We just wanted to thank you and your staff for another excellent show. The production was well presented.............and well received. Our sales were excellent.
Please do not hesitate to us us for a "vendor reference" at any time.
Thanks again.
Bob/Marguerite Lawrence
Thank you for allowing us to once again host "Photos with Santa". With the help of Walgreen's, we took hundreds of photos! Besides raising money for our various Gulf Coast charities, the event exposed Quota International to thousands of people that visited the show!
Your staff was very helpful and professional, and we look forward to next year's show!
Sincerely,
The MS Gulf Coast Chapter, Quota International
Christmas early in this city
Sun Herald – Friday, Nov. 27, 2009
The Local Buzz – Jamie Bates
Have you started your holiday shopping yet?
I know at least 12,000 of you are nodding yes — that’s how many visitors showed up recently for Christmas City 2009, the 28th annual shopping event that for a lot of folks, has become the official kickoff of the holiday shopping season.
Angela Anderson and Dona Krystosek, sisters from Ocean Springs, were out looking for a few special items to put under their Christmas trees this year.
“We haven’t come to Christmas City in about 20 years,” said Dona, “but we wanted to get into the spirit of Christmas, do a little shopping, and spend a little sister time together, so this was perfect.”
The pair strolled the aisles checking out the items offered by the 200 or so vendors taking part in the show, sampling goodies and chatting with friends they bumped into while there. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Vendors brought their merchandise to the show, everything from handcrafted gifts and jewelry to monogrammed holiday items, flowering plants, artwork, kitchenware, even designer clothing for pets, from all over the country and a few offered items from closer to home.
“This is our first time here,” said Amanda Trahan, co-owner of The Mustard Seed gift shop in Gulfport, whose wares included hot-selling stocking stuffers like the “Standing on God’s Word” scripture inscribed socks. “We had no idea it would be this many people, or this much exposure, so we are really enjoying it.”
Visitors to Christmas City also had a chance to visit with Santa, catch live entertainment, take part in activities for children sponsored by the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center, win door prizes and more.
What many visitors may not realize is that their holiday fun and shopping is actually all for a good cause; proceeds from the show benefit the Cross 2 Success ministry, which assists several local charities to meet community needs.
“That part of it really expanded after Katrina,” according to the show’s organizer, Ron Meyers.
Jamie Bates,is the Sun Herald’s social reporter. If you have an idea for a future Local Buzz column, call 604-0719 or (888)563-6118 or e-mail localbuzz@sunherald.com or regular mail Attn. Pappas News, P.O. Box 4567, Biloxi, MS 39535
