Christmas market on December 4 in Mono Mills has something for everyone

By Rob Paul

On Saturday, December 4, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Trillium United on 60 Richmond Street the Mono Mills Christmas Market will have over 35 vendors selling a variety of locally made products.

Along with the vendors, there will be a toonie raffle with donations from all local businesses as well as a colouring contest with lots of prizes donated from local businesses.

This market prides itself on having something for the entire family and will have fresh popcorn and cotton candy being made on site and hot chocolate to help keep patrons warm—children can even expect a visit from Santa.

The idea for the Mono Mills Christmas Market came when Dana Simpson wanted to do something to honour her grandmother while also supporting her church. 

“It's at my grandmas church and they've been struggling since the start of COVID with a lack of members,” she said. “My grandma passed away a couple years ago and I wanted to help support her church as something she would like for her legacy. I make soaps and candles and I figured if I've been to markets in the past, I could start a Christmas market because I know what it takes to put one together. 

“The church has always had Christmas craft shows in the past, so I offered to create a Christmas market for them because I wanted it to be a bigger event for them. On top of the market, I wanted it to have other aspects to get everyone interested so I added the raffles, colouring contest, and just all kinds of things for the family so nobody who goes feels left out.”

Organizing the market could seem overwhelming but having participated in plenty of markets before, Simpson had built a strong network of local vendors to reach out to for the occasion. 

“I reached out to other people I know from past markets I've been to and then I also reached out to the community through Facebook looking for any vendors that would like to be part of a Christmas show this holiday,” she said. “I've been working on it since the beginning of October and I'm very excited – the countdown is on. The church is really excited for it and they've been really looking forward to it. It gives people something positive to do with all the negativity going on right now and it's all in the name of supporting local.”

Expecting a strong turnout, Simpson sees this market as a little more unique than some others in the area because of the wide selection of products being sold and she hopes everyone who attends can find something they can connect with.

“There's been many Christmas markets in Caledon in the past, but I'm trying to put a bit of a different spin on this and I'm expecting the majority of the Mono Mills community to come out and I've reached out to the community Facebook pages for Bolton, Brampton, Orangeville, Tottenham, Grand Valley,” she said. “It's getting a good response and the colouring contest is getting a ton of response too. 

“I wanted to make sure our market wasn't just directed at a certain group of people, so we have a variety of things to buy—children's doll clothes, winter knits, jewelry, glass wear, artwork, Christmas cookies, seasonal decor, woodwork, soaps and candles, dog products.”

The Mono Mills Christmas Market colouring contest is for all ages and colouring pages can be picked up at 60 Richmond Street in Caledon—they will be located in the mailbox of the Trillium United Church.