Appalachian Winter Market

As we are bombarded with commercials offering all the reasons we should skip out on Thanksgiving dinner to wait in a cold, long line to “catch the best deal,” I find myself exhausted with the way Christmas shopping has devolved into a competition of sorts.
You know the commercials I’m talking about–the ones where the mom is proudly beaming that she got her children ALL the gifts they wanted, and still had money left over to buy herself something nice? Not only am I feeling pressure to find the perfect gifts for my loved ones, I now have added pressure to buy it early, buy in bulk, and brag about the “great deal” I received doing so!
Where did the art of gift-giving go? I remember Christmas at my grandmothers’ house consisted of a stocking full of oranges, walnuts and a present wrapped in the “funny papers” she had saved through the year. Christmas at her house was not about how many presents were under the tree–it was about how much thought had been put behind the present we received. She also made a point to make a green jell-o mold every year for my brother because she thought it was his favorite–it wasn’t until ten years later we all learned he actually hated green jell-o, but ate it anyway so he wouldn’t hurt her feelings! We now threaten every year to make green jell-o in honor of my grandmother, but in all honesty–none of us like it either. (Does anyone out there actually like green jell-o?! I’d be interested to know.)
There is a remedy to the commercialism and exhausting mountain of “stuff” we are told we must buy in order to make our family and friends happy. It is called “Small Business Saturday”, and it is a national movement to support our local store owners and businesses. Did you know that for every dollar spent at a local business, sixty-six percent remains in that community? Small business owners tend to spend money at other small businesses. That money you spend with a local crafter to buy her lotion or handmade soap will most likely go to the local hardware store for more supplies, to her daughter’s dance lessons at the local dance center, or a local farmer to buy meat for Christmas dinner. It is a great opportunity to keep money from our community within our community and a chance to focus on quality, not quantity.
If you are stumped about what to get your friends and family, but don’t want to join in the mad rush our culture has created, then you should visit our own version of Small Business Saturday: The Appalachian Winter Market at the Extension Community Art Center on Saturday, December 14 from 2-7 p.m. We will have vendors set up selling Christmas decorations, greenery, handmade soaps, lotion and lip salve, hand-sewn and hand-knitted goods, artwork, jams, jellies and more. If you get hungry while shopping, we will also have hot chocolate and waffles to warm you up and add to your Christmas mood, along with tables and chairs to sit down, relax and talk of Christmas past. The downtown Williamsburg Christmas Parade then starts at 6:30 p.m., so you have plenty of time to shop before the parade and remember our downtown the way it used to be–full of community, opportunity to shop, old greetings and new friends. Then, we will all head over to Bill Woods park for caroling and cider sponsored by the Williamsburg Main Street program.
This is an opportunity to buy from artists who live right down the street from you, and a chance to buy a friend a gift that you know was made with love and attention to detail, rather than machine-cranked in a factory half a world away. When you watch your loved one open that special present you purchased for them, do you want the story you tell to be “I had to knock down two people and climb over a shopping cart to get that half price!” or “I bought that from my neighbor up the road. She made it herself from the colors I selected for you, and spins the wool from shearing her own sheep!” Don’t exhaust yourself before the gift-giving begins–come to the Winter Market, listen to Christmas music and browse gifts from local crafters and vendors in a relaxing, friendly community environment. You may find the perfect one-of-a-kind item, and save your sanity from the crowds and traffic. And isn’t that worth a dollar or two more?
-Melissa Bond is the Agent for Fine Arts at the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service. For more information about upcoming programs and events, call 606-549-7373, visit facebook.com/whitleycountyfinearts or email Melissa.bond@uky.edu