Sampling the Season: Holiday Market Provides a Fun To-Do this Christmas Season

I’d call myself a regular at the Old Overland Park Farmers Market. Saturday morning trips with my mom to grab a mango-on-a-stick or my favorite Ibis cranberry-nut bread with almond butter is a staple of my summer routine.

So when I found out about their holiday farmers market, I immediately texted my friends to clear their schedule. To say the holiday market delivered would be an understatement. With over 50 different stands, there’s something for everyone — from your grandpa who loves flavored jams to your best friend’s little sister who collects tree ornaments.

To be completely honest, I’m no holiday-season fanatic. I would never choose to listen to “Here Comes Santa Claus,” I dread searching for presents and the only time I watch Netflix Original Christmas movies is to laugh at how bad they are.

Despite my lack of appreciation for the Christmas season, even I could enjoy the Yuletide vibes among the bright red poinsettias along the wall and Santa hat wine bottle toppers laying at the front table. My Scrooge spirit was left at the door as I walked in to the smell of fresh roasted nuts.

The market had stands filling four rooms in the building, varying from Kombucha stations to succulent shops to crepe-making stations. And to my (happy) surprise, it was held inside Matt Ross Community Center with only a few stands outside — perfect for the 50-degree weather.

Don’t worry if the holiday season is hurting your wallet, you can make $20 last a while; even the Kombucha and sugar scrub I bought were each under $4, so it’s okay to let your impulsivity take over just a little bit.

And this place has the white elephant gifts covered — they had Lavender themed lip balm, lotion and sugar scrub (surprise, secret Santa).

Taylor Keal

If you’re someone who is incapable of waking up before 10:30 a.m. on weekends, the timing of 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 7 gave just enough time to sleep in and still get there and look around without having to worry that everything will be gone.

There were samples at almost every food stand — lucky for me, since I barely had enough in my bank account to buy coffee during second breakfast. The samples ranged from a sun butter cookie to an all vegan and gluten-free bakery (that I had to pretend to like as the old woman watched me with a hopeful smile) to rubbed and smoked cheddar cheese samples. And I’m pretty sure they don’t limit the number of times you can grab a sample — considering I went back about five times.

Although you should steer clear of the handcrafted Elderberry juice or anyone trying to convince you to sample it, even if they claim it will build your immune system, as it tastes like a more sour grape cough medicine. There’s also options like the carob brownie, which tastes almost like chocolate but a little less sweet so it’s not too rich of a brownie.

Rose Kanaley | The Harbinger Online

I am by no means a health guru, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like Kombucha. After trying at least five samples I ended choosing the holiday special — a mix of the purple carrot and chai, although every flavor tastes more or less the same to me.

I’ll admit some may not deem me qualified to rate the farmers market as I’m not vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or any of the other diet-restricting labels and would probably have Freddy’s fries every day if I could, but I can still appreciate some aspects of the “granola girl” lifestyle. And the market isn’t only directed to this group, there’s something for everyone.

As I kept making my way around the lines of tables, I probably picked up every succulent they had — there’s now four mini cactuses sitting on my desk — and couldn’t help but get excited for Christmas when I saw the decorated Christmas trees. 

The bright colors of Christmas I saw in everything from the handmade hats with a puff on top to the candy cane ornaments to the baked goods in a room with a fireplace in the back left me feeling, surprisingly, excited for the holiday season. The atmosphere could even double as the perfect holiday-themed date.

If you’re looking for a fun holiday activity, I’d skip the caroling and pinecone bird-feeder building for a trip down to the holiday farmers market any day.