I got to spend my Friday afternoon getting in the Christmas spirit and admiring local businesses at the 37th annual Lit’l Bita Christmas craft show.

If you’ve never been to Lit’l Bita Christmas, all I can tell you to do is prepare yourself and your wallet. It takes up the entire First National Bank Arena, with the top and bottom floors crammed full of unique vendors and equally unique items. 

I arrived right at 12 p.m., when the event was first starting up. Even then, the arena was packed with people. For anyone wanting to do this next year, I recommend trying to get there right as it opens. The lines move pretty fast and on the first day, students get in free with an Arkansas State University ID.

Despite how big the show is, it never feels like you have to rush through it. The vendors were all friendly and were more than willing to explain pieces of merchandise. Some even offered to customize certain items such as Christmas ornaments.

In fact, I walked away with a customized dinosaur ornament and I can’t wait to put it on my Christmas tree.

If you want to do some Christmas shopping early, this is definitely the place to do it. I found a Red Wolf Christmas ornament and some Red Wolf coasters for my mom and I can’t wait to see her reaction when she opens them (it’s not like she was right next to me when I bought them or anything).

Even if you don’t come away with any gifts, at the very least it’s a good place to pick up some stocking stuffers or some sweet treats. 

Now, when I came to this event, I was hoping to find some good shark items (as I love sharks), but I did not find much of anything. While this was disappointing, I will not be removing a point from my final score. Just as I cannot control the weather, I cannot control the presence of sharks at Lit’l Bita Christmas. 

A fair warning to anyone going next year, some items can be very expensive. I had to walk away from a super cute Pink Floyd sweatshirt and some cool geodes just because they weren’t in my budget.

However, as long as you keep looking, you’ll be sure to find something that fits both your budget and your style. For about $8, I picked up some Goldfish Crackers earrings (that I might be wearing as I’m writing this). I picked up some cute video game socks, also $8 and a little frog statue for my desk for, you guessed it, $8.

The atmosphere of the event was great. A local choir was singing Christmas carols and whenever they weren’t singing, Christmas music played over the speakers. 

Overall, everyone should experience this event at least once and I recommend going with friends or family. You can bet money I will be going back next year.

Final Score: 8/10 (for a guide on how The Herald scores its reviews, click here)

Categories: Arts & Entertainment