SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — Two craft shows took place at the Goodfellow Air Force Base and Foster Communications Coliseum on Saturday, Nov. 18, ringing in the Christmas season with festive wares and holiday cheer.

Goodfellow Air Force Base hosted its 41st annual Santa’s Market show at the Louis F. Garland Fire Academy High Bay. Located on the base, the bay became a massive hub for local vendors to sell some of their best Christmas crafts and customers to San Angelo residents.

According to Beverly Wildes, director of the Arts & Crafts Center at Goodfellow Air Force Base, said that last year’s event saw 3,000 people come to the base for the show. Previous years have seen anywhere from 4,000 to 6,000 people attend, and Wildes hopes this year’s attendance comes out to at least 4,000.

“Everything you see in Santa’s Market has been made by someone; it’s not prefabricated, and it’s not something that they ordered from Amazon,” Wildes said. “Everyone is so creative, and they make beautiful, beautiful items.”

Elsewhere in San Angelo, the Christmas in San Angelo craft show took place at the Coliseum. Willie Jones, coordinator of the show, claims that although he holds craft shows all over Texas, San Angelo’s Christmas show is the largest show of the year.

“It’s our largest show of the year,” Jones said. “I do shows all over West Texas and down toward Austin, but this is the one you want to be at.”

According to Jones, the vendors travel with him as he hosts craft shows across Texas. He also said that one of his reasons for hosting a Christmas craft show in November is to get locals excited for the holiday season ahead of time.

“I’m trying to get the sense of Christmas started in November to get everybody in the mood,” Jones said. “Christmas is right around the corner. It’s that season, it’s time to get started. Let’s do it!”