It was a holly, jolly Saturday in downtown Edmonds as crowds of visitors joined the locals under fair skies to explore the holiday market, visit festive downtown shops, ride the Holiday Trolley and get cookies (and a photo op!) with Santa himself.

The Edmonds Holiday Market had more vendors than ever. There are 66 booths, according to Valerie Claypool of 24-7 Events Northwest, which manages market bookings – up from 13 at the first market five years ago. Vendors offered everything from food items to clothing to jewelry, and the stalls were busy with shoppers searching for that special one-of-a-kind gift.

Downtown merchants were hopping too, as visitors popped in and out of stores enjoying the relaxing pace of “shopping small” in Edmonds and avoiding the crush of the malls and big box stores.

A particular draw for kids of all ages on Saturday was Santa, who took a day off from his preparations at the North Pole to sit in the window of Sound Styles where he and chief elf Shelly Simmons greeted all comers with personalized cookies.  It was the perfect chance for kids to give Santa their last-minute Christmas list requests, and for parents to get that special keepsake photo.

And rolling through it all was the Holiday Trolley transporting visitors through town, with conductor Emily the Elf providing directions and suggestions on shopping, dining and fun spots to visit — all with her trademark smile and humor.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel