Homes-Cool Christmas Present Market

Welcome everyone, I am Katie Dean and I run the market. The idea started about 10 years ago, while home-schooling my children. The Homes-Cool Christmas Present Market is a safe market where children can buy and sell using play money. The aim is to buy presents for anyone you want, and you can wrap them and put cards and tags on them. By the time the market is finished you have all your Christmas shopping done. They can sell anything. It’s fun to make things and prepare for market like a real business. Many families make cookies or lolly bags that are often eaten straight away. Some people make hair clips, bath salts, origami items, flowers sell well, second-hand books, clothes, cds, dvds, etc. Think about how you set up your shop too. Some people make beautiful stalls. We will be holding the annual Christmas Present Market Day, on the 30th of November from 10.00 am– 2:00pm followed by lunch in the playground. There is a limit to 500 people with the roller door up and only 275 people with the roller door down. In 2020 the weather was bad, and we had to close the roller door. If the weather is bad again this year, we will have to close the roller door and have 2 smaller markets one from 10 -12 and one from 12.30 – 2.30. Fingers crossed all goes according to plan and we can have one large market and a picnic in the playground. Tables and chairs are supplied by the centre. Cost is $16 per family This covers the cost of the hall, some wrapping paper, cards and tags, sticky tape and textas etc. It would be lovely if each family donated a roll of wrapping paper. Each family member including parents gets $10 play money to spend at the market, and when you run out of money you need to sell more goodies to make more money. It is so much fun. No Real money is used. There are photos on Facebook or in the gallery, just search Christmas market in the Southern Home Education group. The market is usually finished by 2ish which gives us time to clean up and have a picnic.