Paving the Way with ACA

JLA Paving the Way with ACA

How The Junior League of Austin has continued this holiday tradition despite COVID-19 constraints

By: Jillian Bliss

Our ACA committee is excited to bring children’s parties back to ACA this year. The 2019 Flannels and Flapjacks party was a hit among children.

Though COVID-19 forced the cancellation of large-scale functions last year, The Junior League of Austin wasn’t ready to stop spreading holiday cheer with A Christmas Affair (ACA), and so the 2020 ACA Committee got creative with virtual social and shopping experiences And this year, the League’s ACA Committee is hard-atwork to make sure that this famous, festive shopping event can proceed in person, while providing lots of options for remote and socially distanced participation. “I’ve realized we have a lot of people who are very nervous about going out for activities, people who are fully comfortable going out and do everything, and people right in the middle,” said Julia Null, ACA Committee Chair, “Our goal is to make all three groups feel comfortable, so we’re trying to create experiences that are very safe, inclusive, and appeal to everyone." Last year, A Christmas Affair went completely virtual. The 2020 event featured online merchants and virtual parties where participants could order party kits, gather in small groups, and tune in to online activities. This year, Null and her committee members are working hard to reconfigure activities and scale down events in an effort to reduce stress and crowding. “We’ve decided for the first time to move our children’s events away from the Palmer Events Center, giving all children -- vaccinated or unvaccinated -- a very special event,” said Null. “Our space and our ballroom at the Community Impact Center (CIC) is two-thirds larger than Palmer.” Children’s events will be held and spread out in the CIC lobby, with “Santa’s Corner” upstairs, other activities in the grove, and dining outside. If additional space for social distancing is needed, the Committee also has a backup plan for use of the garage. “As ACA chair, I’ve always dreamt of having a child participate in ACA events,” said Null. “I want to give them a fun and memorable social experience at the CIC, and one they can take with them always.” At Palmer, the ACA Committee has also planned for changes. After attending other 2021 events there, Null’s team determined that it would be best to cap the number of merchants at 200, allowing for larger booth space with less crowded shopping. The number of tickets issued for parties at Palmer has also decreased, with all shopping parties (including brunch) offering a private shopping experience just for ticket holders.

“Sadly, we had to say no to a lot of merchants, but we had to focus on safety first,” said Null. “We are also capping our market day admissions, with market tickets issued only for a specific day. Looking at our ticket numbers from the past, we determined a safe number of tickets so merchants would still be noticed, but the overall number of individuals shopping would be lower.”

The traditional tea room and food truck offerings won’t be available this year, but Palmer Events Center cafés will be open, with seating spread out for parties to keep safe distances and outside seating available. Virtual events will also continue with options for children to celebrate the holidays at home in new ways and girlfriends to gather in small groups. Masks are required for all in-person events, whether or not attendees are vaccinated.

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