We met Santa at an Artisan Faire

If you’re looking for a cute holiday experience that will bring you back to your childhood, try going to a Christmas Faire. We decided to attend the Sacred Heart Artisan Faire, on Nov. 9 and 10.

It had various booths selling goodies like candles, chocolate, beanies, soaps and, best of all, a Santa Claus to take photos with.

Upon arriving, we were a little concerned that we didn’t see any people our age. It seemed to be almost solely comprised of elderly white women with the occasional baby dressed in a cute holiday outfit. We were worried that someone would be rude to us or that we would stand out, but luckily, we felt welcomed by everyone we spoke to.

Beyond the entrance, there was a large gymnasium where majority of the booths were located, including ones selling coffee and lunch as well as a booth to meet Santa Claus.

As we walked by different booths, various strangers greeted us, and when we showed any interest in some of the products, the people running the booths would tell us more about the background behind their crafting.

One woman at a holiday-scented candle booth let us spend a few minutes sniffing all the candles on the table and explained that she makes candles with coconut oil and essential oils for various scents.

Another booth solely sold products infused with honey, with a box of bees contained in clear glass to show them at work.

Our favorite booth was run by a woman who made custom, elaborate holiday cards. When we complimented the creativity and beauty of her cards, she brought us to another corner of her booth, which had books that she hand-carved images into; these carvings included a heart, Jesus and the nativity scene.

There was also a booth selling Jesus Christ T-shirts, including a shirt with the Superman logo encircled by the word “Jesus” and with holiday beanies.

Another lovely booth was run by a lady who created various flavors of balsamic vinegar, such as chocolate plum, which Sandhya took a shot of.

Other highlights of the day included an array of knitted minion hats with a variety of sizes so the whole family could match, succulents arranged into the shape of a heart and an assortment of nuts that were apparently specifically made to be eaten at brunch with friends.  

And of course, the best part of the whole day was meeting Santa. He was posing for photos in the main room, but we were too shy to approach him there. So we did the next best thing: We followed him around until eventually he noticed and took a picture with us.

Although he didn’t ask us if we had been naughty or nice this year, the experience brought back childhood memories of eagerly meeting Santa when we were younger. The Faire was a fun way to spend an afternoon, and we would definitely enjoy going again next year.