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DOWAGIAC — Just as The New York Sun editorial in 1897 proclaimed, “Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus,” despite the present-day pandemic, the Dowagiac business community will celebrate this year’s holiday season.

Dowagiac’s annual Christmas Open House Weekend, traditionally hosted the second weekend of November, may look a bit different without Jolly ‘Ole St. Nick and family events that Saturday. However, businesses are making plans to showcase their finest holiday merchandise.

Shops reporting in that are holding their Christmas Open Houses Nov. 13-14 include: Booth’s Country Florist & Gifts, Cottage Gallery, Deck the Halls, Libby Ann’s, The Marshall Shoppe, Oh My, Olympia Books, Rosy Tomorrows and Vincent J. Jewelers. Some locations will also be open that Sunday.

Yarn on Front and Imperial Furniture plan to hold multiple-day events. Beginning Nov. 9 and continuing through Small Business Saturday, Yarn on Front will be celebrating the holidays and its fourth anniversary. Imperial Furniture is also featuring an extended Open House beginning Monday, Nov. 16, through Monday, Nov. 30.

Businesses holding Open Houses are encouraged to share with the chamber of commerce a PDF, detailing their event which may then be shared with the membership, city officials and the Chamber’s database of patrons.

Several of these locations are also participating in the holiday Elf on a Shelf Scavenger Hunt, which awards Dowagiac Universal Gift Cards to 17 scavenger hunt winners. In addition, the Same Day Rewards Program, which kicked off Labor Day Weekend, continues through the end of the year to promote cross traffic.

And, while the Dec. 5 Candlelight Christmas Parade has been repackaged as a reverse parade, staged within the Cherry Grove parking lot of Southwestern Michigan College, it too will march on, despite the pandemic.