20 November 2012

To Market, To Market


Number 14:   To Market, To Market….


The Nutcracker Market in Houston: Shoppers Nirvana.  Legendary shopping. A Must-Do.

Happens every November and I’ve never been.   So, of course,
it made it to my 60 by 60 list.

Well, tada, I’ve been!

Thank you, Diane and Lucy- my intrepid guides for the day.

Diane and Lucy: sisters/guides/bunko partners

In its 31st year, the Nutcracker Market was originally started as a way to fund scholarships for dancers who wanted to study with the Houston Ballet but could not afford tuition. St. Phillip’s Presbyterian Church, the very church I attended as a child and got married in, was the site of the first market. There were about 8 vendors from the Ballet Guild selling homemade cookies and jellies.  

Now there are about 300 to 350 booths in the enormous Reliant Center and the array of goods is astonishing. Christmas decorations, clothing ( heavy on the bling- it is Texas, after all) , jewelry and specialty foods dominate.  At least a gazillion women were there the day we went. Parking lots were full, aisles were full, lines were everywhere.

Early in the day before the mayhem set in!
(and before I realized I wasn't allowed to take photos)

My big score was the Donne diDomani spaghetti sauce.  Big hoopla surrounding this stuff. Lines are long. It sells out early. It's MARVELOUS. 
We'll see. I scored a half case after a short wait in line. Thank you Nutcracker for having a package check available right next to the spaghetti sauce booth. Those bottles weigh a TON. (Or 32 ounces, to be more accurate.) Bonus: I  got to visit with a high school friend who was working the booth! 

 Original Sauce- Will it be yummy? 

Will I go again? You bet! I got some fun Christmas decorations. Scored a few Christmas gifts. Got me some bling. It was a good day and now that I know what they have, I can come better prepared. There were ribbons and garlands galore to deck the halls- I just wasn't sure which halls needed decking and/or how much decking I needed.  Next time.

So, Number Fourteen is done.   Fifty nine more to go.



1 comment:

Diana @ Your Day Simplified said...

Fantastic!!! You are on your way! I love to attend events like the Nutcracker Market. They are always festive and for a good cause! I would have purchased some kind of chocolate, not healthy marinara sauce! Ha Ha