What to Know
- Through Monday, Dec. 24
- Crafts, live music, mariachis, carolers
- Free
Bells and chimes and ticking clocks play prominent roles in that most prominent holiday tale of all, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.
Consider, if you will, that Marley's ghost tells Ebenezer Scrooge that three spirits will arrive at specific appointed times. It's pivotal, to the tale, and memorable, too.
In short? At Christmas, clocks play starring roles.
Where, though, to find a stately historic clock, the kind of clock seen in yarns of old, done up in its yuletide best, around Los Angeles?
You only need look to the corner of Third & Fairfax, at the Original Farmers Market, the famous home to two handsome clock towers and some very unScroogean celebrating when the week ahead of Christmas arrives.
We say "unScroogean" because everything is free to enjoy, from the concerts (Merle Jagger's Country Christmas and Einstein Brown's Calypso Christmas are coming up) to the crafts (think elf ears and pine cone decorating).
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But the spirit weaving through the charming market is also deeply non-Scrooge, thanks to the seasonal boughs and bows, the bustling vendors (from grocers to gift purveyors), and the chance to snack upon foodstuffs that fit the season, from hot chocolate at the Coffee Corner to the iconic toffee at Littlejohn's Candies.
If you'd like to join a particular craft activity, or hear the Dickensian carolers or mariachis, best check the schedule first, before heading to the beloved local favorite.
Or just show up, through Dec. 24, to see what is happening, holiday-wise.
Something great will likely flower, with the panache of a poinsettia, during your time there, if you settle in with a warm drink and the desire to people watch, read a book, or just pass the time in an unhurried and pleasant manner.
No bahs, and zero humbugs, are to be found during the Christmas festivities at the Original Farmers Market.
So follow the sound of the clock tower to one of LA's freest and light-of-heart-iest holiday fun times, before the hour strikes 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
