Family tradition brings magic to Birmingham Christmas vendor fair
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — The countdown to Christmas is on, and people are getting a jump on holiday shopping.
At the BJCC, the halls have been decked, and Santa has come to town for the 47th Christmas Village Festival.
Shoppers are able to browse and take in 700 different vendors. Show manager Jennifer Smetana said while there's 700 vendors on the floor, around 800 are on the waiting list for a booth. Even though it's a Christmas-themed show, there are some non-holiday items people can buy.
"I'll think about the birthdays I have throughout the year and buy for those folks here. But one thing is, Thanksgiving is coming up, so I mentioned there's a lot of gourmet items. Maybe there's a new special dessert," Smetana said. "We have the Coffee Cake Guys here. Or I have people that are staying with me beyond Thanksgiving, so soup mixes to make for your company. There's a lot of things. You have hostess gifts. There's a lot of different items outside of Christmas shopping that they can really plan throughout the year."
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Between the music and decorations, the atmosphere at the vendor fair attracts hundreds of families. From the customers to the vendors, tradition runs thick through the Christmas Village Festival.
"Just make it a day where we just all match and have a good time," said Staci Perry, who comes every year with her daughter and granddaughter. "We eat breakfast. We come, and we shop all day long, eat lunch here and then go home and rest and look at all of our goodies."
"We have hugs with our customers because they've been seeing us," said Apples Gone Wild vendor Donna Kessler. "They've been here for five years with me."
Smetana said the magic of the show comes from the families it brings together.
"This is a core memory for folks. It's not just about the shopping," Smetana said. "You'll see folks out here this weekend that have matching t-shirts. They didn't just get those together today. They've been planning their visit for a really long time. It's about the being together and having fun together and kicking off the holiday season together."
Mother-daughter duo Beverly Pendley and Miranda Browning have been coming to the show together for the last eight years.
"It's our little tradition," Browning said.
"It's not the only thing that we do together and get together, but it's the one thing that we can pretty much count on doing every year," Pendley said.
The Christmas Village Festival runs through Sunday. Ticket information and hours can be found by clicking here .
