It turns out that Hallmark movie towns exist in real life or at least something similar.
Who hasn’t watched a Hallmark movie and wished they could actually go to a town like those on screen, especially at Christmas time? Well, Hallmark identified 25 communities Hallmark’s Merriest Christmas Towns. Two of them are located in Maryland and North Carolina.
Officials in Carolina Beach, NC, and Berlin, MD, are ecstatic that their towns made the Hallmark list of finalists, and now they’re giving a sense of the reason why. Hallmark posted the full list on its website, along with tabs urging readers to explore the towns, including Carolina Beach and Berlin. The winner was Carlinville, IL, but it’s a big deal to the communities who were named finalists as well.
What’s special about Carolina Beach and Berlin?
Carolina Beach Puts an ‘Island Twist’ on Christmas
Carolina Beach is known for its “beach lights and boat parades,” according to WECT, which described it as a coastal town.
Carolina Beach “puts an island twist on Christmas with events including the Island of Lights celebration, lighting at the Lake at Carolina Beach Lake Park, the Christmas Flotilla on the Intracoastal Waterway, a holiday home tour and Christmas by the Sea,” the television station noted.
“The holiday season is a special time in Carolina Beach, when the island’s charm and strong sense of community shine through in the way residents and visitors come together,” said Kim Hufham, president and CEO of the New Hanover County Tourism Development Authority, to WECT. “Being named an Official Hallmark Christmas Town Finalist is a wonderful recognition of the local pride and holiday spirit that make Carolina Beach a memorable place to visit.”
According to Hallmark, “Carolina Beach, NC, welcomes visitors to celebrate the holidays, island-style! Island of Lights is a cherished tradition in Carolina Beach, bringing festive, family-friendly fun to the coast from late November through New Year’s Eve! The month-long celebration features dazzling light displays, a parade, ice skating, holiday movies and plenty of coastal Christmas cheer.”
Berlin, MD, Is Filled With Hot Cocoa & Christmas Lights, Hallmark Says
According to Hallmark, this town also understands Christmas cheer.
“Thousands fill Main Street for the tree lighting, with ice sculptures, Christmas lights, hot cocoa and cider, holiday music and children running along the sidewalks. When the tree is finally lit, the crowd cheers before spilling into more than 60 shops and restaurants, where Christmas music and the sound of glasses clinking drift back onto the street,” Hallmark wrote. “And that’s just the beginning. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop through town. Merry Marketplace brings roasted chestnuts and hot chocolate. Handblown glass ornaments are created by you and the displays in the historic shop windows glow.”
The Town of Berlin Main Street & Arts and Entertainment District revealed on Facebook that it asked a local author to tell its story.
“When Hallmark asked us to share Berlin’s story, many may have gone straight to AI…but not us…we wanted a real human person to write it and we reached out to none other than acclaimed local author, Stephanie Fowler of Salt Water Media who wrote this beautiful tribute to Berlin,” the page wrote. You can read Fowler’s tribute here.
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