If you are a teenager, such as myself, living in a not-so-large town like McCandless, you probably get bored of the surrounding stores and locations every once in a while. There gets to be a point where you can’t drag yourself to Sheetz and sit in the oh-so-familiar parking lot any longer. Now that it is officially the holiday season, many teens are in the mood for some holiday fun but are at a loss of where to go. Fortunately for you, I have the perfect location for a holiday trip in mind, located just outside of Sharon, PA.

Now, for those who have traveled to Sharon (more specifically, the town of Hermitage), you may be wondering what could be so exciting to see up there. I will admit it is a smaller town (smaller than McCandless, for sure), but there is a hidden wonderland right at its heart. Kraynaks, a family owned and operated nursery and gift shop, is known for its seasonal displays during the holiday seasons of Christmas and Easter.

Most people I know around here have not heard of Kraynaks, but I grew up going there with my family each December. Ever since I was a child, my family and I have taken a trip up to Sharon to see the new holiday displays and, of course, do some shopping. You may be wondering what exactly Kraynaks is, so I will run you through a typical Harris family trip.

We always leave straight after school, around 3 pm, for about an hour and a half drive up north. Upon arrival, the building itself doesn’t look all that special. You will see a large sign that says “Kraynaks,” followed by what seems like one of the world’s smallest parking lots. It looks like a typical garden shop from the outside, but that’s just the start.

As we park and walk in, we are always greeted with the smiling faces of the volunteers from the Salvation Army, standing at the entrance as they sing holiday tunes and ring their bells along with the music. As they greet us with cheer, we finally walk into the building. Immediately, our eyes light up as we see aisles upon aisles of pretty much every toy a child could want for Christmas, along with candies and other fun goodies. The high ceilings and brightly colored toy displays make the space feel much larger than it actually is. To get to the holiday display, one must weave through the aisles in a maze-like fashion, heading towards the back of the store (which is a great marketing strategy, by the way). 

On a lucky day, there is not much of a line to get into Christmasland, the token nickname for the holiday display lane. However, most days are not lucky days, and one must wait in line for the displays. Some years, the lines have extended back out into the parking lot. Nevertheless, the wait is worth it once you walk through the entrance to Christmasland. 

Kraynaks itself is a very bright store, but as soon as you enter Christmasland, the only illumination is that of the thousands of Christmas lights. The cool thing about Kraynaks is that each year, the holiday display is different. You aren’t going to see the same set ups and characters, which makes the experience much more exciting. 

While walking through Christmasland, you will see displays on either side of the walkway. These displays are packed with holiday characters that we all know and love, such as the Grinch and Santa Claus, as well as assortments of displays revolving around Christmas. There is so much variety when it comes to the decor, the trees, and the lights. Even the display’s scent is different each year. This year the scent was Gingerbread, which was created by Sydney Candle Co.

Another cool aspect of Kraynaks is that everything you see in the displays is most likely sold in the store, including the scent of the year and other various holiday candles. Every tree, ornament, and miscellaneous decoration can be found in the store’s many rooms, filled floor to ceiling with decorations. You could very easily get lost in the many sections of Kraynaks while searching for a certain holiday item from the Christmasland display.

Even though the displays are different each year, the end display is always the same. As you walk out from the holiday cheer part of the pathway, you enter an angelic area. The nativity scene is lit up with trees surrounding it, and gospel music plays in the background. I personally believe this is an exquisite way to end the walkthrough.

Now, I don’t know what your family is like, but after all that walking and sightseeing, my family is hungry. Luckily for everyone, Daffins is right down the street. Daffins is hands-down my favorite candy store, with some of the best chocolates in existence made in house.

The best part about Daffins is the chocolate display, known as the Chocolate Kingdom, where one can see larger-than-life animals made completely out of chocolate. During Christmas time, the animals wear little Santa hats, and the scene is decorated according to the season. Checking out the candy shop is a great way to end a night of holiday fun.

If you ever have a free afternoon and are looking to get into the holiday spirit, a trip up to Kraynaks would be my recommendation. It is free to attend and will surely get you into the Christmas spirit as you enjoy the displays, shop ’til you drop, and maybe even make a candy stop on the way home.