By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Holiday House is preparing to open and aims to give residents affordable Christmas shopping options, help a cause, and just get the city in the holiday spirit.

The Holiday House, located at the Larry D. Striplin, Jr. Performing Arts Center, will open Monday, Dec. 3 and run to Dec. 17, opening daily at 8 a.m. and closing at 5 p.m.

Holiday House features vendors selling many homemade crafts and goods, with a percentage of the funds raised going toward supporting the Old Depot Museum.

“We get a percentage,” said Jean Martin, director and curator of the Old Depot Museum. “This is our biggest fundraiser.”

Martin was one of a group of people that started Holiday House as a part of the Holiday Festival about 30 years ago with a goal to make Christmas in Selma more festive and to encourage tourism.

“The whole thing was to bring, not just in the spirit of Christmas, but to bring people downtown, to encourage them to participate,” Martin said.

Faye Andrews, a vendor at Holiday House, said there are many different homemade goods available to those interested.

“They will have necklaces, jewelry, wood works, jellies and jams, linens, baby dresses,” Andrews said. “There will also ornaments, and then we have the bake shop that will be here every day. Different vendors will be at the bake shop every day.”

Martin said the event helps the museum, the vendors and also brings people together.

“It’s grown and become well known, and really a good thing for the city,” Martin said. “People come from out of town. You see friends and you meet people from out of town and from in town. It’s a very festive, friendly atmosphere.”