By Marissa Amoni –
Social media makes our world seemingly larger, so I am comforted by the quaintness that many Fox Valley communities bring, and especially their downtowns. As the holidays approach, downtowns are a nice place to connect with the community as well as to get some shopping done.
I much prefer the nearby downtowns of Oswego, Yorkville, and Batavia, for example than busy traffic corridors with endless strip malls. I’m lucky to have amicable relationships with community leaders in these towns, and I cherish the spirit of support among our Fox Valley downtowns.
I spend much of my time in downtown Aurora, of course, and I’m not sure if it ever has felt as quaint to me as it does right now.
• Kori and Bryan Kasper at Branch Gardens, 77 S. Lake Street, Aurora, recently converted their corner lot garden center into a Christmas tree lot that will be open for business the day after Thanksgiving. Kori will be instructing free Winter container workshops November 24, December 1, and December 8.
• Wyckwood House, a curated gift shop at 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 16, Aurora, is full of holiday spirit with locally made gifts and festive home decor. Owner Shannon Gutierrez will be host to free family holiday photos with Dori M Photography from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 24.
• Endiro Coffee, 29 W. New York Street, Aurora, and Tredwell Coffee, 14 W. Downer Place, Suite 18, Aurora, each is a perfect places to warm up with some hot chocolate, coffee, or hot tea. Hot tea? The new Calla Lily Tea Room, 83 S. LaSalle Street, is a wonderfully-charming spot for lunch or a pot of tea and a couple of scones.
A stretch of Broadway in downtown Aurora looks positively magical with windows painted for the holidays by Jose Art. The windows are an effort by Broadway businesses to bring more traffic to the shops from New York to Benton Streets.
The businesses joined together to bring Santa back to Broadway this year. Children can enjoy a visit and pictures with Santa from noon to 3 p.m. at the following locations:
• Saturday, Dec. 1, Santa will visit La Quinta de los Reyes, 36 E. New York Street.
• Saturday, Dec. 8, Santa will stop by Cinco de Mayo, 102 N. Lake Street.
• Saturday, Dec. 15, Santa will be at the soon-to-open Tavern on Broadway, 24 N. Broadway.
• Friday, Dec. 7, Santa will stop by First Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and visit PME Cake, 35 N. Broadway.
The events are free, and cookies will be donated by La Central Bakery and Cinco de Mayo Bakery.
Santa on Broadway is sponsored by Broadway business owners with assistance from Aurora Downtown and the city government of Aurora.
So whether it’s seeing Santa on Broadway in downtown Aurora, strolling in downtown Elburn, watching a light parade in St. Charles, enjoying the holidays in Sugar Grove, or having an evergreen holiday in North Aurora, I hope that everyone can enjoy the true community spirit of the holidays in our downtowns.
Marissa Amoni is the event coordinator for Aurora Downtown, a nonprofit of downtown business and property owners. Find Amoni making a gingerbread house at SciTech Hands On Museum at one of their Ginger-neering workshops November 30, December 7, and December 14 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.. For more information, visit www.scitechmuseum.org.