If you Google “largest Christmas store,” you’ll find Bronner’s. Nothing, not even a visit to The Christmas Place or Santa’s Claus-et in Pigeon Forge, can prepare you for a visit to Bronner’s. “Christmas” is even Bronner’s middle name: Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland.

Now the bad news. Bronner’s is not in Sevier County or even close. It’s 577 miles due north in Frankenmuth, Michigan, which is located in the middle of nowhere and not on the way to anywhere, but attracts throngs of tourists, especially this time of year, because of its association with everything Christmas. We were among those tourists last summer.

Bronner’s is touted as the world’s largest Christmas store and we’re not going to argue with that description. It is so large that you might consider equipping at least one member of your party with an Apple Air Tag. When my husband and I visited, we got lost from each other twice.

Bronner’s is so big and so full of Christmas lights, trim and ornaments that it looks as if the Macy’s parade made a wrong turn and wandered into the Walmart.

Every time you turn around – in addition to risking losing your partner – you find a new spectacle: from meticulously decorated trees to aisles brimming with ornaments, lights and decorations that would make even Clark Griswold envious. The store boasts over 50,000 trims and gifts.

Started in 1945 by a young sign painter, Wally Bronner, his sign shop soon evolved into a Christmas shop, and the rest is history.

Bronner’s isn’t just a store; it’s a global celebration of Christmas. With products sourced from over 70 countries, seemingly every country that has a word for Christmas, Bronner’s has ornaments and decorations that reflect holiday traditions from around the world. Whether you’re seeking a German nutcracker, an Italian nativity scene or a Japanese paper lantern, Bronner’s brings the world’s Christmas customs under one roof.

Tour buses seem to arrive every hour on the hour so you’re liable to run into, literally, a shopper with a Brooklyn accent or another with a Texas twang. Everyone there seems to understand each other through the universal language of Christmas.

After hours of exploring, the Season’s Eatings snack area offers a welcome respite, especially because it doesn’t serve traditional Christmas dishes like eggnog or fruitcake.

Bronner’s is designed with the shopper’s convenience in mind. An outdoor covered loading tunnel ensures that you can load your purchases painlessly with no rain or snow spoiling your shopping trip. The only pain may be when you get your credit card bill later.

Given the vast selection, it’s easy to spend several hours exploring the store, as we did, followed by additional time at home adorning your space with newfound treasures.

Incredibly, we didn’t really spend much. We were too overwhelmed by the place … and we were exhausted from walking the equivalent of one and one-half football fields several times.

Bronner’s is not a bargain basement. When you walk in, it may look like a huge flea market, but the prices are not flea market prices. It’s not cheap. You can spend as little or as much as you want. Whatever Christmas items you are looking for, Bronner’s has it.

To give you an idea where Frankenmuth is: 93 miles from Detroit, 120 miles from Grand Rapids, 206 miles from the Mackinac Bridge.

How did we discover Bronner’s? When I was a kid, I used to hear my great aunts rave about “a big Christmas store” in Michigan. It was only four hours from where we lived in northern Illinois, so they would pile in the car for their Bronner’s Christmas adventure.

The town of Frankenmuth is a town renowned for its Bavarian charm and Christmas spirit, and it attracts thousands of tourists year ’round. While it may seem off the beaten path, the journey to Bronner’s is part of the Frankenmuth experience. If you can’t get there in person, visit virtually: Bronner’s.

Melanie Staten is a public relations consultant with her husband, Vince.