In its second year, the Jingle Bus is commandeered by Jerry, a man who literally—well, not quite literally—exudes Christmas cheer. Jerry chauffeurs riders around downtown on a route that showcases holiday decorations and storefronts. With the help of volunteer hosts, he'll sometimes even lead riders in boisterous holiday songs.

And last Sunday, those volunteer hosts were our very own Nan and Kristen of Local First Utah! Apart from leading riders in Christmas carols, Nan and Kristen also educated riders about all the local shops downtown.

The festive route feature many of our favorite downtown businesses such as Bennion Jewelers, Red Iguana at City Creek, Eva's Bakery, Lamb's Grill, The Capitol Theatre, Café Molise, Toaster's Deli and Jade Market. Utah's local movement has an especially strong presence in this area of the city. We even held Celebrate the Bounty at the Union Pacific building at Gateway!

The abundance of local shops combined with fun holiday features like the Jingle Bus create the vibrant urban tapestry that we all love so much. And what better way to explore that tapestry than on a decked out hop-on-hop-off bus full of history, singing and everything else that makes the holidays great? Oh, and did we mention it's free? You can thank the Downtown Alliance for that one.

The bus is still touring everyday until December 28th from 5-10 p.m., so make sure and check out all the local businesses on its route!