Christmas in July brings Hallmark movie stars and holiday magic to Dahlonega, Georgia

It's Christmas in July in Dahlonega as the town welcomes the second annual Christmas in a Small Town convention.

The event celebrates holiday movies and features meet-and-greets with some of their biggest stars.

"We have a bunch of celebrities coming, from Chad Michael Murray to the Lawrence Brothers to Tyler Hynes," said Autumn Dawn Nierode, founder of Decade Days. "They sign autographs, they do photo ops. We have themed events, too. We have a hoedown, a pajama party and a luau concert."

Nierode, who grew up visiting Dahlonega, said the North Georgia town is the perfect place to host a Christmas-themed event.

"I grew up in a small town, so it's nice to come and give back," Nierode said.

Last year, about 1,200 people attended Christmas in a Small Town. This year, organizers say they have already sold about 1,300 tickets, with more still available.

"I know somebody's coming from Australia, England — somebody came from Scotland, I think, last time — California, New York, Wisconsin," Nierode said. "They're really coming from all over just for this."

That's welcome news for Sam McDuffie, executive director of Discover Dahlonega.

"It brings people here, and they're like, 'Oh my gosh! Look how beautiful this place is at Christmas. Maybe we should come back at Christmas,'" McDuffie said.

Tourism is one of Dahlonega's top economic drivers, according to McDuffie, with the fall and winter months serving as the town's busiest tourism season.

"You get a great feel for, for lack of a better term, our Hallmark town, because it really does turn into that," said Tony Owens, owner of The Fudge Factory. "White lights everywhere and carriage rides. It's beautiful. If we can get people to come this time of year to experience our hospitality and hopefully come back for those other things, that's great."

Owens doesn't even mind pulling out the Christmas decorations five months early.

"You know what? If it brings people to our town to enjoy what we do here, I am all for it," Owens said.

"It's kind of different when it's 90 degrees outside and you're decorating, but it's worth it," McDuffie said. "People really enjoy it, and we hope this is an event that continues."

The convention runs July 24-26. Tickets are available at christmasinasmalltown.com.