The Door County Maritime Museum will turn into a Christmas wonderland later this week as it prepares to open the Merry-Time Festival of Trees on Saturday in Sturgeon Bay. The holiday tradition invites businesses and local organizations to decorate trees, wreaths, and other holiday displays for the museum’s galleries.

The beginning of the Merry-Time Festival of Trees is marked by a visit from Santa, who makes his way to the museum aboard a U.S. Coast Guard boat if weather permits. That same day, the museum’s neighboring vessel, the Utopia, aims to recreate a tradition more than a century old by bringing Christmas trees from Upper Michigan to sell as a fundraiser supporting veterans programs. Patriot Racing Project Executive Director Jack Gage and Door County Maritime Museum Education Programs Coordinator Andrea Stromeyer hope it is the start of a new holiday tradition.

The Merry-Time Festival of Trees also features its Jingle Mixer on Dec. 10, when the decorated trees will be raffled off alongside other entertainment. The Merry-Time Festival of Trees runs through Dec. 30 at the Door County Maritime Museum.