HUDSONVILLE, Mich. — It's Christmas in Hudsonville, and while the holidays stay busy, one downtown tradition turns winter break into a hunt that's fun and easy for families.
Hidden in plain sight on doors big and small, 15 little elf doors wait to be found throughout downtown Hudsonville. The annual tradition has been bringing families together for three years, turning the downtown area into an interactive playground for visitors of all ages.
"If they find them all, they can come pick up a prize at City Hall," Marketing and Event Coordinator for the City of Hudsonville Brynne Bayle said.
The elf door hunt provides families with a reason to walk, look and explore downtown Hudsonville like never before. The tradition continues even after Christmas morning has come and gone, with the fun extending until January 4th.
"After like the holidays are over, we are in that stretch right after New Year's, which is a good opportunity just to get outside and explore the downtown. And it's just a good way to interact with the community and the businesses too," Bayle said.
Participants need to hunt both high and low to find all the doors, which are hidden around trees, holes and different locations throughout the downtown area.
"Hunt look both high and low. They're kind of hidden all around trees and holes and different things," Bayle said.
Finding one door is just the start of the adventure. There's a simple way for families to participate and track their progress.
"You can go up to the elf door when you find it, and take a photo of it. There's a tag on each elf door with a number, so just get the number in the photo so that you know that we got all 15," Bayle said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
