64 Stallholders! Harvest’s biggest-ever Christmas Market is ready for you Launceston.
What else can we say? The Christmas Market is, without a doubt, the biggest one of the year. A comparison for you: for this market in 2022, we had 54 stallholders. In 2023, it is 64! This presents something of a challenge, given that we have a theoretical hard maximum of 62 spaces! We have wiggled, jiggled, fiddled and cajoled everyone in there though, and everything is now set for the Market Of The Decade So Far. Like a cracker on the table, it’s set to pop.
The Christmas Market
With 64 stallholders on deck for the Christmas Market, we don’t need to tell you who’s who in the zoo this week. You can see the list here, but apart from apricots who didn’t quite get over the line, they’re all there. Everyone you know and love, with everything you might need for your Christmas table. In fact, the more we begin to draw the analogy, the more it seems that a morning at the Christmas Market resembles a family Christmas gathering.
You don’t think you look forward to it, but you secretly do. Everyone will be a bit stressed about it beforehand, but it will all be fun in the end. Something is bound to go wrong. There may well be an inappropriately intoxicated person. There will be feasting, and you’ll likely run into someone you haven’t seen in a while. Decorations will be a nod to Christmas here and there, but no one has taken the whole thing too seriously. Who needs that much single-use plastic in their life?
The kids will try and drag you away early, but you’ll resist. Alternatively, you may have to drag them away. The kids will pester you to give them things they don’t need, and you’ll cave. You’ll find yourself in a conversation where you lose track of time. You’ll have an indulgent second helping of something. There will be sounds of merriment, and much conversation about the nuances of ham, egg nog, pav, turkey basting and the other trappings of Christmas. Someone will mention how fast the year has gone. They’ll definitely mention the weather and how lucky/unlucky we are. Someone will complain about their day/month/year/kids/spouse/in-laws/relatives, or all of them all at once. It will take a big ol’ push to get there, but it will be totally worth it.
A non-denominational message of goodwill from Harvest
We call this time of year Christmas, and we call it a Christmas Market. This is just a title, though; we understand that this vibrant and increasingly diverse community to which we often refer is comprised of all kinds of faiths, races and religions. We love that. No matter who you are or how you live, the summer holiday is a time for family, friends, and the love and celebration of both. And of course, eating and drinking wonderful things with them.
Thank you for another great year Launceston. 2023 has been a belter and gone so, so fast. Thanks for reading this blog each week and for showing up at the market the next day. You’re keeping a vital community space and food network alive and well. Have a safe and happy break, and we’ll see you next week for the last market of 2023! Ps enjoy this amazing photo of our amazing volunteer Babs that we trot out every year because it’s amazing.