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For Wally Bronner, Christmas is more than a favorite holiday; it's his life. Since 1945, Frankenmuth, Michigan's most famous resident has made his living celebrating Christmas every day of the year. Two million guests visit Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland annually in search of Christmas decorations, one-of-a-kind gifts, or the chance to experience what most consider the largest Christmas store in the world.

The CHRISTmas Wonderland complex is situated on more than 40 acres, 90 miles north of Detroit, in a town known as Michigan's Little Bavaria. The retail store, in which over 50,000 gifts are stocked, covers seven acres under one continuous roof. This indoor extravaganza features 500 different types of nativity scenes from 59 nations, more than 350 decorated trees, and 6,000 types of ornaments. The twinkling lights, Christmas music, and holiday scents are a delight to the senses. The place really is a wonderland, a surreal setting that will have you convinced it's Christmas even in the middle of July.

The 500 employees that work for Wally Bronner know that his passion for Christmas is not just a way of making a living. For him, it's a way of making a difference in the world.

Basement beginnings
"The message of Christmas is the most wonderful message in the world," Wally says with his signature smile and a twinkle in his eyes. "It's a message that can change the hearts of people. It's a message that proclaims God loves us and came to our world to prove how much. And because of that, it's a message that is relevant every day of the year, not just on December 25th."

In an effort to keep his store's Christ-centered focus front and center for employees and visitors alike, Wally insists that CHRISTmas be spelled on signs, billboards, and brochures so that Christ's name is emphasized. He also makes sure the company's motto is prominently displayed: "Enjoy CHRISTmas. It's HIS birthday. Enjoy LIFE. It's HIS way."

Wally's commitment to enjoy life is rooted in his personal faith in Christ. And his joy is contagious. Some of his employees have worked at Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland for over 40 years, no doubt because their rosy-cheeked, balding boss follows Jesus' injunction to treat others the way you'd like to be treated.

For all intents and purposes, Wally's business began in 1945 when he was a senior in high school. Using his parent's basement as a workshop, the boy with a flair for artistic design began painting signs and posters for school functions and church groups. Local stores asked young Wally if he could trim their windows for special occasions and holidays. Farmers sought out the young sign painter to obtain hand-lettered name panels for their barns. Soon communities around Frankenmuth were soliciting Wally's help to create a festive mood on downtown streets during the Christmas season. His attractive window designs and streetlight banners became a trademark.

Within a few years Wally's homegrown shop outgrew his parents' basement. His craftsman-father constructed a building in town that would serve the growing enterprise. It was an enterprise that now included his young bride, Irene (whom he'd met through his church's youth group), and a burgeoning family. By 1954 Wally and Irene opened their first Christmas store. What had begun as a sign company found a niche as a supplier of commercial holiday decorations and fixtures for businesses and municipalities.

"My folks never let the business take their eyes off the Lord," son Randy Bronner recalls. "Their love of God was always first in their lives."

It was a priority that God would honor. By 1966 Bronner's Display and Sign Advertising needed more space. The clientele had grown to include more than wholesale customers. A vacant bank in Frankenmuth became the perfect location for the Bronner's Tannenbaum Shop, where Christmas gifts and décor were available year-round. Five years later the building that once housed Wally's aunt's grocery store was converted into Bronner's Bavarian Corner. As customers came from every state in the union and overseas, business continued to boom. By 1977 the three stores were consolidated into one and relocated to its current location at 25 Christmas Lane. Since that time, the store has gone through three additional expansions.

Yuletide mission field
At the age of 75, Wally Bronner has not lost his passion. Even though he turned over the day-to-day management of the operation to his son Wayne and daughters Carla and Maria and their spouses a few years ago, Wally continues to be involved. He shows up for work every day wearing his bright red blazer and green tie.

In his role as chairman of the board, the store's founder enjoys the freedom to be a goodwill ambassador visiting with shoppers, international guests, and the media. With his enthusiastic and hopeful personality, Wally lives up to his reputation as Michigan's Mr. Christmas. He has met dignitaries and celebrities from around the world, including First Lady Laura Bush, General Norman Schwarzkopf, former President Bill Clinton, and cbs newsman Dan Rather.

"I feel very blessed," Wally admits. "I don't think I've really ever worked. The Lord allowed me to pursue a hobby and get paid for it. It's a privilege to serve Him in the process. I like to tell people that wherever there's a Christian there's a missionary, and wherever there's a missionary there's a mission field. I see my business as a mission field."

For God's glory
In 1976 Wally and Irene visited Oberndorf/Salzburg, Austria. While there they visited the memorial chapel that had been erected on the site of the church where the carol "Silent Night" was written and first performed in 1818. Wally was so moved by what he experienced in that little chapel, he came home with thoughts of building a replica of the Silent Night chapel as part of his Wonderland.

"For several years I pondered what I could do to tangibly express my gratitude to God for the way He had smiled upon our business," Wally remembers. "When the city government and visitor's bureau of Oberndorf granted permission for us to replicate that beautiful chapel to scale, I knew I had found just the right means of giving glory to the Lord."

The chapel was built during the summer and fall of 1992 and was quite appropriately dedicated just before Thanksgiving. The walkway leading up to the ornate little building is lined with plaques containing the lyrics to "Silent Night" in over 300 languages. As visitors stop and read the various dialects, the strains of the famous carol can be heard playing in the background.

Even though every day is like Christmas for Wally Bronner, there is something extra special about Christmas Eve. Each year he makes his way to the Silent Night Chapel at three in the afternoon. Along with the assistance of guitarist and son-in-law Bob Spletzer, Wally leads visitors to the world's largest Christmas store in the singing of the world's best-known Christmas carol.

"My dad lives for Christmas," son Wayne says with a smile. "No matter what day of the year it is, he can tell you how many days there are until the big day. For him, all 364 days of the year are a dress-rehearsal for Christmas."

The man who watched a boyhood hobby become a multi-million dollar operation is quick to reject the commercialization of the season.

"What is most important is that your heart is decorated with joy, love, hope and peace," Wally insists. "And those decorations aren't purchased in a store. They come about by understanding why Jesus Christ was born in the first place."

For more information about the Bronner's CHRISTmas Store, call 1-800-ALL-YEAR or go to www.bronners.com.

Greg Asimakoupoulos is a writer from the Chicago area.

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