Christmas in Bethlehem: Five `Can’t Miss’ Places, Two of Them Long Gone

Dec. 22, 2025

— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs

The Christmas season in Bethlehem appears to be going well.

I had dinner on the Terrace at the Hotel Bethlehem a week ago, and I saw buses, tour guides and quite a few shoppers on Main Street.

It was a big change from a few years ago, when we stayed at the hotel during the Covid-19 pandemic. A crew from the Weather Channel was down the hall, waiting for one of those “Storms of the Century” that turned out to be a bust.

A good holiday season downtown helps the city, and this year’s weather is favorable.

Over the years, there have been five places that visiting family and friends always wanted to see. Two of them are gone, one has changed and two are timeless.

Gone: The Christmas Barn. The Bethlehem Township holiday store has been vacant for years, and last I checked, was still on the market. That’s a surprise, not so much because of the building but the land. There is a field behind the store and the property covers just over three acres on Easton Avenue, where smaller properties have gone for $1 million.

Gone: Stefano’s on Linden Street. The northern Italian restaurant was sold along with an adjacent property. The land was used to put up 61 apartments called The Linden Lofts. The plans at one time included a restaurant on the site of Stefano’s, smaller than the old place. So far, nothing.

Still here but changed: The Moravian Book Shop. It’s now Moravian University’s bookstore, in addition to being a tourist draw. It has changed but probably had to. The old store was a great place to visit, but with inventory that didn’t turn over too fast and more lookers than shoppers.

The downtown anchor: The Hotel Bethlehem. The hotel is essential to the health of the downtown shops and restaurants. Anybody who doesn’t see that perhaps wasn’t around in 1998, when the landmark was closed for about a year and there was concern that Main Street would become one more deteriorating Rust Belt downtown.

The Hotel Bethlehem was busy the night we had dinner there, and on Sunday night, the lobby was packed with guests and tourists.

Then there’s Josh Early Candies, about a half-mile north of the old Stefano’s, at 3620 Nazareth Pike (Linden Street). There are several fine candy makers in the area, but Josh Early is the place my visitors always want to see. The candy is good, the staff is helpful and the seasonal presentations are a big draw.

Those were the Big Five, but there are a lot of other places. Fegley’s Bethlehem Brew Works is the scene of an annual gathering of friends, and the staff is always ready for the holiday boom. Donegal Square is another Main Street stalwart.

Unfortunately, not all places on Main Street are prepared, and some lose shoppers. Operating a small business is difficult but it doesn’t help when customers for coffee or confections are walking out. If some place doesn’t want to take money, fine. I will take it elsewhere.

Those places are the exception, to be sure. Most downtown stores are ready and willing to “make hay while the sun shines.”

New York and Philadelphia and Bucks County have a lot of holiday attractions, but don’t miss what Historic Bethlehem and the region have to offer.