Stockbridge: The number 1 Christmas town in America

A little picturesque town in Massachusetts has been
designated as the best Christmastime town in the US by Country Living
magazine. 

Stockbridge in Berkshires was declared as the town which
embodies the best of Christmas vibe in the entire country by the magazine,
outranking 54 other towns in the list.

The city, which falls in the New England region, is best
known for its reliving a painting by Norman Rockwell, who, in a way, immortalized
the town through the artwork which he completed in 1967.

In his “Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas (Home for
Christmas),” painting, Rockwell depicted the Stockbridge Main Street as it existed
then, rendering it with a bucolic charm complete with automobiles parked in front of a row of
gabled houses, foregrounded by leafless trees and a faint shadow of a mountain range in the background.

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Every year during a weekend in December, residents
of the town try to recreate the painting at the real-life Stockbridge Main Street, by blocking of the road for traffic during the period, and parking vintage
automobiles in front the houses to bring the painting to life.

“Stockbridge might look just like a Norman Rockwell
painting—and that’s because it is! Each year, the town re-creates the 1967
Rockwell painting, ‘Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas (Home for Christmas)’
during their annual festival. Old-fashioned cars line the main street to
recreate the painting, and the public can tour historic homes decorated for the
holidays,” the magazine wrote, as quoted by Boston.com website.

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In its eulogy to the dainty town, Country Living magazine gushed
over its tradition of recreating the painting as well as its festive spirit,
but also cautioned readers against visiting the town as the event may be
cancelled this year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.

And as much was confirmed by the town authorities.

“Due to the COVID-19 situation and the need to maintain the
health and safety of our patrons, we will not be gathering together in
celebration this year,” the Stockbridge Chamber of Commerce wrote on its website,
Boston.com reported.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), the painter and illustrator, who
captured American life in his works, lived in Stockbridge during the last 25
years of his life, during which time he made the painting which now forms the hub of
revelry around the town and is envy of many cities in America.