Cheat Day

     I'm usually a stickler for Christmas only after Thanksgiving, but for the past two years I have been making an exception - for one day a year!  The Boston Christmas Festival is my cheat day!  It's a three day-long event during the first weekend in November, hosted in the Seaport World Trade Center in the Back Bay.  They have over three hundred crafters and artisans, selling everything from hand carved and polished bowls to wallets, from model planes made from tin cans to personalized salt and pepper shakers!  Majority are crafters selling jewelry or purses or other crafty things they have made, but there are also lots of vendors with potpourri or other colonial-esque decorum.  There are usually several vendors selling unique New England sports apparel.  I mean, we are in Boston, after all.  New Englanders - specifically Bostonians - are obsessed with their sports.  I bought my favorite long-sleeve tee there last year (with "Peace, Love, Patriots").  T-shirts with sayings like, "Play that Gronk-y music, white boy", or "Angry Sox" instead of Angry Birds, sell like hotcakes.

These were particularly popular the day I went, haha.  Online store

      There is always an aisle at the very middle of the room that is twice as wide as the others and has only food vendors, selling olive oils, fudge, apples covered in chocolate, caramel or candy, giant whoopie pies, jams, and my favorite: cannolis!  The cannolis stand is always a must-stop for my mom and I.  They fill the cannoli shells right in front of you, with everything from plain ricotta cream to flavored creams like hazelnut, chocolate, or pistachio.  You can request toppings (I asked for chocolate chips) and they sprinkle powdered sugar on top for added sweetness.

Instagram photo of my cannoli!

     It's warm and festive inside; there's Christmas music playing over the loudspeaker and most vendors have twinkly lights up in their booths.  There is always a Gingerbread House contest, with elaborate "mansions", small cottages and even a ferris wheel!

Fenway Park, duh.

     The aisles can get a bit crowded, but it's worth it to find some really unique presents or just to spend a few hours wandering!  I always buy some flavored olive oils for a few of my aunts (This year it was Lemon Garlic Rosemary and Sweet Chipotle).  You can drop quite a bit of money in there but entrance is only a few dollars.  I highly recommend it!