- Now I'd like to take you to the North Pole to meet Santa, but sorry, this show's about Michigan.

But I hear tell he's got an office right here in Midland.

Say hello to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School.

It's the world's oldest institution completely dedicated to the art of being Santa.

Once a year, jolly gents from around the world come here to spend three days learning, well, all things Santa.

And as you can imagine, it's the Christmasiest place south of the North Pole.

(crowd singing) ♪ Santa Claus is coming to town ♪ - Now, if anyone has the spirit of Santa in him, it's Tom Valenti.

He runs the school and keeps the big guys legend alive and well.

I don't even know where to start with you.

This place is so cool.

Even the sidewalks have twinkle lights in them.

This is the real deal.

(Tom chuckles) - You can build the Santa spirit real big here.

- Oh my gosh and this is the oldest running Santa school in the world?

- It is.

We just finished celebrating our 75th anniversary.

- [Tom] Well, you didn't start it.

You look too young for that.

- Charlie Howard started it.

He's the original Macy's Day Parade Santa.

He was a farmer in New York and he saw a great need for better Santa's.

- Well, how did you get interested in the Santa School?

- We just had our first child, or getting ready to have our first child, and for some reason I had a calling.

I wanted to be Santa.

Not so much for my children, but it's changed my life a little bit.

Holly wondered why I took off from work because I never take vacations, but I'd go take off and go to Santa school for three days.

- Well like you said, being Santa is not a job.

It's a calling.

And because Santa- it's a spirit.

- Being Santa's a privilege.

Yes.

- What's the mostest funnest part about teaching all of these guys the spirit of Santa Claus?

- It's like the easiest job in the world.

It's not a job.

They come with a spirit in them and it grows amongst all of us.

There's a lot of friendships gained here.

People love to come back here.

We have 110 students this year and half of them are veterans, but they keep coming back anyways.

- Whether you're a first timer at the school or a seasoned Santa, getting together like this once a year is a great way to share, grow, and be the best Santa you can be.

- It's just a pure family.

For the years I've been coming up here, you know, I get to meet all my old friends and Tom and Holly's just like the matriarch of the family.

- My wife thinks I'm a little nuts, (chuckles) but she's my Mrs. Claus too.

- Coming back here, it's like coming home.

- Holly and them are just so fantastic, the way they put this on, and I'll probably be back next year.

- And I drive all the way from California out here to just come to the school.

- Now, you don't really drive, right?

You take the sled, right?

With the reindeer?

How's the fit and finish so far?

- The belts too tight.

(everyone laughs) - Oh, I wonder what's causing that, Santa.

(Santa laughs) I'm sure Santa at the North Pole would be very proud of all these guys and gals.

They're helping keep the spirit of Santa alive and bring holiday cheer to kids all around the world.

Some small and some not so small.

I need a new car, a chicken.

I need a sponsor for the show.

Let me see.

I need a new company for my house.

I need a new fishing rod, some fish, because that would come in handy, and did I mention the chicken?

Oh, okay.

And a chicken.

And are you getting all of this?

- Why don't you just e-mail it to me?

- Not only to these guys look the part, they're so nice they even let me suit up.

And I'll be honest, it took some tugging, shoving, tying, and gluing, but when I was done and everything was in place, you know, I almost felt like Santa.

(Santa laughs) Hello, little Bobby.

Our visit to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School left me overwhelmed with kindness and good cheer.

And even though the real Santa doesn't live in Midland, it's nice to know his spirit certainly does.

And I have to say the toughest part of our day was trying to pick my favorite Santa, but I think I found him eventually.

- Santa, you gotta know that the guy from Under the Radar is here today, okay?

(Santa laughs) - I've seen his show.

I love it.

- It's a wonderful show.

Be sure to fill his stocking nice and full.

- I'll do my best.

(both Santa's laughing) You too, Santa.

Yes!

Well now that we've seen where Santa learns to be, well, Santa, how'd you like to go pay him a visit?

Cause I know just how to get us there.

All aboard!

(groans) Now do you believe there's a train that goes all the way from Owosso, Michigan to the North Pole?

Well I do.

All aboard!

(train whistles) (laughs) How do you start this thing?

Oh, boy.

The Pere Marquette is one of only a handful of steam powered locomotives that are still in operation, and it's right here in Owosso.

It's the 1225 North Pole Express.

And every year around the holidays, it hauls thousands of cheerful kids and their families on a magical journey to the North Pole.

It takes an army of proud and dedicated volunteers to keep this behemoth on the rails and running, and engineer Rich Greeter is helping keep this part of railroad history alive.

How long you've been working on this train?

- Well, I've been involved in this organization for over 20 years now, and it's been the greatest experience of my life.

- And most of you guys are volunteers?

- That's right.

We have a paid staff of five people, but all the rest of us are all unpaid volunteer.

And we do this because we love it.

- When this thing built?

- It was built 1941.

Built it October.

And it was delivered to the railroad just before Pearl Harbor.

So this was part of the war effort and it hauled freight between Chicago and Detroit, the steel mills and automobile and munition factories to one of the parks in Chicago.

- How many guys does it take to actually operate this train?

- Well, with all our volunteers, it takes quite a number of us.

The infrastructure and all that associated with steam and the railroads today, a lot of that's gone.

So we have crews, I mean, we're gonna have five people up in the cab today.

Back in the day, there's just two people.

- Now are you the conductor on the train today?

- Today, I'm going to be firing.

I'll be one of the fireman.

- You're a fireman?

So you shovel the coal?

- I will be shoveling a lot of coal today.

- Shovel well.

- All right.

(both laugh) Thanks.

- Well, time to head north.

So with the fire stoked and steam shooting high into the sky, the train pulls into the station and the passengers board the North Pole Express.

Now, if you've seen the classic Christmas movie, Polar Express, you've seen the animated version of this very train.

The Pere Marquette was the actual inspiration for the train in the movie.

In the film, it takes little Billy all the way to the North Pole to help him believe in Santa Claus again.

And just like in the movie, kids and their entire families make the trip sporting their favorite pajamas.

- Tickets, please.

- While onboard, I had the pleasure of chatting with conductor Bob Marsh about this unique holiday adventure.

So Mr.

Conductor, any stowaways today?

- No stowaways.

Not yet anyway.

- Not that you've found yet.

- Not that I've found yet, no.

- What kind of a special experience is this for the kids?

- Oh, this is the reason I do it is because of the kids, their big eyes.

And I watched the movie once or twice before we have the run and make sure that I answer all those questions because they gave me the question from the movie.

- And they remember.

- And they remember, yes.

So don't get it wrong.

- How long have you been a conductor?

- This is my ninth year.

This is the best job I've ever had in my life and I don't get a nickel for it.

- Well, one of the wonderful thing about train travel is it's so nostalgic and it's so romantic.

It takes you back in time.

- It does.

- Speaking of time, do you have the time?

- Yes, I do.

Yes, I do.

- I just wanted to see you do it.

It works!

It's awesome.

- It's always on time too.

(laughs) - Well, thanks so much for having us on the train.

I appreciate.

- I appreciate having you guys here, too.

- And you did take my ticket, right?

- Yes, I have your ticket and there we be.

- Oh, thank you.

Utter?

That's not even a word.

Wait a minute.

The train travels about an hour west to the little town of Ashley, where the entire community shows up to greet the train.

The locals turn the town into an awesome Christmas village with all the holiday trimmings.

From holiday shops and little north pole eateries, to a place where you can actually rub elbows with reindeer.

The kids love it.

I loved it.

And Santa even shows up to give away the very first gift of Christmas.

I even followed a trail of magic dust and found one of the town elves, Katie Beck.

So you're an official Ashley elf.

- That is correct.

- Did you have to interview for that job or?

- No, apparently because of my exceedingly tall height, they thought I'd be a wonderful supervisor.

- Oh, so you're the head elf?

- I am the head elf.

- Bonus.

- I oversee all the other elves.

- Now what does the train coming here, what does that mean to this community?

- Oh, it's a big boost of just energy and enthusiasm and just trying to get our town noticed and people coming here.

It's a small town and not many people know about it.

It's not like people look at the map and say, "Oh, there's Ashley.

Let's go there."

And so it's really nice for the town to bring people here and it brings the town together.

We all get together and we all volunteer and it's a lot of time and it's a lot of fun.

It really is.

- You know, you're an official elf, which means you have candy on you, right?

- I do.

I always have candy canes.

(cheers) - Oh gosh!

- Merry Christmas!

- Thanks.

Can I have two?

Thanks, bye.

(elf laughs) - He's stealing the candy.

- I believe every single kid had an absolute blast at the little north pole village they created here.

And speaking of believing- Tell me now, honestly, do you finally believe?

- Yeah.

- You do?

- Yeah.

- You sure?

- Yes.

- Okay.

I got candy for you because you believe.

- Thank you.

- I'd give you two but the other one's for me.

After two fun-filled action packed hours in Ashley, everyone boards the train and it chugs from the north pole back to a Owosso.

And when the kids return to their seats, they each discover a little jingle bell, just like the bell Billy uses in the movie to help him believe.

I took a walk back through all the vintage passenger cars, and I have to tell you, I've never seen so many happy families in one place before.

Everything about this trip is all about the kids.

Heck, they even have magic elves on board to make sure everyone's in good Christmas cheer.

So you guys are official train elves?

- Yes.

- Yes, we are.

- You are?

- Yes, we are.

- Are you twin elves?

(both) - Yes.

- Are the shoes you're wearing, are those standard issue elf shoes?

They don't look very elf-y.

- Kind of, but we had Santa make them really special.

- Okay.

Nice save.

So what's your favorite part about being elves on the train?

- We get to see kids all day.

- What's your favorite?

- My favorite part is actually, same as her, seeing all the little kids and helping them out.

- Do you guys believe?

(both) - Yes.

- What do you believe?

- In Santa.

- I believe in Santa.

- In Christmas spirit.

- Do your favorite elf pose.

(everyone laughs) - Works for me.

This really is a nostalgic and wonderful way to celebrate the holidays with your family.

If you believe in the magic of Christmas, I believe this is one of the best ways you can share it with your kids.

(jazzy Christmas music) (swoosh) - [Tom] Now, when was the last time you saw something you couldn't believe?

Well, if you believe in Christmas, believe you me, you're not going to believe what you're about to see (chuckles).

Or will you?

It's a 67-foot human singing Christmas tree made up of over 240 students from the Mona Shores High School Choir.

And every holiday season, they perform live at the historic Frauenthal Center in downtown Muskegon.

This massive tree also features over 25,000 colored lights, and over 5,000 feet of festive holiday greenery.

This is a Christmas sight to both see and hear, and thousands have been witness to, or been part of this incredible tradition for over 30 years.

To get a handle on how it all started, I tracked down the choir's fearless, but never cheerless leader, Shawn Lawton.

So how long have you been a part of this incredible spectacle?

- This is my 25th year here at Mona Shores.

- You must have seen so many kids go through this tree.

- (laughs) Yeah, I have.

There's approximately 300 kids in choir over all those years, and times 25.

I'm bad with math, but that's a lot of kids.

(both laugh) - [Tom] Well, aside from the tree, you guys take your choir around the world.

So you must be very proud of these kids.

- I am.

Yeah, we travel every four years overseas somewhere.

We've been to Brazil.

We've been to Greece.

We've been pretty much all over the country over all the years I've been here.

And yeah, these kids are special people.

- Now, this tree, even without the kids in it, is spectacular.

What's the superstructure made of?

'Cause it's got a whole, what is it, 250 kids?

- Yes, well, about 256 kids are in the program, but about 30 of them stand to my right here, because they don't fit.

So there's about 220 in the tree, actually.

- I went up there, I almost didn't fit (chuckles).

It's a pretty tight squeeze.

- [Shawn] It's a very tight squeeze.

Yeah, I don't like going up there myself, but it's made entirely of steel, and then we hang these greenery panels on the front of the tree.

And then, you know, it's all lit up here with 25,000 lights, and it's like a giant Erector Set.

That's the best way I can think to describe it.

- Now, who gets to be the angel at the top?

How do you work your way to being the top person?

- Well, you have to be a senior.

And then I take that list of all the seniors, and I'm looking down that list for a student who exemplifies, who models the ideal choir kid, especially the kid who maybe has struggled in his life or her life.

Maybe doesn't get all the leads in the shows, maybe doesn't have even the strongest voice sometimes, but they come to the class every day and they're smiling.

They're positive.

They're that kind of light that, you know, everybody appreciates.

And that's what we try to do with the angel.

- [Tom] I understand your daughter's in the tree?

- That is true.

I have put three kids in this program, and my third is in her freshman year here.

And you know, just about the time she'll be done, I'll have my 30 years and then we'll see what happens to me.

But we're both kind of heading toward our way out the door, here.

It's kind of poignant.

- [Tom] How's that make you feel, though?

- Mixed feelings, for sure.

I don't know if I'll go.

Well, time will tell.

- Well, after a few words with the man who wields the wand, I set out in search of singers, and imagine that!

I actually found some.

So how long have you been in the choir?

- This is actually my first year.

- First year?

- Yeah.

- Well, I know your parents are proud of you, but guess what?

I'm proud of you, too.

- I'm only a sophomore, so.

- I'm still proud of you.

First time in the tree?

- Yup.

- Nervous, excited, scared?

- Actually, I'm really scared.

I'm nervous, a little bit, yeah.

- You a good singer?

- Yeah, I've been singing since I was little.

- Yeah, I started when I was large.

That's my problem.

(both laugh) What do you think this does for the community?

- It brings people together.

Like, as just a whole community, and brings holiday spirit to people's souls, and makes them get in the holiday spirit.

- Oh my gosh, I got into that tree, I could barely fit.

How do you get into that tree?

- Well, I'm a generally slim guy.

So, like, I just slide through.

But like, I'm normally two levels high.

Like, the people behind me are kinda covered a little bit.

- This is why I didn't make the football team.

Right here.

- I didn't either, don't worry.

(both laugh) - Ahoy, there, matey.

- Ahoy!

- So is this your first year singing in the tree?

- Yeah, it is.

- Excited?

- Yeah.

- This is a lot of fun, isn't it?

- Yeah, I think it's cool that Mr. Law and then all these other volunteers can put on a show that we get to do this kind of stuff.

And I think it's just a really fun and exciting opportunity.

- Are you a tenor, or are you a baritone?

- I'm a bass.

- Really?

- Yes.

- Let's hear it.

♪ Laa ooh ow ooh Okay, okay, you're going a good job.

- Yeah.

- What's it like looking out into that sea of proud faces, parents, the community.

I mean, that must be a rush.

- It's great.

It's like, you're doing something good for the community and it's not even like we're doing it because we have to.

It's something that we got to sign up for.

And I enjoy it.

- So you are this year's angel.

- Yes.

- You sing from the very top.

- I do.

- So to be the angel, you, I understand, you must be an exceptional person.

- It's a huge honor.

Like, Mr. Lawton picking me, I couldn't have been more happy.

There are so many people he could have picked that fit the role perfectly, and he chose me, and it's such a huge honor.

- The dedication of the entire community to this incredible event was absolutely awe-inspiring.

To pull off a show of this magnitude takes hundreds of talented and motivated people working in complete and perfect harmony.

And when it all comes together, that's exactly what the audience hears.

♪ Gloria in excelsis ♪ In excelsis Deo ♪ Gloria in excelsis ♪ In excelsis Deo If you're looking to put some "spectacular" in your holiday spectacles, come see the famous Singing Christmas Tree at the historic Frauenthal Center.

The Mona Shores High School Choir will love you for it.

And the merry folks of Muskegon will make you feel mighty welcome.

(audience applauds) (whoosh) Let's face it: Christmas is so wonderful.

A lot of us wish it lasted forever.

Well, guess what?

We found a place where it totally does.

That's right.

Here in Bronner's in Frankenmuth, they celebrate Christmas and all its trimmings every day of the year.

Boy, old St. Nick must get pretty tired.

Well, you heard right.

It's always Christmas at Bronner's, and no matter what you're looking for, you'll probably find it, because this is billed as, that's right, "The Largest Christmas Store on the Planet."

Good thing too, 'cause Santa is pretty much a global dude.

Here at Bronner's, you'll find over 50,000 trimmings and gifts, more than 250 styles of nativity scenes, decorations and gifts from over 35 countries, and more than 300 decorated trees.

And as you can see, after only a few minutes in the store, I, well, was a bit overwhelmed.

So I thought I'd slow it down and find out the reason for this perpetual season from Carla Bronner-Spletzer.

Carla, what is it like waking up to Christmas morning every day of the year?

- What's it like now waking up to that?

That's all we've ever known.

- Oh, that, (both laugh) - that's right, 'cause you're an actual Bronner.

- [Carla] Yes.

- [Tom] So you grew up in this place.

- [Carla] Yes, yes, I sure did.

All my life.

- [Tom] How did it start?

- It actually started as a small sign painting business.

My dad had an artistic talent and so he started out in high school painting signs for some of the local people around town and doing window displays and that type of thing.

And that's how the Christmas business started.

- What kind of guy was your dad?

- He was a people person through and through.

Mr.

Personality, for sure.

And he loved people, very strong faith, and a very caring person.

And we miss him every day.

- I also understand your mom still comes into work?

- My mom does.

Yes, she's 91 and yeah, she helps out at Reception Desk a couple of days a week, yeah.

- So she's in charge of the elves.

- (giggles) Yeah, she makes sure we're doing our jobs (laughs).

- Awesome.

- Make sure her kids are behaving (chuckles).

- [Tom] How many elves do you employ here during this holiday season?

You must have hundreds.

- [Carla] Yeah, it's about 750, yeah.

- [Tom] Wow.

- [Carla] During the fall season.

- [Tom] Is Santa back in the stock room, working?

- [Carla] Oh, always.

He's got to keep the elves going, you know?

- [Tom] Do you even know the square footage of this place?

- [Carla] Well, the whole complex is, the building size of five football fields, and the shopping area is the size of one-and-a-half football fields.

- How many ornaments are in here, d'you know, How many?

I'd like to know, do you, have you ever counted the lights?

- Oh, yeah, every one.

(both laugh) No, but there's over 50,000 items in our store.

- [Tom] Yeah?

- [Carla] Over 6,000 styles of ornaments, and many of them our own exclusive designs.

And you can also have all kinds of ornaments that can be personalized, you know, with your family names or your pets' names, or, you know, whatever.

- Well, this place truly is a Michigan Midwest, U.S. destination.

I mean, people must come from around the world.

- They do.

They come from all 50 states every month, and many different countries, yeah.

- [Tom] It's overwhelmingly wonderful to come in here with the Christmas music.

And if you truly love Christmas and you need your Christmas fix, you can come up here in July- - Any day, yep.

- you can come up here.

- 361 days of the year we're open.

- One final question for you, now.

Do you sell mistletoe by the pound?

- (chuckles) Not by the pound, but if you need it by the pound, we'll get it for you.

- Ding!

(both chuckle) - Well, after talking to Carla, Jim, Eric, Alexa and I were filled with so much holiday mirth, merriment, and amazement, we commenced to shopping.

And when all was said and done, we picked out more Christmas than you can probably fit in the car.

Lucky for us though, Santa delivers.

So if you want to have a heaping helping of Christmas, get off your holiday ham and head to Bronner's.

It's a place you just have to see to believe.

(Christmas bell chimes) (swoosh) Now you've heard the expression "Big things come in small packages."

Well, here's a tiny town that celebrates Christmas in a huge way.

They call it "Christmas in Ida", a small farming community in Southeast Michigan, that attracts holiday festival-goers from all over the U.S. How do they do it?

Well, one way is with their incredible Parade of Lights celebration.

For an hour-and-a-half, the entire community puts on a nighttime parade, made up of over 150 Christmas floats that bathe the entire town in colorful lights.

It's a sight to see, you can probably see from space.

Before night fell and the parade began, I had a chance to talk with Dale Zorn about this incredible weekend of Christmas cheer.

First of all, how many people live in Ida, and how many people come to this event?

- The village of Ida is 600 population.

- Whoa.

- We're unincorporated.

So it's really just a spot on the map.

And during the festival, we have 1200 volunteers.

- Now, Christmas in Ida actually happens over the whole weekend, right?

- Yes, it starts on Friday night, and it ends on Sunday.

- Well, how many people actually come, like, we're here for the Parade of Lights tonight.

How many people will be here in town for the parade?

- We expect anywhere from 40 to 48,000 tonight.

- [Tom] In a community of 600 people.

- Yes, 600.

It's just an incredible.

But the whole thing is, is we have a whole team of volunteers that dedicate themselves for a whole year and bring together Christmas in Ida.

- [Tom] And the whole parade happens at night.

- [Dale] Absolutely.

It starts at seven o'clock and it ends about nine o'clock.

- [Tom] And where do some of these floats come from?

- They come from all over the Midwest.

We get them out of Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Last few years, we've had representation from Canada, from Toronto.

- So it must be spectacular when it goes through.

- Oh yeah, when sun goes down, the lights come on.

And it's an amazing sight to see when all these Christmas lights come on.

And watching the kids and the smiles and the families, it's not just the kids, it's the young, it's the young at heart.

- Is this event as much fun as they say it is?

You be the judge.

You're gonna see Santa tonight?

- No, I don't know where he lives!

- He's in the, isn't he in the parade?

- I don't think he's in the parade!

I think he's at the North Pole right now.

- Oh, that's okay.

I'll call him for you.

Hello, could I interview you?

What's it like being, actually being in the parade?

You don't know?

That's right, cat got your tongue?

Oh, come on, get back in the parade (chuckles).

I'm normally scared of the dark, but there's so much light here, it's not bothering me.

- Yeah, you don't have to worry about it, do you?

(Tom laughs) - Are you staying warm enough?

- Yeah.

- Yeah, you got all your clothes on?

- Yeah.

- Got your long johns on?

- Yeah.

- Me, too.

High five me.

All right.

What's your secret to staying warm?

- Layers.

Layers and hot chocolate.

Special chocolate (giggles).

- Anything special in your hot chocolate?

- Maybe.

(both guffaw) - Is this actual TV?

- What?

- Is this actual TV?

- Yes, it's actual TV.

Look, it's right there.

(people giggle) Well, you guys don't even need the parade.

You guys are a parade.

The lights are freaking me out.

(children squeal) (Tom screams) Do your dance!

(people cheer) There you are, do that dance, do that dance, do that dance!

Whoo, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

They love this guy.

If you'd like to light up your holidays this season, check out Christmas in Ida.

We had so much fun.

I'da go back.