ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The line at the Kiffle Kitchen was long, though it did not quite stretch “all the way back to Terre Haute” – a la the words famously uttered by Ralph Parker as he waited to see Santa during the 1983 holiday classic, “A Christmas Story.”
But for those who waited “moments before zero hour" (another Ralph utterance), a hand-scrawled sign may have chiseled away just a smidge of their seasonal cheer at the Allentown Farmers Market on Friday morning.
“We are no longer taking any holiday orders,” the sign warned, just days before Christmas.
And so shoppers grabbed at kiffles, cookies and Hungarian rolls – poppyseed, apricot and walnut – and other last-minute essentials in the final holiday rush.
“We’re heading to Virginia to visit my brother and his family,” said Allentown resident Pam Bechtel.
“My nephew likes shoofly pie and they don’t have it there,” Bechtel said. “I thought kiffles would be good, and I also got some ring bologna. Lots of Pennsylvania staples.”
Bechtel wasn’t the only one walking away with bags brimming with baked goods.
Across the aisle at the Amish Village Bake Shop, business was booming as shoppers jostled to eyeball an array of fresh cakes and cookies inside the display case.
Employees said cheesecake was a big seller – “lots and lots of it” – along with tons of fruit pies, cut-out cookies, dinner rolls and breads.
Christmas candy is a must
Some restaurants doled out breakfast as other vendors finished setting up for the day’s traffic and shoppers continued to stream in. Some made a beeline for seafood counters, butchers and specialty shops.
Brooke Gildner was in town from Charlottesville, Va., and said stopping at Mink’s Candies & Gifts was a tradition for her family.
“My husband is from the east side of Allentown, a Dieruff grad, and we come up every year for Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Mink’s is a staple, and then the meat counter and the pickle store.
“Our kids are 13,10 and 2 and so we’re getting out of presents a little bit and getting into consumables and things they like to eat. This is always one of our first stops.”
The sprawling market — home to everything from fresh meats and produce to sushi and specialty foods — will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
A different kind of holiday spirit
Friday’s festive mood had a little something to do with the upcoming holiday weekend — with a different kind of spirit mixed in.
At Hillbilly Hooch, Michael Williams rattled off his best sellers with a big smile.
“Salted caramel has been my top seller, but the festive favorite is pure candy cane," he said. "Then we’ve got cream soda for the ladies and orange cream for the guys.”
They’re just four of the 35 flavors of moonshine offered at the stall, running 47 to 90 proof. The straight moonshine is 90 percent alcohol and 180 proof.
A little less potent are the carafes of Jingle Juice sangria from Clover Hill Vineyards.
“Everything’s in there,” said store manager Janet Gaston. “It’s like a cocktail to-go.”
The other big seller was the Blanc Rouge, a sparkling rosé that Gaston said was a proprietor's blend best paired with seafood and chicken.
“It’s also great for sipping while you snack,” she said. “Or if you don’t drink it at Christmas, save it to toast to the New Year.”
