“It’s kind of a Hallmark movie come to life,” says Debra Stipe of the small town of Dahlonega, Georgia—and plenty of folks and filmmakers would agree. Over the past decade, three cozy Christmas movies (INSP’s Christmas in the Smokies, Hallmark’s Christmas in Homestead, and Lifetime’s A Taste of Christmas) have been filmed in this North Georgia mountain community. Now, Dahlonega is playing up all that holiday cheer with Christmas in a Small Town, a convention this July 25–27.
The celebration will invite visitors to ring in the holiday season six months early, hear from their favorite celebrities, and explore the mountain surroundings. “You’re not just going to a convention center,” says Autumn Dawn Nierode, founder of Decade Days LLC, which is organizing the event. “In your downtime you can go check out the town and go to the shops and eat at the restaurants.” Some local businesses are already making plans for decking the halls.
Stipe and her husband own and operate StayDahlonega, a collective of nine rental properties, including three treehouses and a charming log cabin. During the Christmas season, Stipe decorates all of her properties, and she plans to do so for Christmas in a Small Town as well, especially if she knows a guest is visiting for the convention.
At Paul Thomas Chocolates, customers can watch staff whip up treats like chocolate tortoises and caramel apples. And from July 9 through the convention, the shop plans to sell holiday sweets like housemade hot chocolate and chocolate Christmas trees. “There’s a lot of people who love Christmas,” says Micah Mihok, who owns the shop with his wife, “and it’ll be nice for them to not have to wait a whole eleven months once it’s over to start enjoying the season again.”
At the University of North Georgia’s Convocation Center, actors and actresses will participate in Q&A sessions, panels, and meet-and-greets for ticketholders. The lineup of Hallmark and Lifetime stars includes Chad Michael Murray, Arielle Kebbel, Ryan Paevey, Jesse Metcalfe, Rob Mayes, Kristoffer Polaha, and Drew Seeley, as well as Christmas in Homestead’s Michael Rady and Taylor Cole.
In between sessions, ticketholders can peruse assorted vendors and get creative with crafts like ornament decorating. Food trucks will park outside the center, and the convention will also run a shuttle to downtown and back for small-town shopping and dining.
The whole shebang is fitting for a town that already loves Christmas. As soon as the Thanksgiving table is cleared, six weeks of Christmas kick off in Dahlonega, starting with the annual Lighting of the Square. “That event is Hallmark magic, or Christmas magic I guess,” says Sam McDuffie, executive director of the Dahlonega-Lumpkin County Visitors Bureau. “Right before the lighting of the tree, we all sing songs together, so imagine 16,000 people singing ‘Silent Night’ or ‘O Christmas Tree.’ It starts off the whole six-week process with this really awesome Christmas spirit.”
According to McDuffie, Dahlonega attracted approximately 297,000 visitors during the 2024 Christmas season, undoubtedly drawn in by carriage rides and visits from Santa. And while the holiday season is huge, this is the town’s first Christmas in July. McDuffie says Dahlonega will display a sampling of its seasonal décor for the convention (the full effect takes a month of dedicated decorating from the volunteer-based Old Fashioned Christmas committee.) “I think people are just looking forward to bringing those decorations out,” he says, “even if it’s just for the weekend.”
