information as well, it may interest you to learn that Franken depicts the province from which the settlers came and Muth means courage in German. The name Frankenmuth means Courage of the Franconians. This town welcomes 3 million annually. As I visit every year, I suppose you could say that I’m one in 3 million.

My family goes to Frankenmuth for dinner and shopping at Christmastime. Since the town is home to Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas store, its residents know how to bring magic to the holiday season. Outdoors, Bronner’s Christmas Lane is a half mile of twinkling lights and animated scenes. Inside, moving figurines of busy elves, whimsical animals, and delighted children are displayed all around the store near the ceiling. Even now, all I have to do is look up and I’m instantly put into a state of childlike wonderment. Christmas carols waft over the loudspeakers, and it’s almost like a holiday version of the It’s a Small World ride at Disneyland.

I always loved this part of Frankenmuth, but what I enjoyed even more was the holiday dinner spent with my family. My mom’s brother Gary and his family have lived out of state for as long as I can remember, yet they always managed to come home for Christmas. Together, we’d go to Zehnder’s family restaurant for their world-famous chicken dinner. The meal was always fantastic, but our conversations were even better.

Every year my aunt Chrisanne, a big kid at heart, would make a big deal about the brightly colored plastic animals that topped each sherbet dessert. They reminded her of a childhood spent in Michigan. If any of us were fortunate enough to get a plastic monkey, it was immediately handed over. I remember that one year her shout of joy over this simple pleasure was so loud, that our waiter was inspired to bring her a bowl filled to the brim with a menagerie of plastic creatures. For my aunt, Christmas came a little early that year. I’ll never forget the look of pure bliss upon her face.

When I think of Frankenmuth, I think of my relatives crowded around that table. I recall how my cousins and I would have sword fights with the cherry skewers from our Shirley Temples. I remember feeling so full; we were filled with food and with contentment, as well.

My sister Gina lives in Denver now. Although her fiancé Mike is not from Michigan himself, he just so happens to have relatives in the area. When the couple was looking for a location to house their December wedding reception, a Frankenmuth restaurant was the natural choice. Both the bride and groom have fond memories of holidays spent there. They want to give their friends from Colorado a magical experience to take back home, and this is a place where magic happens.

The reception is going to be held at Sullivan’s Black Forest Brew Haus: http://www.blackforestbrewhaus.net/. I can’t wait to see the ten foot tall Christmas tree reach toward its lodge-style vaulted ceiling. Nor can I wait to have the people I love most under one roof for the celebration. Best of all, our relatives will be flying in for the wedding, so we can eat together in Frankenmuth, just like when my sister and I were small.

This time however, our family will be blended with Mike’s. I’m so excited to share this special place with them. I can think of no better way in which to say, “Willkommen.” Welcome to the party. Welcome to the noisy display with which we like to carry on. Welcome to the site of great old memories, and to the making of wonderful new ones. Welcome to our family.

                            My family at Zehnder's in Frankenmuth, 2009