You know the upcoming storm heading to mid-Michigan is a problem when the symbol of the season in Frankenmuth announces it will be closing its doors just days before Christmas.

Bronner's CHRISTmas Wonderland, the world's largest year-round Christmas store, announced this afternoon on Facebook that it would be closing its door on December 23 & 24 due to the impending snowstorm set to start late Thursday night. It will reopen on Monday, December 26th. The popular holiday store was already scheduled to be closed on December 25, Christmas Day.

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The storm, expected to dump significant snowfall across the entire state combined with high wind gusts, is predicted to bring at least 8+ inches to the Frankenmuth area along with slick road conditions and possible power outages. A Winter Storm Warning is already in place to start Thursday evening, December 22, and continue through Saturday morning December 24th.

Response on Bronner's Facebook page was positive with many thanking the company for "putting their employees first" and "thinking of safety first over profits". According to Indeed, Bronner's averages between 200-500 employees depending on the season.

"Thank you for being the company who's concerned about employee safety!", read one comment. 

According to a Bronner's representative we spoke to on the phone, the iconic Christmas store has only closed due to weather one other time in its 77-year history.

The store will reopen Monday to the public at 9:00 am.

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