MERRYWEATHER, MN–Every holiday season, folks from all over Minnesota and from other states alike flock to the cute little town of Merryweather. With a population just shy of 20,000, Merryweather offers the homestyle Christmas-time vibes that so many crave during the holidays. It’s cold yet cozy, thanks to the alluring Christmas light displays, a festive christkindlmarkt, and steamy winter warmers. It’s everything and more than you could hope for during the holidays and the perfect template for creating timeless family memories.

As the cycle goes, the passage of the new year marks the end of the holiday season, and with it comes a lull for Merryweather tourism. Spring and summer are pleasant in the small Minnesota town. Fall is great for hayrides, apple-picking, and children that do drugs in haunted houses. November through December are the town’s peak months for visitation, but nobody would be caught dead in Merryweather during January and February. Even many residents leave. With daily highs never making it above freezing and lows that have been to freeze gophers, it’s hard to justify winter in Minnesota after the holidays have moved on.

“Please visit Minnesota in January. That’s what we’re going with,” announced Schmidt Muller, the director and sole employee of Merryweather’s tourism office. “Usually, we don’t even advertise after the new year. We know ain’t nobody coming here in January. But this year, I got to thinking, fucking maybe they will. We got a lot of snow. Some people love snow. A lot. We just gotta put ourselves out there, and they’ll love us for it. My cousin’s ex-wife told me that. She’s right. I wonder how she’s doing.”

This month could mark the first January since 2001 that draws double-digit tourists to Merryweather.