Local Christmas Markets & Holiday Gift Finds
Holiday Kickoff: Local Christmas Markets, Early Prep & Gift Ideas
This past weekend I headed out to Goderich to see Sarah Louise and check out their annual Christmas markets.
Visiting the Goderich Christmas Market
It’s such a great event. There are so many vendors; this year, they had over 100 vendors! All of the vendors are small, local businesses from the Huron county area, but some come from as far as London. There’s always a wide variety of items: candles, ornaments, food, hand-knit goods, local authors, beauty products, and jewelry.
Why I Love Shopping Local for Gifts
The best part about shopping local and at the Christmas markets is being able to talk to the creators! I want to support the person, and when they want to engage with you, it makes it an easier choice when you make a purchase. It’s the personal touch you get when shopping local.
What I Bought (and Who It’s For)
I managed to get almost all of my Christmas shopping done for my in-laws.
My in-laws always gift ornaments with their gifts, so I’ve adopted this tradition. I try and get a small, adorable, handcrafted locally sourced ornament for my family-in-laws. One of the vendors, Creative Comfies, had the cutest items! I basically got something for everyone on my list from her. It didn’t hurt that we shared the same name! I did find an adorable little gift for our niece, which I’m very excited about.
I also grabbed something delicious for my mom, the cutest bowties for the boys, and a couple of little things for me. But nothing major! There were a bunch of vendors that I would have loved to buy something from, but I didn’t really need anything for myself.
Small Shops That Deserve a Spotlight
Creative Comfies – An awesome collection of tote bags, ornaments, and keychains. She was so much fun to talk to, totally reasonably priced, and willing to customize most of her items.
With Love and Grace – If I didn’t make fun of the bows in a baby’s hair, I would have grabbed one for Alice, but this is where I ended up getting the bowties. It’s a husband/wife duo, he makes the accessories and she sells Blind Dates with books! So, totally a win-win in my eyes. Her book company was Somewhere In A Story. I loved that she catered to the younger ages (3-7).
NimbleBeaver – This one was such a great concept! Customizable welcome signs. It comes with a backing, and then you can choose the top (colour of bow), the middle (what you want it to say), and the bottom (an image). So one board, can have millions of options! Christmas themed, general welcome-ish. Change out the picture or the saying. I wasn’t prepared to buy one, but I love the idea, and it’s such a great gift idea. I was thinking of it for the barn.
Farm Girl Candles – She had these adorable cow-shaped wood bowl candles, and I wanted one. They also smelled amazing. I refrained (because I was being good!) but I might get that one at some point. I love that they were wood-wick candles to.
Huron County Salt Co. – Flavour infused salt? Yes please. They all smelt amazin, but I definitely stuck to the ones that I knew I would use. I actually just finished up my Kanel salts, so it was perfect timing. I love the idea of the jalapeno infused ones for caesar rimmer! She had cute mini trio gift boxes!
Getting Into the Holiday Spirit Early
Switching from Halloween to Christmas Mode
It feels a bit weird because Andrew went out on the first of November to get a tree and it’s already up! It’s not decorated; we’re waiting until after Remembrance Day to do that, and it needs to be fluffed, but it feels crazy that we’ve already started. All of the Halloween and Fall decor is put away. This year, I already feel more on top of it. It does help that we are not going to Mexico during this season; the past couple of years, we have gone during the last week of November/First week of December, and then you’re getting ready to go somewhere. So mentally, I’m packing, and my brain is not thinking about the upcoming holidays.
I’m already starting to feel like I need to talk to the in-laws and ask, “What’s happening for Christmas? What are our plans?”, but I know it’ll be too soon for basically everybody.
Our Christmas Party Prep Begins
We are planning on hosting a Christmas party this year, so I’m also in planner mode for that too! I want to get a new Christmas dress shirt for Kaiden, as he has outgrown his. He absolutely loves his themed dress shirts, so I’m pretty excited to have an adorable bowtie to go with it!
Planning for a Busy November
November is basically the busiest month for me coming up. I’m very excited about some of these things!! I don’t think I’ve ever had such a social and busy November before, and I’m living for it! Lots of friends visiting, kids’ extracurriculars, planning for parties and holiday events, and of course, present shopping!
I’ve already started talking to the boys about writing letters to Santa, I have no idea what it is that they actually want. Kaiden has asked for Star Wars Lego again, and Eli, I’m not sure what to get him. He’s my little builder, so Lego works for him too, but he also likes magnet-tiles. Game time decision!
Christmas Markets on My Radar
I did post on my Instagram about from the Little Pink Brick House and the cute little Jelly Crystals I bought for stocking stuffers. I might go back and what else they have new for Christmas. They have an upcoming Sip and Shop on November 8, 2025 from 11 – 5.
The One Of A Kind Christmas Show is coming up! It will run from November 27th to December 7th. I haven’t gone the last couple of years, but I think it should be back on my to-do list. Perhaps go with my mom and there are always some fantastic vendors there.
Looking Ahead to December
It feels like too soon to even be planning head to December but time has no meaning anymore. Let’s get cracking on those gift ideas and decorating the house!
Tis the season!
J x