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LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Feelings of Christmas, at least the consumer aspect of the holiday, filled the air of the Thomas Simpson School gymnasium on Nov. 19.

Alison Brown displays winter-themed cupcakes she sold at the John Tsetso Memorial Library's annual Christmas bazaar in Fort Simpson on Nov. 19. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

The gym was packed with Fort Simpson residents who came to browse and purchase the wares displayed at the John Tsetso Memorial Library's annual Christmas bazaar.

Shoppers were faced with a wide variety of goods to tempt them to open their wallets.

Food items, ranging from sweet baked goods to spring rolls, had the largest representation on vendors' tables. At Alison Brown's table, 150 cupcakes tempted passersby.

The cupcakes, in flavours including chocolate, vanilla and chai, were decorated for the winter season with snowmen, holly, poinsettias and snowflakes.

Brown baked the cupcakes the night before the bazaar but started making the decorations out of royal icing five days earlier.

"Everyone likes the snowmen," she said.

With fondant heads, fruit roll-up scarves and pretzel stick arms, the snowmen were also the most labour-intensive cupcakes, she said.

The bazaar marked the official launch of Brown's new business, Brown Sugar Baking.

Across the gym, another new business also had sweets for sale.

Christine Tsetso opened Trail River Creative Services last month. Along with graphic design and photography, Tsetso also makes custom cakes.

Tsetso had some miniature versions of her work for sale in the form of cake pops. The bite-sized desserts consist of a ball of cake on a stick covered in chocolate and decorations such as sprinkles or toffee pieces.

Tsetso's variations included lemon cake with white chocolate and chocolate cake with either mint chocolate or milk chocolate.

While Tsetso didn't have any of her larger cakes on display, she said they're very popular.

"I've been booked solid," she said.

While food was a quick seller at the bazaar, it wasn't the only thing being bought and carried out the door.

Northern lights, owls and ice formations on partially frozen rivers were some of the images on photographer Jackie Zinger's table.

Zinger, who focuses on nature and landscape photography, said she is always outside and never leaves home without a camera.

"It's been a growing passion," she said.

Zinger was selling cards and magnets featuring her photographs. A picture taken last September at the papal site of green-hued northern lights with a decorated teepee in the foreground was among the most popular. Cards with another photo of northern lights – taken last March at 1:30 a.m. when it was approximately -35 C – sold out within one hour of the bazaar being open.

"The northern lights were really beautiful that night so I seized the opportunity to capture the lights," said Zinger to explain what drew her out on such a cold night.

This was Zinger's second year at the bazaar.

"I think it's a great community event," she said.

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