"It's a Tombstone flavor of Christmas," said Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Pat Greene. "There won't be any gunfights, but the 1800s gear gives a great Tombstone spin on Christmas."

Come Saturday, the shops, restaurants and boardwalks on historic Allen Street will be decked out, transforming Tombstone from Old West to Winter Wonderland in what's expected to be the town's biggest holiday event ever.

"This year, we'll be adding more trees," said Greene, which is up from three trees last year. The tallest stands 18 feet tall.

"More trees, more excitement," he said.

But what would Christmas in Tombstone be with Santa Claus and no cowboy boots?

"It's always fun seeing Christmas in Tombstone," said Tombstone resident Ed Morrow. "You expect snow to dominate Christmas celebrations, but it's a cool twist to see the Old West incorporated."

People looking for the Old West to be tied in with a Christmas celebration will find just that in Saturday's parade.

"Any time we have a parade, it's great. But the Christmas parade is even more fun," said Claudia Bluemel, a Tombstone resident and employee of J.L. Silver on Allen Street. "Everyone is so happy and all the lights make it so exciting."

The parade, which is put on by the Tombstone Fire Department, will showcase vehicles decorated in Christmas lights as they make their way from Allen Street to Toughnut Street. The cars and participants will fit the holiday theme with
decorations and costumes, and Santa is expected to make an appearance.

"What makes the parade so great is that it's open to the public," said Greene.

"Anyone can sign up. All they have to do is fill out an application at City Hall."
Greene said the celebration attracts far fewer tourists than Helldorado Days.

But, he said, the smaller number of visitors makes the celebration even more special.

"It's a small town with neat celebrations," she said. "Everyone comes out and sings carols. It's the best way for the town and locals to come together."

Even though Christmastime in Tombstone hasn't drawn in a whole lot of tourists in the past, Greene said he is optimistic that this year will be different.

"This year will absolutely be more successful. Crowds have grown each Christmas and it's looking up for this year," he said. "Good weather is being predicted, so we're expecting about 1,000 to 2,000 visitors."

Bluemel, originally from Utah, has lived in Tombstone for six years.

"Our cabin is up on a hill, and when it's decorated, it looks like a gingerbread house," she said, laughing.

Bluemel said Christmas in Tombstone is much different than the celebrations you would find in her hometown of Salt Lake City.

"It's a big place," she said. "Tombstone is so much smaller that, this time of year, everyone gets together. It's like a big family celebration."

Before the parade, the celebrations will kick off with the second annual tuba concert featuring one hour of Christmas music. After that, the Christmas tree lighting will occur.

"The tree lighting is great," Bluemel added.

"I used to live in Florida and you were always decorating in the heat. In Tombstone, you still get snow occasionally, so it's always special when that happens."

For Bluemel, it's always brought back to the close relationships locals have with each other living in a city of fewer than 2,000 people.

"Christmas here still has an 1800s feel, but it means a little bit more than that," she said. "It's hard to put it into words, but the feel here is just different than in a big town. It feels like it means a lot more here."