Jimmy Stewart’s legacy brings Christmas spirit and more to the actor’s quaint hometown. By Kellie B. Gormly

I stroll along the main drag of Indiana, Pennsylvania, see its quaint, 19th century storefronts, and picture the town’s nostalgic charm during Christmas. I imagine the live Christmas tree, towering more than 30 feet above Seventh Street, ablaze with lights while carolers walk over a blanket of freshly fallen snow singing, “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”

It’s just like Jimmy Stewart — actor, World War II hero and the town’s most famous son — expressed: Indiana does indeed look like it could be the fictitious Bedford Falls. I almost expect to see George Bailey on the sidewalk.

Along with the It’s a Wonderful Life theme and trail of sites from Jimmy Stewart’s life — like his childhood home and church — Indiana County has the distinction of being the Christmas Tree Capital of the World (although Estacada, Oregon, fights Indiana for the title). That makes it the perfect three-hour, 180-mile road trip for Cleveland residents in December, even after the annual It’s a Wonderful Life Festival kicks off the season in November.

“There’s a big Christmas vibe here,” says Janie McKirgan, president and executive director of The Jimmy Stewart Museum, which opened in…