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  • Santa visited Cullman on Saturday as part of the Christmas in Cullman festivities, giving candy and treats to all the boys and girls who lined the streets awaiting his arrival. Loretta Gillespie

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  • Sidewalks were filled with shoppers in town for the Christmas In Cullman parade and open house Saturday. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for strolling around the area, visiting shops, restaurants and taking advantage of early shopping sales. Loretta Gillespie

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November 15, 2009

Christmas comes early

Loretta Y. Gillespie The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Although it was a little warm for Christmas, it was a perfectly glorious fall day Saturday as downtown Cullman filled with folks who came to give the holiday season an early start.

It was all a part of the annual Christmas in Cullman festivities, which started Saturday and continue today in downtown Cullman.

On Saturday, crowds gathered to see marching bands, hear the sound of the West Point Praise Band, watch parade floats decked out in holiday splendor, see Santa and start their holiday shopping early.

Sporting an Auburn University sweatshirt and necklace, Dianne Hendon and her daughter Andrea, who attends the University of Alabama, continued a longtime tradition.

“We come to the downtown open house every year. It’s a family tradition,” said Hendon. “We love it and have been coming for years. We wouldn’t miss Christmas in Cullman.”

It was also a big event for local businesses.

“This is just the start of great things happening in downtown Cullman,” said Garlan Gudger Jr., a Cullman City Council member who attended the festivities and owns a downtown business. “I’ve had a lot of out-of-town customers today, all with positive things to say about the parade, the shopping experience and the town as a whole.”

The streets were decked out in holiday finery. Glistening tinsel, shiny ornaments, greenery and garland adorned the doors of businesses and shops all over town.

Tim Taylor of Fancy Travlin’ Carriage Rides gave visitors a leisurely ride through town after the parade, the best way to see all the decorations adorning the shops.

  The aroma of barbecue wafted through the air, along with the surgery-sweet scent of cotton candy, homemade cakes and cookies, and other confections from vendors lining the streets.

A Touch of German owner Peggy Grobey said she was pleased with the turnout.

“There has been a lot of foot traffic today — lots of people who said they had never been in before,” she said. “They said the parade brought them to town, and they wanted to do a little shopping while they were here. Lots of them said they had never shopped this street before.”

  A Touch of German served an assortment of German cakes, cookies and other Christmas delicacies to shoppers, including Lebkuchen, Stollen, and Ritter Sport milk chocolate, along with authentic Pfeffernuesse, a spicy German gingerbread that had shoppers lined up in the aisles of the gift shop.

The Duchess Bakery, which has been a part of downtown Cullman since 1939, only had to open its door, letting the smell of fresh baked breads, muffins, cakes, donuts and cookies drift out. The familiar smells filled the air, drawing shoppers in to buy a sweet snack to nibble on as they meandered along the streets.

“This has been a great day. We’ve had big crowds and lines waiting for ribs, barbecue sandwiches and barbecue plates,” said Ricky Dukes, owner of Papa Dukes Barbecue, who cooked on a smoker Saturday. “On Sunday we’ll have chickens plates and sandwiches and barbecue to serve to folks as they take a break from shopping.”

All along the parade route, children squealed as marching bands, floats and horses passed by, all decked out for the holidays.

Rumors Deli was packed after the parade. The weather brought people out in droves and made them hungry, too.

“I liked the candy,” said Justin Hoffman.

“And I liked the band,” said his sister, Lauryn. The Hoffmans, including sister Emilie, had stopped by the deli for lunch after the festivities.

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