The leaves fall, the days get shorter and colder, and before long, we’ll be thinking about Christmas again.
For the early birds who want to get an early start on their shopping, there is an option for beautiful, handcrafted items. The 22nd Annual Christmas Arts & Crafts Show will take place in early November at the Barrie Molson Centre on Bayview Drive.
Folks can choose from pottery, stained glass, teddy bears, Christmas crafts, body care products, jewellery, clothing, woodcrafts, ceramics, and more, making their Christmas shopping easy. And although they may be treated to late summer on November 4, 5, and 6, organizer Barbara Rose notes much of the Yuletide share will filter through the hall even then.
“Our event is always a barometer for ‘Christmas Is Coming.’ We play Christmas music over the building system all weekend, and it truly stimulates the Christmas shopping mood.”
Rose, who represents Area Productions Inc., the company putting the show on, also engages in some tongue-in-cheek weather forecasting: “Historically, we always get a little dusting of snow the first week of November.”
The event features upwards of 140 exhibitors from Ontario, Quebec and even as far away as Prince Edward Island, and Rose reckons it’s often a wonder they can all fit inside the BMC.
“We literally fill the whole building, 100 booths on the ice surface and 40 on the concourse," she said. "It is always a ‘sold-out’ event with a wait list of exhibitors who would like to sell their creations. They create and sell everything from Christmas wreaths, to dips and sauces, to pottery, to artwork, to jewellery, to personalized decorations, to floral pieces, to clothing, to knitting, to custom pillows, to stained glass, to candles.”
Portrait artists – drawing both people and pets – are often the biggest hit of the show.
It seems the only thing you won’t see adding to the season is a visit from St. Nicholas.
“We have learned over the years that there is just no room for the jolly fellow,” Rose jokes. “It is very busy with people and we have to keep the crowds moving.”
The 22nd Annual Christmas Arts & Crafts Show is set for Friday, November 4, from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday, November 5, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and then Sunday, November 6, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is only $8.00, only $6.00 for those aged 65 and over.
