Overview:
The free Christmas in July market returns July 25 with 17 vendors, Santa photos, face painting, and tropical drinks.
The Estes Valley Community Center is hosting its second annual Christmas in July market from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 25. The free event combines holiday shopping and family activities with a tropical summer theme, inviting visitors to exchange winter boots and ugly sweaters for flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts.
According to Julie Bunton, fitness and 55Plus manager at the community center, the event grew from a longtime affection for the holiday.
“I guess I’ve just always loved Christmas,” Bunton said. “I grew up in a church background, and we’d always celebrate Christmas in July that way. This is just another way to bring another arts event to the community during a time when we know we have lots of guests and visitors in town at that time.”
This year’s market will feature 17 vendors selling food, coffee, arts, crafts, and gifts. The community center has enough room for one more vendor than it accommodated during the inaugural event, although interest has already exceeded the available space.
“We have 10-by-10 spaces for everybody, so we are limited in that way, but we are happy to include an extra vendor, and we have five on the waiting list,” Bunton said. “Christmas in July is an event people want to get into for sure.”
Last year’s Christmas in July attracted an estimated 75 to 100 people. Organizers hope to match or exceed that turnout this year.
“It’s a free event, so that breaks down the difficulty of coming for a lot of people,” Bunton said. “We have pictures with Santa, tropical drinks, Christmas music, and amazing artists.”
Santa will be stationed in the lobby for free photographs, giving families an early and affordable opportunity to create a picture for their holiday cards. Cheeky Monkey will also offer face painting for children.
“We have a face painter that is going to be here because we know a lot of young children are coming with their families,” Bunton said. “The vendors might not be as appealing to them, so Cheeky Monkey will be in the lobby with Santa doing face painting for kids.”
One element that will not return is live music. Organizers found that last year’s performance made it difficult for shoppers and vendors to hear one another. Recorded Christmas music will provide the soundtrack instead.
“We had live music last year and realized that was hard to hear and maybe not as necessary,” Bunton said. “It was loud and took away from the vendors. We’ll have festive music, but it’s not going to be live and in your face.”
The market offers shoppers a chance to begin buying holiday gifts before the rush of November and December. Bunton said the variety of artists and vendors should provide options for many ages and budgets, whether visitors are shopping for relatives or treating themselves.
“It’s nice to have a budget-friendly option that allows you to do your gift shopping early,” Bunton said. “You don’t have to wait until the last minute to get your Christmas shopping done. You can pick up gifts for everyone here. There is something for everyone.”
Christmas in July is part of a growing lineup of fairs, festivals, and community programming produced throughout the year. Bunton said the department organizes about nine festivals in addition to Tuesday Night Live at the Marina and intends to make the summer holiday market an annual tradition.
“We are going to try to stick to the same ones so people can come to depend on them,” Bunton said. “We try to have a variety of events throughout the year.”
The unlikely timing is part of the appeal. Bunton sees no reason to limit the warmth associated with Christmas to one season.
“Christmas is a lot of joy,” she said. “It’s a lot of happy good feelings. Lots of love, giving, and sharing. Anytime we can spread that throughout the year, I think, why not?”
Christmas in July runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at the Estes Valley Community Center, 660 Community Drive. Admission is free. The event is sponsored by Spur Liquor. For more information, call 970-480-1331.