Humor & Quirks
Wilmington, Ohio: The True Cost of Keeping 'A Christmas Story' Alive
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Published in Humor and Quirks on Wednesday, December 17th 2025 at 14:29 GMT by WSB-TV- 🞛 This publication is a summary or evaluation of another publication
- 🞛 This publication contains editorial commentary or bias from the source
Summarizing “What It Costs to Live in America’s Iconic Holiday‑Movie Towns”
The WSBT feature takes a close look at a handful of American communities that have earned a second life as the settings for some of the most beloved holiday films. From the snow‑clad streets of Wilmington, Ohio, to the neon‑bright avenues of a small California town, the article asks a simple yet surprisingly complex question: how much does it actually cost to maintain the Christmas‑movie aura—and, for the residents, what does that mean for their day‑to‑day budget?
1. The Allure of “Holiday‑Movie” Status
The piece opens with a montage of film scenes—“A Christmas Story”’s “Red‑Shined” storefronts, “The Polar Express”’s star‑shaped windows, the frosty streetlights of “Elf”—and explains how these visual memories have turned once‑ordinary towns into seasonal pilgrimages. Tourism boards in these municipalities have capitalized on the nostalgia, launching festivals, photo‑opportunities, and even themed lodging that attract travelers from across the country. The article notes that the “movie‑town” branding has, on the one hand, become a major source of revenue, while on the other hand, has imposed a fiscal burden on the local governments and taxpayers.
2. Wilmington, Ohio: “A Christmas Story” Comes Home
Wilmington is the star of the piece. The town’s 2018 “Christmas Town” budget was reported at $287,000, a figure that covers lighting, signage, and the upkeep of the iconic “Red‑Shined” store sign. The WSBT piece cites a town spokesperson who explains that the majority of the money comes from a combination of county grants, a modest sales‑tax surcharge on the holiday festival, and private donations from local businesses that want to keep the town “movie‑ready.” The cost of installing the 1,200‑piece Christmas tree, for instance, is about $35,000, while maintaining the snow‑machine on Main Street costs $12,000 each season.
The article also references a side‑story that WSBT ran last summer about the “Christmas Lights in Wilmington: A Year in the Life.” That linked piece dives deeper into the logistics of the lighting process, revealing that a crew of volunteers works for nearly three months to string and maintain the lights, and that the town’s electricity bill spikes by roughly 15% during the holiday window.
3. The Economics of Tourism
While the upfront costs of living up the movie aesthetic can be high, the article balances that with the economic benefits of tourist traffic. In Wilmington alone, 2019’s holiday season generated an estimated $11.7 million in revenue for local hotels, restaurants, and retail shops. The WSBT story breaks down that figure: about 60% of visitors come from outside the county, and 35% of the income comes from food and beverage sales. The article points out that the town’s tourism tax—an extra 3% on hotel stays—has helped cover the lighting and maintenance costs.
The piece also cites a research snippet from the Ohio Tourism Board, which shows that towns that successfully brand themselves as “holiday movie sites” see an average 15% increase in property values over a five‑year period, compared to national averages. The WSBT writers caution, however, that higher property values can lead to higher property taxes, which is the next section of the article.
4. The Cost of Living for Residents
Beyond the public‑spending side of the equation, the WSBT feature turns to the residents who actually live in these towns. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau and local tax records, the article provides a snapshot of what a typical family in Wilmington—or a comparable town like Lodi, California (the filming location for “The Polar Express”)—has to pay. The average home price in Wilmington is $154,000, which is about 20% lower than the national median but higher than the Ohio average due to the town’s tourist draw. Monthly utility costs rise by an estimated 5% during the holiday season due to the lighting and heating requirements. The tax burden is illustrated with a line graph: property taxes in Wilmington sit at 0.86% of home value, which is a little above Ohio’s average of 0.74%, largely due to the extra revenue generated from the holiday festival.
The article also highlights the indirect cost of the “movie town” identity: local businesses report longer waiting times on the sidewalks during the holiday rush, and some residents note that the nightly traffic can disrupt normal routines. These intangible costs are difficult to quantify but are part of the cost of living in a place that is a perennial tourist attraction.
5. Future Outlook and Community Responses
In its closing section, the WSBT piece looks ahead to how these towns are planning for the future. Wilmington’s council has put forward a proposal to expand the holiday lights to include a “Christmas Market” that would operate through early January, hoping to extend the tourist season and further offset the costs of lighting. The article also references a WSBT interview with a resident of Lodi who says that the community is investing in “smart‑grid” lighting technology to reduce electricity use by up to 20% per year.
The article ends with a quick reference guide to the other towns featured, including a link to a downloadable map that lists every “holiday movie town” in the U.S. The map shows each town’s primary film association, their average cost of living, and an estimate of the tourist revenue generated each year.
Take‑away
In short, WSBT’s piece provides a nuanced look at what it means to live in a town that is forever tied to the holiday movie canon. While the cost of keeping the lights on and the storefronts pristine can be significant, the article shows that the tourism revenue and increased property values can offset, or even outweigh, those expenses. Yet, for the everyday resident, the cost of living includes not just higher taxes and utility bills but also the social cost of being a living museum—an ever‑present backdrop for holiday memories. The article invites readers to consider whether the nostalgia and economic benefit justify the cost of living in these iconic holiday‑movie towns.
Read the Full WSB-TV Article at:
[ https://www.wsbtv.com/news/what-it-costs-live-americas-iconic-holiday-movie-towns/23K5FUN7WJO6VL6FL36OLR2ZY4/ ]
