With Christmas just a week away, Country Christmas in Traverse City may have that last minute gift you've been looking for.
TRAVERSE CITY -- Nestled in the snow along M72 in Traverse City you'll find a taste of Christmas and once inside you'll see why.
"Each one is one of a kind," says owner, Lee Smith.
Smith is talking about all one of kind handmade Christmas ornaments inside Country Christmas. Lee Smith and her husband Bill opened the store almost 30 years ago. For Smith the store is a reminder of her childhood and why Christmas is so close to her heart.
"Because of my love for Christmas and enjoying crafts I kind of was on the lookout for a place to do that and we drove up here and thought 'maybe this is the place'," says Smith.
Ever since they opened for business, the couple has been selling the locally made ornaments and Christmas decorations. Smith even makes some of the ornaments herself, just like drift wood Santa faces.
"Bill and I just love after work, we'll go walk the beaches and wait for sunset and pick up driftwood and stones. Sometimes I think 'wow' where does this come from? You just start in a place and you just keep building on it," says Smith.
Every ornament is custom created with a personal touch and a local connection. Smith says it's this connection that makes Country Christmas more than a store, but also a tradition.
"I think part of it is we get to know the artist a little bit better and people in the area are part of this too and enjoy being able to collect some of their pieces," says Smith.
Country Christmas is open until Christmas Eve and then re-opens Memorial weekend. For more information check out about the store's website: http://www.countrychristmastc.com/index.htm
