How Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, became a top Christmas destination

State of play: The city, just a 90-minute drive from Philadelphia, has built an economy around the holiday, even establishing a Christmas committee that raises money each year to make improvements to the experience.

• Preparations begin just after Halloween as city workers, like busy elves, decorate hundreds of trees. Thousands of tourists flock to Christmas markets, take part in themed bar crawls or historic tours, and gather at the Sun Inn Courtyard for performances that are part of the nation's only Live Advent Calendar.
• Visitors have described their experiences as "a real-life Hallmark Channel moment."

Catch up quick: The Moravians, a Protestant community, brought the spirit of the Holy Land to America when they founded Bethlehem and neighboring towns Nazareth and Emmaus in the 18th century, per the National Catholic Register.

• The Bethlehem Star, a gift to the city from the Bethlehem Steel company, was lit atop South Mountain in 1937, marking the dedication of Bethlehem as Christmas City, USA. It harkens back to the story of how the Magi found Jesus.
• The towering structure — more than 90 feet tall and 40 feet wide — once held the distinction of the largest electrical display in the world. Its original clear lamps were replaced by 258 7-watt LED lights that can be seen 20 miles away.

The latest: The star isn't the only thing shining in Bethlehem. The town flipped the switch on 30,000 lights during last week's lighting ceremony, held at Payrow Plaza at City Hall.

• "What better representation of who we are — our community — than who we are right here," Mayor J. William Reynolds told the Lehigh Valley News.

If you go: Bethlehem's Christmas City Village in the Moravian Historic District is lined with charming wooden huts where you can shop local vendors for gifts.

• The huts are open Fridays-Sundays through Dec. 22.

1 cool thing: History buffs can sign up for a guided Christmas City Stroll, which runs through Jan. 5. Learn about architecture and landmarks, such as the 1741 Gemeinhaus and Bethlehem Waterworks, as well as cherished traditions like the white lights or candles placed in windows.

• The tradition, started by settlers from Saxony, symbolizes guiding the footsteps of baby Jesus.

The bottom line: "Bethlehem did not create Christmas," Vernon Melhado, the city's late chamber of commerce president, wrote decades ago in a campaign to cement Bethlehem as Christmas City, USA.

• "Christmas created Bethlehem."