By Amy Van Veen (The Cascade) – Email
Print Edition: December 6, 2011
Upon walking into the West Coast Christmas Show that was held from Dec 2 to 4 at the Tradex in Abbotsford, I had great expectations of a magical winter wonderland. A team of lit-up reindeers looked ready to fly off into the night sky. A dozen trees were glowing, showing off the charitable Festival of Trees, and poinsettias of every size, colour and sparkle-factor filled the open space. After the grandiose entrance, there was a much less festive food court and then the exhibitors.
Since the EAT! Fraser Valley Food Festival was such a success, I admit I had heightened expectations for a show with Christmas at its helm. But after the excitement of a collection of gingerbread houses created by students from Rick Hansen Secondary, disappointment began to creep in.
I couldn’t decide if I was in a Disney movie with whozits and whatzits galore or if I was being barraged by booth after booth of live-infomercials. Two booths even had gentleman wearing the Sham-Wow-style headset microphones – and they were only selling garlic peeling gadgets and showerheads and talking to people standing right beside them. There were two booths for two different kinds of irons and two booths for two different brands of balsamic vinegar. Soap in the shape of fruit for that family member that you’ve never met before. A handful of purses, scarves, clogs and toques. Spa parties, necklace hooks (which were essentially hooks that can be purchased at a hardware store marketed as “necklace hooks”), and a bath tub fitter for those who want a new bathtub for Christmas (personally, I think that would be excellent).
Unfortunately, there was little to redeem the show from its endless tables of superficial gifts. It’s one thing to see it here and there on an infomercial or at a kiosk in the mall, but when it’s one arena full of useless products, it becomes a little tiresome.
I don’t know of anyone on my list who is in need of strap-on heelies – though, to be fair, the fold-up bike seemed fairly interesting. There was one product, though, that confused me the most: crystals you can flat iron onto your hair. They last three to five washes and, according to the women with bedazzled hair, they’re the new feathers. The only people I saw volunteer to have them put on, though, was one middle-aged mother and one five-year-old girl. The major demographic being targeted at this show was women of a retired age – which makes sense since they are the majority of the population that buys knick-knacks and gadgets.
Near the end of this round of futility, I discovered something most interesting: the Angry Birds table game. For anyone who has ever used an iPhone or been near someone using an iPhone, Angry Birds is possibly one of the most weirdly addicting apps. The next logical step, then, turn a digital game into a board game (even though the opposite is more common). There are multiple levels that show the different stacking formations and the pieces make the appropriate noises. It was the highlight of the show.
All in all, I had to say that although it started out with great expectations, the reality of the show brought my enthusiasm down pretty quickly. By the time I walked through the Festival of Trees to leave, the overly dramatic a cappella group performing for an audience of two gentleman waiting for their wives just seemed sad. There was a teenage girl who asked me if I wanted to donate a dollar to vote for a favourite tree and she seemed genuinely surprised when I said yes. Each tree was decorated by a different charity group and whichever won the most votes, won the money to be donated to their cause – the Food Bank, United Way and a dozen other local groups participated.
As the group of four young adults sang “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and danced their hearts out, I felt mine break a little for them. Not even their enthusiasm could save me from my disappointment. Sorry, Christmas Show. Better luck next year.
