Start Christmas Shopping Early
Start Christmas Shopping Early
The Christkindl Market at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church Bring a Little Holiday Cheer with a Lot of Community Support
Winter is just around the corner and you all know what that means (if you said ski season, snow and hot chocolate, you aren’t wrong but that’s not where I’m going with this). It means that Christmas is coming and gift shopping must be done. How about keeping it local and supporting small businesses and vendors this year? Come down to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ellicottville this Saturday, November 4th from 9:00am-4:00pm and you can do just that. The annual Christkindl Market returns to give you a chance to get the fiasco that is Christmas shopping out of the way!
The Market is a highly anticipated local event and is always well attended. Event organizers Christine Sinn and Karen Schiefer spend many hours planning, and they were excited to share some of that insight with ellicottvilleNOW. “Christkindl Market – the German word for Christ Child Market – takes weeks of planning, tons of paperwork, hours of cooking and baking, and just plain physical labor to transform St. Paul’s Lutheran Church into a winter wonderland Christmas market, complete with a charming café for just one glorious day! It takes a lot of hard work, but it’s also a tremendous accomplishment for our church. We’re very proud of how it has grown!”
Visitors can expect a variety of offerings and plenty of cheer. With approximately thirty vendors, will you will find handmade cards, candles, original paintings, wine totes, hand-painted signs, all manners of hand-sewn purses, tissue box covers, hats, T-shirts, and wallets - plus knitted and crocheted hats, mittens, and scarves, among other wonderfully created items of yarn. Shop sparkling gems and minerals, locally-made goat milk soap, small woodworks, hand-turned wooden pens and cutting boards. Other items include Dot Art in the Mandala style, Color Street (which is nail polish made easy), baby blankets and gnomes… the list goes on and on! And you can’t forget the basket raffles as well as donations that have been rolling in! Curious about what you could win? You’ll just have to come and see when you arrive at the church’s doorstep! Vendors have all generously donated items for this basket event as well. It’s the absolute best place to get a head start on Christmas shopping for just about everyone on your list!
Christine advised us, “After all that, you might need a place to just sit down, catch your breath, and have a bite of something sweet. Our Nutcracker Cafe is open during the market again this year and all of the cafe’s artisan soups and seasonal baked goods are lovingly homemade by members of our church.”
Enjoy chili, tomato bisque, Italian sausage soup, French onion soup, chicken wing soup, lasagna soup and chicken soup with wild rice. A 12oz bowl is $5 or you can get a “Soup Flight”, which is your choice of three 4oz cups for $6. Every soup comes with a fresh baked roll. Also, you can’t forget the desserts. Gingerbread cookies, pecan pie bars, cheesecake bars, sweet rolls, pumpkin pie crunch bars, sugar cookies, blueberry or cherry empanadas or creme brûlée… they have a lot of options and all of them are less than $5. They even have a special beverage besides your usual coffee and water. “Our German Wassail is made from fresh fruit juices, spices, and cider and served hot,” said Christine. “It has been a staple at the market since its beginning.”
What makes the Christkindl Market such a stand-out event? “It provides our area, as well as the surrounding areas, with a place for artists and crafters to come together and sell their work, and it allows people to see just what St. Paul’s is all about at the same time.”
CELEBRATING 100 YEARS
St. Paul’s is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year! “We have truly been blessed by all that has happened here at church and look forward to our future endeavors as well,” expressed Christine. “Our next adventure yet this year (or early next year) is finishing up a grand pipe organ addition. You won’t want to miss that! Keep your eyes (and ears) open for upcoming concerts.”
Join St. Paul’s for the sights, sounds and joy of Christmas on Saturday, November 4th from 9:00am-4:00pm. “Come to shop, to eat or to meet up with friends,” said Christine. “Enjoy some delicious soup with a fresh-baked roll and a cup of hot Wassail! We welcome you!”
To keep up to date on all the activities and events that St. Paul’s, is working on, search “St. Paul’s - Ellicottville” on Facebook, visit their website at stpaulsellicottville.com, email stpaulseville@gmail.com or call 716-699-2265. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church is located at 6360 Route 242 E, Ellicottville, NY