MANY things might be changing but a tradition almost as old as Christmas itself is coming back to Ballarat this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For more than 35 years, the Ballarat Combined Charities Christmas Card Shop has been a staple of the yuletide in the city.
And in a pandemic-ridden world, organisers hope this year will provide a great opportunity for people to reconnect on a personal level with their loved ones.
More than 20 Ballarat charities including the 3BA Christmas Appeal, Anglicare, Ballarat Health Services Special Care Nursery, Ballarat Hospice, Ballarat Soup Bus and Ballarat Regional Integrated Cancer Centre (BRICC) among many others will benefit from the store which will run for two months.
Coordinator Denise Boyco said St John's Lutheran Church Hall in Doveton Street South had once again opened its doors to support the store.
"We'l be opening next Monday and will open public holidays as well, so that includes Grand Final Friday and Melbourne Cup Day," Ms Boyco said.
"We'll be staying open up until December 19.
"We have been fortunate that we've got quite a number of charities involved, obviously we've also had to prepare a COVID plan of course which will limit the numbers the numbers we can have at any one time in the store.
"We have got a strong supporter base and a few local businesses buy their cards through us."
The Christmas Card Shop has been running for at least 35 years at various locations across Ballarat.
"We're also hoping to be able to open a pop-up at the Base Hospital as we've done previously, but we're just waiting on confirmation as to their requirements and needs to be adhered to," Ms Boyco said.
More than 50 volunteers help out across the two months with 94 per cent of profits going back to charities, while the other six per cent goes into running costs.
The shop will also features gift cards, stationary, calendars including those in large print form, Christmas gifts crafted by locals, hand-crafted Christmas decorations and selections of plants.
The Christmas Card Shop will open on October 19 from 9.30am-4.30pm Monday to Friday for the remainder of October and will also be open from 10am-1pm on Saturday's throughout November and December at St John's Lutheran Church Hall 204a Doveton Street South, Ballarat.
Have you signed up to The Courier's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in Ballarat.
