Holiday Craft Fairs Abound On The Upper Cape

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DEBORAH G. SCANLON

From classic church fairs to arts and crafts sales at the local pub and community hall, there are many holiday shopping options available locally. No need to go to big box stores or order online from that giant retailer this holiday season!

Several take place on Saturday, December 3, during Falmouth’s Holidays by the Sea celebration, so plan your day to take them all in.

Returning to Woods Hole Community Hall on Water Street this year is the Renaissance Fair. From 10 AM to 3 PM on December 3, there will be handmade gifts, wreath-making, music, refreshments and more. 

On two floors in Community Hall, 18 vendors, including Flying Pig Pottery, Peachtree Circle Farms, Anne’s Apiary, Moonlight Rose Alpacas and Woods Hole Historical Museum, will sell their wares.  The tearoom above the Old Fire Station will open for warm drinks and homemade baked goods. Locally handmade wreaths will be available on the first floor of the Old Fire Station. The Solstice Singers, Queen Victoria’s Secret and the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra will provide traditional music.

Parking is available in Dyer’s lot on Water Street, and the first 30 minutes on the Water Street meters will be free.  

Masks are optional for visitors to the fair.  There will be extra space and ventilation in both buildings. A percentage of the sales goes to the Woods Hole Community Association.

The First Congregational Church on the Falmouth Village Green features crafts created by church members at its “entirely church-driven” Christmas Fair, also on December 3 from 9 AM to 2 PM.

In the parish hall upstairs, there will be the country store with baked goods, holiday greenery and Christmas decorations. The “jewel of the upstairs,” according to church secretary Martha Evans, are the crafts created by the Friendly Circle, a group that spends all year knitting and crocheting afghans, mittens and sweaters, and carving ornaments, gingerbread houses and card sets. This takes up one half of the large hall.

Downstairs in the bargain basement, gently used items, “elegant junk,” will be for sale, including jewelry, bedspreads, curtains and fabric.

Parents will appreciate the free children’s fair, Ms. Evans said, where, as they shop, they can leave their children to play in an area supervised by two adults.

For lunch there are lobster rolls, and as is the tradition, the super-friendly Santa Claus will greet people at the door.

Across the Village Green, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church’s 92nd Christmas Fair will be held the same day, December 3, from 9 AM to 2 PM, in the Parish Hall.

“It’s a real old-fashioned fair,“ said Lynn Morse, co-chairwoman of the church’s Christmas fair, with tables of homemade crafts, decorations and ornaments; baked goods, candies, jams, jellies, relishes, and chutneys, gift baskets, and jewelry.

In Grandma’s Attic, slightly used items like Christmas decorations, serving dishes, knickknacks and collectible items, puzzles and games are for sale.

Their hat, mitten and sock tree has donations of hand-knitted items that are given to people in need through the Falmouth Service Center.

A fireside luncheon in the Parish House will be served from 11 AM to 2 PM, featuring chowder, chicken noodle soup and sandwiches.

Nearby on Main Street, the Friends of Falmouth Public Library will have a book sale the same weekend as Holidays By The Sea featuring “Christmas-worthy” books: Friday, December 2, from 10 AM to 7 PM; and Saturday, December 3, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Grumpy’s Pub craft fair on Locust Street on Saturday, December 17, from 1 to 5 PM, is where shoppers can enjoy a beverage as they peruse the offerings. Many vendors are returning this year, including Peachtree Circle Farms, Isabel Green’s glassworks, Jane Baker’s woodcut prints and T-shirts, and others.  

Wreath-making workshops at Coonamessett Farm will be held every Saturday and Sunday, 1 to 3 PM, starting November 26 until December 11. Celia Gayer, who has been leading them at the farm for about 20 years, said it is “not a class but a chance for people to be creative with all the supplies I have,” which include pine cones, glass balls, assorted seashells, fresh greens, berried branches, dried flowers and seed pods, and a large selection of bows.

The cost is $45 and includes a 12-inch wreath and all the supplies to decorate it and any assistance needed.  She also offers small containers that children can decorate. The cost for this varies with the size of the container, from $8 to $15.

Falmouth Art Center’s Holiday Market and Gift Gallery is open daily through Christmas Eve, selling the work of local artists and crafters. The entire first floor is used to display a wide range of items. For sale are original works of art, paintings, photographs, handmade jewelry of all types, hand-knit and woven bags, hats, mittens, scarves, and other clothing items including hand-knit doll’s clothing, handmade dolls, prints, notecards made with local art, bookmarks, ornaments, glass art, wooden bowls, plates and even wooden hand-turned pens and handmade pottery bowls, mugs, vases, plates and more.

The Art Center gallery is open daily, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 4 PM; Saturday 10 AM to 4 PM and Sunday 1 to 4 PM.

If you like to combine shopping with viewing holiday exhibits, both Highfield Hall & Gardens in Falmouth and Heritage Museum & Gardens in Sandwich are hosting holiday events, but check first to be sure that tickets are available.

Highfield Hall & Gardens’ 16th annual holiday exhibition will take place from 10 AM to 4 PM Thursday through Saturday, November 25 to December 11. Its gift gallery with artisan gifts will be open, and Santa will be in residence on specific days as well. Each room is a new chapter in the Home for the Holidays theme.

Throughout each weekend, music will fill the house, and several programs are scheduled for visitors of all ages. Guests are encouraged to preregister online to ensure availability; however, walk-ins will be admitted if space allows.

Heritage Museum’s Gardens Aglow, a celebration of lights that features displays throughout the gardens, is happening through December 23; tickets are required. The gift gallery will be stocked with artisan gifts as well, and Santa and Mrs. Claus will be at the J.K. Lilly III Automobile Gallery.

The Sandwich Holly Days Village Stroll, sponsored by the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce on December 11 from noon to 4 PM, is a shopping trail in the village with dozens of retailers participating with activities and holiday art and craft sales. A special performance of Solstice Singers will be held from 1 to 2 PM at Town Hall.

Sandwich Arts Alliance has several holiday activities including the  Holiday and Small Works sale, Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 to 4 PM, November 15 through January 15,  at the SAA Center & Gallery, 126 Route 6A, Sandwich.