Gothic Little Christmas offers quirky craft alternatives

It was over a decade ago that Marina Smith realized there was an entire community not being served when it came to holiday goods and crafts.

Her event – Have Yourself A Gothic Little Christmas – is meant to give a spotlight to the work that may not be in a traditional style.

“There was just no craft show at the time that allowed people to do and show the work my co-artists were doing. When you look at typical craft shows, the wares are good, but not everyone wants a tea cozy or wooden trivet,” she said.

“Christmas stockings and other things were done so traditional, but there are a variety of tastes, and so many weren't being addressed. Unless people shopped online to find unusual little things, it was impossible.”

But Gothic Little Christmas offered something different, and will be back on Saturday and Sunday at the Halifax Forum.

“We have a large re-enactment community. From medieval to the wars and the history of Nova Scotia. The tastes of people run different. From those who go to HalCon to those who love steampunk, gaming, fairytales and anime. We just wanted to find alternatives for people,” she said.

“Gothic Christmas is about the literary scene. It's about Edgar Allan Poe style, and the literature and art of gothic romanticism. We also do geeky and pop culture. Each fair has a gothic and a geeky side, and sometimes things mesh.”

From Lovecraft to horror dolls and ghost photography, there's a little bit of everything.

“There's a mix of craft and art. Sponsors are also retailing things you might not normally see at a craft show that fit the theme. There's an amazing blend of things, and it's a very entertaining show visually. It just has to service an underrepresented community of people,” she said.

Skyler Greencorn and his partner Jayne Ferguson – who run BlondeWaves Embroideress and Art Of Skyler Greencorn – will be on-hand for the event.

“I've been an artist for 15 years, and vending for 10. I've done the Gothic Little Christmas before, and I love that it's a mix of Christmas crafts and art, as well as an eccentric side,” he said.

“There's a focus on the darkly sublime, strange and unique. I really love it.”

Greencorn tends to lean into the quirky, and his work leans toward Maritime things and fantastical fairytales.

“Think horror, monsters, folklore and fairytales. I'm inspired by Guillermo Del Toro, Alien, and those types of things,” he said. “I also love small fishing town, Maritime life sort of things.”

His partner – Jayne Ferguson – will be doing her first show this year, and Greencorn is excited they can experience it together.

“She just started embroidery this year. I realized earlier in the year that she had an apt skill-set, and a wonderful sense of needle-point and embroidery. She did it during the pandemic to get through, and ended up being great at it,” he said.

“I got really interested in helping her push her side hustle further, and it's grown from there. It'll be a lot of fun.”

Greencorn is excited to be back at the Forum, and looks forward to the first one after COVID.

“There'll be time to see some old friends. I've seen some at HalCon and caught up, but it's amazing to be in this atmosphere and environment again and have a table,” he said. “Being in the space, seeing Jayne gain more experience also, and seeing those who appreciate these arts and crafts is so important.”

The event takes place at the Halifax Forum each year at the Maritime Hall, next to the Bingo Hall. She says people sometimes have trouble finding the location.

“People have wandered around like Land Of The Lost before without specific directions,” she said. “It's on the Almon Street side. We outgrew the space three years ago, but then COVID happened. Otherwise, we'd be in our 13^th year, not our 11^th. We needed a hall twice the size, but we don't know how many will come back this year. We are, however, awaiting the Forum's renovation with a room large enough.”

Event organizer Smith is really excited to have vendors that don't get to do traditional shows.

“I've always wanted to support fringe culture. People who are left out and undervalued are welcome at this show. We have wonderful, charming, and interactive vendors,” he said.

“People walk out the door and say they have a nice time speaking to artists and buying goods, and we want them to have an amazing time at the show.”

Gothic Little Christmas is on December 3 and 4. Find out more here.