Christmas Marketing
- Dec 12, 2017
- 2 min read
Scenes of streetlights, even stoplights Blink a bright red and green As the shoppers rush home with their treasures....
One of my favourite songs of the holiday season comes to mind as I grab a cart and make a Harry Potter dash back to my childhood. Stepping through the doors of the market, I spy weight scales festooned in red ribbon while holiday specials beckon to me from the produce aisle.
I remember coming here with my grandmother as a girl and looking forward to the treats we would take back to our kitchen. Not much has changed since those days of yore. The store may have expanded, but the same hometown aura and friendly staff have kept this place a jewel of the neighbourhood.
Freshly baked bread is delivered daily along with doughnuts and mouth-watering strudels dusted with confectioner's sugar as an added temptation. Here, plump pomegranates burst out of their crates alongside shiny, ripe persimmons and rows of juicy figs.
I will wait to purchase the fresh walnuts and chestnuts for roasting until a few days before my company arrives for the holidays. Grabbing a bright head of crisp romaine, I pause to look at the cheeses on display in the dairy case. Neatly stacked next to them are newly arrived cartons of brown eggs that will complement my breakfast table.
On to the butcher counter, fronted by many varieties of fresh bread and buns, perfect for sandwiches and parties. I grab a paper number from the vintage dispenser and wait my turn. A warm cocoon of food and festive music envelops me. Visiting neighbours reacquaint themselves while they check on the daily specials, hoping to get the last of the deals before they are snapped up.
While I was a college student, I loved coming here to order the succulent veal tenderloin; sliced very thinly, it didn't cost much by the pound, and I could make it stretch from one to two or even three meals with a rice and veg stir fry. A week's worth of chewy, crusty bread along with sliced meat and cheese cost me less than one meal out at a fast food joint, and I loved eating "old
school" with fresh vegetables reminiscent of my family's backyard garden and a bit of yoghurt.
Satisfied with my purchases, I'm already planning on what to buy when I come back next week.
Those baskets of fresh apples lining the shelves just outside the store are positively calling to me! Returning my cart to its stand, I load my car and leave the market feeling as I did when my grandmother and I shopped here together. Content and reconnected with the things in life that really matter. Good food, and family, friends with which to share it all. That is unless there's one last piece of strudel left. Then, all bets are off!
Comments