The holidays are approaching and it’s about that time to go on your annual Christmas shopping spree. While Santa Claus is coming to town, so is the 21st annual Yule Mart on Friday, November 18th through Sunday, November 20th. Come to the Fort Bragg club and visit some local and regional vendors, browse the homemade goods and crafts, and check some presents off that long Christmas list.

Yule Mart is a non-profit organization that was put together by Fort Bragg’s Officers’ Spouses’ Club and has been the club’s biggest fundraiser throughout the years. “It’s our thing; it brings back a lot of money that we can put back into the Fort Bragg community,” says Missy Ehrenbeit, the Officers’ Spouses’ Club’s Publicity Chairperson, “It helps raise money for scholarships for people on Fort Bragg,as well.”

“There’s going to be local and regional vendors and everything is going to be hand crafted,” says Ehrenbeit “so the booths that will be there will actually have the person that makes the stuff.” Yule Mart will consist of about 70 different vendors that will feature everything from Americana décor to holiday decorations to homemade breads and granola. “There will be a lot of different things,” says Ehrenbeit, “We’ll have stained glass, a lot of jewelry; there will be a lady that makes bags out of ACU’s and old uniforms, and a lady that makes wreaths.”

Aside from the craft show, some other activities that will be going on are a Secret Santa Shop that is done by the 82nd airborne. Here the kids can purchase presents for their parents and get them wrapped there so that the parents don’t know what the kids bought them for Christmas. Some other features of Yule Mart will be pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus’ Bake Shop, “but the biggest thing there is going to be the vendors,” says Ehrenbeit.

On Friday, the craft show will open at 10 a.m. and run through 7 p.m. that night. Saturday the mart will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. As far as admission goes, there are daily passes and weekend passes that are available for purchase. The daily pass is $5 per person, while the weekend pass is $8 per person and children ages 10 and under are free. Get in the Christmas spirit this year at Yule Mart. “It’s a wonderful event,” says Ehrenbeit, “We encourage all to come and check it out and help give back to the community.”