Early Holiday Shopping a Breeze at Annual Christmas Festival

I was walking through a local department store the other day, when U2's "Christmas (Baby) Please Come Home" started to jangle through the loudspeakers. I thought to myself how much I used to love this song, particularly because I would normally hear it only a few weeks each year, leading up to Christmas.

No longer. The song now plays numbing agent, much like the rest of corporate America's insistence to force Christmas down our throats the first week of November in order to secure profit margins. No Christmas until after Thanksgiving, please.

However, there are exceptions to the rule, including this weekend's annual Boston Christmas Festival at the Seaport World Trade Center. For 23 years now shoppers have been able to browse products and designs from hundreds of craft artists, with items including designer fashions, artisan jewelry, and handcrafted holiday décor. The event also features specialty foods and a gingerbread house competition.

The show continues today and tomorrow. Cost of admission is $12 (kids are free). For a $2 discount coupon, visit the Christmas Festival's web site. This year's festival is expected to draw more than 30,000 people.