Jason V.
Yelp
I would go insane if I had to work here, listening to Christmas music 365 days a year. I'm one of those people who insists that Christmas starts *after* Thanksgiving, and ends no later than New Years Day (with maybe a few days' wiggle room on either side). Even so, I always enjoy a visit to Kris Kringl, even in the off-season. In this case, our mid-January is close enough to keep my hackles in check. I mean, we came to Leavenworth to see the Christmas lights we'd missed last month due to COVID, so...it was kinda the reason we were here.
Kris Kringl is a lot like the Tardis from Doctor Who: it seems bigger on the inside than it looks from without. Two stories (including an elevator or stairs) of wall racks, displays and endcaps positively crammed with ornaments, miniature villages, nativity scenes and more. It's almost overwhelming, and you could easily spend half a day searching for that perfect ornament for friends, family, or a white elephant gift. I mean, who *wouldn't* want a sexy shirtless firefighter merman ornament adorning their Christmas tree?
One of the best features they offer (during the Christmas season, anyway...not sure about the rest of the year) is personalization of specific ornaments. Last year, we bought an ornament that had a cartoony Mom and Dad, standing over a number of gender-neutral kids, all of whom were wearing stocking caps. Some local ladies with fantastic penmanship will write in the names of parents and children on the caps, customizing it for your family, and they have ornaments that can accommodate any family size, from two to twelve (at least), including pets!
If you can't find an ornament you like at Kris Kringl, you're a Scrooge, and there's a park bench waiting for you across the street.