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Janice Griego co-owner of The Shop - A Christmas Shop in Santa Fe, N.M., along with her husband Rick, does see a current trend in Christmas merchandise. “We’ve noticed we’re selling a lot more blown glass ornaments. I think the interest in that style of ornament is at least in part nostalgia driven. People are going back to things that remind them of their grandparents or parents.” According to Griego, most of her top-selling merchandise is locally made. “We represent about 40 different artists, and they create items that are unique to the area. Many people come in who are visiting Santa Fe, and they want to collect a memory of their trip to the city or of New Mexico in general, but with a Christmas theme.”

Getting customers into the 1,800-square-foot store all year means in-store displays and website promotion for Griego. “We are working on setting up more social media. In the meantime, we hand customers our card with our website on it for ordering online. We sold a great deal online during the pandemic, and many items were ordered and picked up curbside. We’ve continued to do that for people, although we have many people walking in the store again,” she said. “We’re at a destination spot that people love to come to, and they love coming in our shop and seeing what the Christmas items we have to offer all year.”

Diego Constante , owner of Feliz Navidad in Sedona, Ariz., sees a continuing trend in locally- made and U.S.-made merchandise. “Our niche is locally made Christmas items, and it’s a growing trend in that people are looking more and more for unique items, things they can’t find at a big box store. The décor in my shop goes along with our local items, everything fits into the scenery and landscape of Sedona; it has a certain vibe and energy here that people like.” He explained that while the store is open all year, things change a bit during the holiday season in terms of the items that his customers purchase. “Closer to Christmas, people are looking for a more traditional style of ornament. The rest of the year, I say that we sell mem- ories, not just ornaments. People are buying a memory of the southwest, a memory of a visit to the area.”

The 700-square-foot store has been in business for 40 years, Constante said, and during that time his best-

“We sell everything, and our customers love everything. People are starved for happiness, especially because of COVID. People are always looking for things that remind them of the pleasures of the holidays, and that is something different for everyone. There’s no one specific trend.” our ornaments, and especially our best-sellers, reflect the area, representing it and depicting it, with images such as cacti and red rocks.”

For Constante, social media and online promotion of the shop is not something he focuses on. “Our main focus, and what brings people here, is our brick-andmortar store, our interaction oneon-one with our customers, and the merchandise itself that we have in our store. Our décor, even form the outside, draws them in any time of year, and our energy is focused on our store and our display. As soon as they walk in, they see Christmas, they know what we have, and they want to experience it.” sellers have consistently been created by local artists. “Most of them have a Southwest flavor, ornaments you cannot find anywhere else, that depict the area we are in, the red rock country we’re surrounded by. Most of

Summing up, at Christmas shops nationwide, the jingle bells don’t stop ringing out sales all year long. ❖