The website onlyinyourstate.com has named names, and the historic Bishop Hill, Ill. is among the site’s list of seven “Christmas towns in Illinois that will fill your heart with holiday cheer.”
In an article published on the website on Dec. 6, Bishop Hill is number four on the list of Christmas towns, bested only by Galena, Rockford and Chicago. The towns were chosen for their holiday displays, festivals and general “merry-making,” and are featured as the “holly-est, jolliest Christmas towns in Illinois guaranteed to put you in a holiday spirit.”
While Galena is considered to be “Christmas capital of Illinois for its shopping and countryside charm,” and Rockford is known for “its grand displays of holiday cheer,” Bishop Hill is noted as the “coolest small-town- a tiny city with less than 130 residents, but a place that does Christmas big.”
The article mentions Julmarknad/Christmas market, the festival that pays homage to the village’s Swedish roots. But each year during December, the village holds its annual Lucia Nights, a celebration centered on a Swedish tradition steeped in legend.
During Julmarknad, the article states that “the town becomes an old-fashioned Christmas wonderland with homemade gifts, artisanal shopping, cookies, chocolates and European traditions at every turn.”
The onlyinyourstate website isn’t the only recognition the historic village has received of late. The World Atlas included Bishop Hill as one of the 11 top-rated small towns in Illinois. Among destinations such as Nauvoo, Galena and Ottawa, Bishop Hill was recognized for its Swedish roots, its colony-era buildings, and a storied past that provides plenty of space for historians to explore.
