Christmas market fills Frederictonians with holiday spirit
Christmas carols, cinnamon scent in the air and over a hundred booths selling Christmas crafts attracted Frederictonians to the Christmas at the Market annual fair on Nov. 14 and 15.
Julie Andrews sells perfumed candles at Canada Goose Candles. She came up with the recipe herself and keeps it a secret.
“I’d have to kill you if I told you how to make my candles,” she said.
Her candles burn from 80 to 90 hours. Popular scents include Holiday Sparkle, Winter Woods and Jack Frost. Andrews’ favourite one is Gingerbread Spice Cake.
This is Andrews’ third year at the Christmas Market. She started making candles as a hobby twenty years ago and uses paraffin wax.
She still does candles on the side because she works full-time for the government, but her demand has increased.
“I don’t know if I can stop,” she said.
Andrews said she enjoys when customers tell her how pleased they are with her products.
“When it makes other people happy, it makes me happy,” she said.
Other booths featured Christmas-themed cards and stuffed animals, baked goods, Harry Potter and Christmas-themed woodwork, paintings, jewelry and handmade ceramics.
Carol Ann Power has been selling hand painted glassware, Christmas ornaments, wine glasses, teapots and signs at Da Tole Booth for five years now.
She started painting in 1997. She was a regular vendor at the Farmers Market for nine years, but for personal reasons, she now only sells at Christmas markets.
She is retired and makes her products at home, which feature cardinals, flowers, animals and the Grinch.
“I don’t care at all for the Grinch but people tend to, so I do Grinches,” she said.
Her favourite things to paint are wine glasses featuring poinsettias. She gets inspiration for her artwork at unexpected times.
“Mostly in the middle of the night, two o’clock in the morning, I’ll be thinking of things,” she said.
She starts painting her products in August. She paints a dozen glasses at a time and bakes them for half an hour. Then, she waits a day for them to cure.
Her favourite part about the fair is meeting people.
“I don’t care about the setting up or the taking down but the next day is just lots of fun.”