Posted Under "Christmas in Fort Wayne"

Merry Christmas!

If you are visiting Fort Wayne and looking for a church service to attend this Christmas season, consider visiting one of these churches, offering a special holiday service:

1. First Assembly of God – On December 24 they will conduct a Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 6:00 p.m. and on Sunday, Christmas Day, they will have one worship service at 10:45 a.m.
1400 W. Washington Center Rd. in Fort Wayne.
260.490.8585

2. The Chapel begins its Christmas worship services on Christmas Eve Eve, (December 23) at 6:00 P.M. The sessions continue on Christmas Eve (December 24) at 4:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. and on Christmas Day, December 25, 10:00 A.M.
2505 West Hamilton Rd. S., Fort Wayne
260.625.6200

3. Emmanuel Community Church calls its Christmas Eve service “Christmas Eve at ECC”. The event will include music from the choir and harp and they will also have readings of the Christmas story from children and a sermon from the pastor. They will round out the meetings with community sing-alongs.
12222 W Jefferson Blvd
260.672.3377

4. Fellowship Missionary Church – Celebrate the coming of Christ by taking part in this congregation’s special events. On December 24, they will host Christmas Eve services at 3:30, 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. On Christmas Day there will be only one service at 9:45 a.m., consisting of a praise and worship time along with a message. As there will be no children or youth ministry meetings this day, families are encouraged to sit together.
2536 Tillman Road
260.447.3578

These are a few that I recommend – feel free to suggest any others that I may have missed!

And, for a full list of area churches of all denominations, visit Fort Wayne Churches or Associated Churches online.

What are your favorite aspects of the Christmas season? Recognizing the birth of Christ? Taking in the splendor of the lights? The beautiful music?

You’ll find all of these things (and more) at the Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival at Plymouth Congregational Church in Fort Wayne. Volunteers have committed countless hours to make this event happen for the past 36 years. Specifically, 152 cast members, 75 musicians (including a choir and orchestra), and a crew of 65 are a all part of the performance. Behind the scenes folks, like seamstresses, are also instrumental in making the night a reality.

Over the years the pageant grew to include lords, ladies, knights, historical characters, cooks, hunters, and pages.  Later, shepherds and Wise Men were added to tell the story of the Nativity. Before long the performance was enhanced with carols, customs and other special touches to become what we know it as today.

Locally, Plymouth Congregational Church presents this festival as a gift to the people of Fort Wayne. You can catch a performance Dec. 28, 29 and 30 at 5:30 and 8 p.m. For ticket information, call the church office, (260) 423-9424.

Nostalgia meets romance with a horse-and-carriage ride. Winter is a great time for a horse-and-carriage ride with that special someone.  Luckily for visitors, there are several options to see the city and create a memory to last a lifetime (or at least thru the winter):

Carriage rides provide a memorable winter experience!

• Rosewood Carriage Rides:  Since 2003, Rosewood Carriage Rides has provided horse-drawn carriages year round for weddings, proms, holidays, special events, and nightly tours in downtown Fort Wayne. Gift Certificates are available. MasterCard, Visa and Debit cards are accepted without additional charges. Call (260) 637-5261 for pricing and to arrange for a ride.
• Camelot Carriage Rides: Family-owned and operated, Camelot Carriage Rides has been in business since 1997. Their horses are beautiful Majestic White Draft horses. They offer downtown tours, as well as weddings and special events. Gift certificates are available Cash, Check and Credit cards for payment (credit cards must be pre-paid). Reservations are recommended. For more information and to secure a reservation, contact DeeAnn at (260) 223-2417.
• Sentimental Journey:  The folks at Sentimental Journey will see that your night is special: Pricing is $35 per tour (1/2 hour) and $70 per Tour (1 hour). Rides begin and end at Don Hall’s Gas House & Takaoka restaurant. Special locations and pricing can be arranged. Reservations are available most evenings with 24-hour notice. Call (260) 341-1133  for special days and arrangements.

You know the ones. You can see them from down the street and you wonder if they can be seen from space. What you know for sure is that you must see them. For my family, it’s become an annual tradition. I encourage you to grab a coffee or hot chocolate from a local spot like Old Crown, Firefly, the Friendly Fox, DeBrands or any Higher Grounds location. And don’t forget to tune your radio to 95.1 or 97.3 and enjoy some holiday tunes as you explore Fort Wayne in search of the crazy Christmas houses. Here are just a few of our must-sees each year.

514 Blackthorn Cove, Fort Wayne, 46814

The “Clark W Griswold” House

• Southwest Fort Wayne, 514 Blackthorn Cove (Falls of Beaver Creek addition)
• This year, the house is lit with over 15,000 lights, which is 5,000 less than last year. Those unused lights were donated to Habitat for Humanity and used in their holiday houses display.
• If you spot the homeowner outside during December, you’ll likely see him proudly wearing his Clark W Griswold jersey.
• The cost of these lights: increase of $200 in electric bill for the month of December.
• Featured on Good Morning America in 2009.

2828 Emerald Lake Drive, Fort Wayne, 46804

“Santa’s” House

• Southwest Fort Wayne, 2828 Emerald Lake Drive (Emerald Lakes addition)
• This home features more than 70,000 lights on not just the home, but in the yard and even the basketball hoop. The homeowner (a.k.a. Santa Claus) begins putting up the lights in October.
• Santa uses the help of more than 40 extension cords to keep his home lit to welcome visitors.
• Most nights, you will find Santa Claus sitting outside in a rocking chair on his driveway.
• You are encouraged to park and get out with your kids so they can visit Santa.

Taylor and Electric Streets

“Electric Musical” House

• Downtown Fort Wayne, Corner of Taylor and Electric Streets (adjacent to St. Mary’s River)
• If you love vintage Christmas, you will love the yard filled with the decorations of Christmases past.
• Be sure to look in all the windows on the porch for even more decorations!
• The best feature of this display is that the lights are choreographed to holiday music. As the signs out front indicate, tune your radio to 95.7 FM and watch as the lights dance to the music.

Do you have a favorite home that is decorated for the holidays? We’d love to know what houses to add to our annual tour!

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Christmas is for the birds.”  Those uttering the phrase more than likely meant they were fed up with all the Christmas hoopla, but if you ask any bird lover they will tell you that Christmas really is for the birds – literally.

If you’re a bird lover and want to make the Christmas season one to remember for your birds, it’s time to flock to Fort Wayne and visit Wild Birds Unlimited – the place to get the best in feed and feeders for the birds. Wild Birds Unlimited offers great products for birds of all shapes and sizes – and unique, eclectic gifts for the people who love them.

The Wire Mesh Snowman Feeder - a Great Gift for Any Bird Lover!

This year Wild Birds Unlimited has unveiled some new items for feathered friends. The first is the Snowman Seed Cylinder, a festive, jolly fellow made from safflower, sunflower chips and peanuts, and decorated with dried fruit, raffia, and a garland. The snowman is designed to feed from the Wild Birds Unlimited cylinder feeders and for the holidays there is a limited supply of red-roofed feeders available.

Another new item this year for the winter birds is the TreeNutty Woodpecker Feeder, which is a combination of a resin bark panel along with a hopper to create the ideal feeder for woodpeckers.

Not sure what to feed birds in the winter? Bark Butter Bits are the perfect food. Offer them alone in a feeder or mix them in with your favorite blend as a special treat for the birds in your neighborhood.

The Cranberry Fare Seed Wreath

A popular item back for another season is the Wire Mesh Snowman Feeder, which is fun and festive and attracts a variety of birds or if you’re partial to wreaths, the Cranberry Fare Seed Wreath is a convenient way to attract more birds to the backyard. Feeders are packed with pecans, peanuts, black oil and sunflower chips, safflower and cranberries to attract a large variety of birds.

Bird lovers everywhere it’s time to migrate to Fort Wayne and visit Wild Birds Unlimited in the Northcrest Shopping Center (801 Northcrest Shopping Center, 46805) …the birds and the bird lovers in your family will thank you!