Holiday Movie Magic Made Real in Mooresville
Christmas parades, illuminated streets, holiday markets, and more transform this Iredell County town into a storybook setting during the holidays.
by Jimmy Ryals, Our State Magazine
There’s a reason Lifetime airs its holiday movies year-round: More than the storytelling, it’s that cozy, snowy, small-town spirit that draws us in, even in July. Neighbors come together to make downtown twinkle for the most wonderful time of the year. The level of charm is strong, but it’s not real. Is it?
“You see those movies and think, ‘That’s not real life,’” Stephen Hayes says. “But then you go to Mooresville at Christmas, and it kind of is real.”
The magic of a Mooresville Christmas played no small role in Hayes’s desire to open Fred & June’s Books on North Main Street. He and his wife, Morgan, and their son had been coming to Mooresville holiday events for years and seeing the town’s investment in creating Christmas cheer made them want to be a part of it.
The couple opened Fred & June’s in September 2023. Three months later, they hosted a sold-out Holiday Express Pajama Party, where 75 pajama-clad kids squeezed into the store for hot cocoa, silver bells, and a reading of the The Polar Express by a local teacher.
The party was such a success that the Hayes family made it a weekly December event in 2024, and they’ll do it again this year. The pajama party, a celebration filled with joy and merriment, is just one of the many cheerful events in Mooresville. Read on for a rundown of how the holiday season transforms the town each year — and how you can join in the fun.
Previous
