How Amazon Works Christmas Delivery Magic On Mackinac Island

'Tis the season...of Amazon. Sure, online shopping with the powerhouse distributor is year-round, but those brown box deliveries are in full-throttle holiday mode this time of year. Seeing a fleet of Amazon trucks may seem pretty common in most places, but what about that place without any cars and trucks?

Have you ever wondered how Amazon manages to whisk your packages to the picturesque Mackinac Island, where cars are non-existent? Let's just say it involves a touch of old-world charm and a whole lot of horsepower!

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One of the most popular tourist destinations in Michigan, Mackinac Island attracts as many as 15,000 visitors per day during its peak summer season. Mackinac Island has the unique distinction of being an island without any cars. Visitors rely on walking, horse-drawn carriages, and bicycles to get around which seems to be a great draw. Between the shops and hotels, Mackinac Island is a busy place during the warmer months, but when the tourist season is over, things get pretty quiet.

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At just over 4 miles square miles, the island has about 500 year-round residents. During the winter months, they trade in those bikes for snowmobiles to make their way around their island home, but what about deliveries? Let's face it, the holiday season has got to be pretty busy even on Mackinac Island.

How Does Amazon Handle Deliveries on Mackinac Island?

A while back Amazon released a cool video showcasing just how they handled all those holiday deliveries to the carless Mackinac Island. In the video, Amazon shows how after the general order fulfillment process, packages are transported to a loading dock in St. Ignace not far from the island. There the more than 600 packages a day are loaded onto a ferry bound for Mackinac Island.

Once on the island, packages fall into the hands of "locals" who take on the task of delivering them around the island, normally by horse and carriage. For year-round residents, the whole process seems normal but for outsiders, the whole thing has a bit of Christmas magic to it. There's something very Hallmark movie about a decorated horse-drawn carriage going down Mainstreet with the snow falling filled with Christmas presents.

The whole process is so unique that Amazon decided to include Mackinac Island in their series of videos on extreme deliveries joining other locations such as the Himalayas.

In a world where speed often reigns supreme, this charming partnership between Amazon and Mackinac Island's equine companions is a gentle reminder that sometimes, the most magical journeys are the ones taken at a leisurely pace, hoofstep by hoofstep.

Check out the full video below.