November 1, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
What better way to get into the holiday spirit than by planning a shopping trip to two favorite annual events -- the Hingham Holiday Fair and the St. John's Holiday Boutique -- both happening on Sat., Nov. 19?
Holiday Boutique hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Hingham Holiday Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., so there's plenty of time for leisurely shopping at both events -- for holiday gifts and as treats for yourself!
St. John's Holiday Boutique will take place at 172 Main St. and the Hingham Holiday Fair at Hingham High School.
The Hingham Holiday Fair, now in its 14th year, will feature 90 vendors as well as many student groups. "We invite all the HHS clubs -- from the beekeeping club to the new knitting and crocheting club -- to participate," event organizer Lisa Lavieri told the Hingham Anchor.
The many creative vendors feature festive holiday decor for every room in your home and gifts for everyone on your holidayshopping list, along with gourmet treats.
The fair features a wide variety of holiday and everyday gifts, including gorgeous holiday arrangements and accessories from Fleurish Home & Design; totes by Lilibridge; cross body bags, small pouches, soaps, candles, body creams, and Usborne books; leather wrap bracelets and higher-end jewelry; handknit wear for all ages; a limited selection of baby/toddler clothing; Wears Woody high-quality fleece apparel; Yogibo bean bag products; faux holiday wreaths and other decor; ornaments, beautifully crafted cutting/charcuterie boards, and handcrafted signs; cedar mats for outdoors; chunky knit blankets; artisan chocolates and chocolate sauces; and more.
The students sell everything from lip balm, candles, and soap to hoodies and other apparel and dog leashes.
Back by popular demand -- fresh holiday wreaths through DeVaughn's Ridge. (See the website link below for ordering information.) Wreaths will be available for pick-up on the day of the fair or shoppers may purchase one there. Delivery is also available.
Vendors come from Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, and Rhode Island and as far away as New York and Vermont. Each vendor, including students, is asked to donate items for a raffle.
"We offer something new and different every year," Lavieri said. "It's a labor of love."
The event -- which Lavieri started in 2009 as a senior class fundraiser when her daughter was a senior, in part to make the prom affordable for the graduating class -- has grown to include 90 professional vendors and about 40 student groups spread out over the gym, cafeteria, lobby, and main hallway. Last year's attendance topped 3,000 shoppers.
A portion of the Holiday Fair proceeds are donated each year to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute through the Pan-Mass Challenge. The remainder of the proceeds go toward senior class activities and the annual senior class gift to the school and supplements other senior class fundraisers.
"We have an 'army' of HHS student volunteers to help the vendors move in and out of the event," Lavieri explained, and a smaller group of student assistants to help Lavieri throughout the fair. Each year, HHS senior class parents rally a large group of parents to work at the event.
"We have a few volunteers who have helped me each year, even after their children graduated -- including one of my sisters," Lavieri said. "Sherry Schilb's creativity has been a tremendous help with the organization and packaging of the raffle items and Michelle Ayer, Suzanne Gundersen, and Bev Vernon with organizing the entrance/event fee and raffle collection staff and process. It is truly a community event."
Planning for this annual fair begins a year in advance. "There's a long waiting list of vendors," Lavieri said. "This year we have about 15 new vendors to help keep the fair fresh and new"-- along with many favorites.
There will also be two food trucks outside for hungry shoppers. For those who park in the far HHS lot, the HHS baseball team offers rides to the fair via a golf cart for those who would like a lift. It's also an easy walk on a paved surface. There is no charge for this service, but most riders make a donation -- which benefits the baseball team.
"One of my goals has been to create a community event and tradition for Hingham," Lavieri said. "We have tremendous support from Hingham High School through the principal, teaching and administrative staff, and students."
Different Hingham groups, such as youth sports and Hingham Maritime Center as well as local shops, are invited to participate. "I am always looking for ways to expand the holiday fair," she said. "For a few years, we offered workshops on making holidayarrangements, sponsored by DeVaughn's Ridge."
Admission is $5, which includes a raffle ticket. Additional raffle tickets are available for purchase.
"The raffle is a big feature of the event. Door and raffle money are part of the funds raised, with a portion going to the Dana Farner Cancer Institute," Lavieri said.
The St. John's Holiday Boutique is known by many shoppers as "an unsurpassed holiday shopping experience" that residents of Hingham and beyond look forward to every year.
The event features a "curated selection of amazing vendors" offering everything from homemade jam and hostess gifts to exquisite hand-crafted jewelry and outdoor apparel.
Other offerings include toys and kids' gear, athleisure clothing, art, accessories, holiday sweets, menswear, women's fashions, and more.
Among the most favorite items are bulbs that are planted in assorted beautiful planters that make nice holiday gifts for hostesses and teachers.
The atmosphere is a definite draw -- "multi-sensory and visually beautiful, with colorful holiday decorations everywhere," Dawn Murray told the Hingham Anchor. She is the former chair of the event and now heads up the decorating effort and assists with the marketing.
"There is the buzz of the crowd and holiday music playing, along with the seasonal aromas coming from the cafe and various vendor products," she said. "It is a very relaxing shopping experience that is close to home. Visitors are also able to make a big dent in their holiday shopping list. This is the perfect way to kick off your holiday shopping!" The number of pre-pandemic shoppers averaged about 1,000 a year.
This year marks the return of the traditional boutique format, with multiple shopping halls full of vendors. Some return year after year, with a diverse selection of new vendors "to keep the shopping experience new and fresh," Murray explained. The boutique is a juried show, with the vendor selection committee meeting in June. The planning for the next event begins from there.
The Boutique is special to Murray because every year she knows that she is going to see and spend meaningful time "with so many wonderful people who have been a part of this event over the years but whom I don't get to see at other times of the year. Boutique volunteers always stay involved with the event in some capacity, and it is almost like a homecoming."
It takes more than 250 volunteers to make the Holiday Boutique magic happen, with contributions from the entire St. John's community, according to Murray. "It's a wonderful, multi-generational team effort!"
Santa will make a return visit this year on the stage in the upper hall from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is looking forward to greeting little visitors and posing for photos with happy children who are whispering their holiday wishes in his ear.
The cafe will offer coffee, tea, and a variety of delicious treats.
"This is truly a one-stop shopping opportunity to meet all of your holiday needs," Murray said. "There is something for everyone and for every occasion."
The Holiday Boutique was originally founded by St. John's parishioners Meredith Graves and Amy Mills, who were looking for a way to raise money for the church and wanted to create an event that provided a unique holiday shopping experience that was not a traditional craft fair.
"They reached out to an assortment of vendors, both local and from all over New England, and created a selection committee to curate the vendors so there would be something for everyone," Murray said. "The Boutique was born as a high-end, one-stop holiday shopping experience to celebrate merchants from all over New England."
With the help of Jami Gregory and Mills, the Holiday Boutique continues today and has become a beloved holiday shopping tradition to welcome the holiday season.
Now entering its 22nd year, the Boutique takes place the Saturday before Thanksgiving. "You can spot the signature red signs popping up around town as the countdown to the big day begins," Murray said.
The Friday evening before features a special cocktail party for friends and families of St. John's parishioners that welcomes more than 200 people. "At this event, guests enjoy a private sip and shop experience with delicious appetizers, music, and fundraising opportunities for the church," Murray said.
Admission is free, but there is an optional door donation to support the Cohasset Appalachia Service Project. The Boutique continues to donate 100 percent of door proceeds to the ASP, a home-building ministry serving some of the poorest people in the country that a number of St. John's parishioners help plan and participate in every year.
For further details, visit http://www.hinghamholidayfair.com and https://www.stjohns-hingham.org/holiday-boutique as well as Instagram and Facebook for updates. Both websites will be updated with further details as the day of the events approaches.