15th Year for Christmas Market Oklahoma

Are you ready for some Christmas fun that includes a large craft show, cookie walk, German food and Christmas entertainment? If so, you should reserve Dec. 5 on your calendar. This will be a chance to come together with many from this community and surrounding ones for a festive environment, to support small businesses and to find unique Christmas gifts for friends and family.

Saturday, Dec. 5, will be the 15th annual Christmas Market Oklahoma hosted by First Lutheran Church and School (FLCS). The event is patterned after traditional European Christmas markets, and the founder Shirley Zimmerman organized the first one in 2011. Zimmerman led the event for 13 years before she moved from Ponca City, and new organizers Jennifer Heitman and Deaconess Rachell Highley took over in 2025 with the assistance of longtime volunteer Marcella Matthews.

The event has grown to include around 70 vendors, and they hope to continue to grow. Money made from vendor event registration typically brings in $2,000-2,500. The money goes toward their scholarship fund which helps FLCS members pursue degrees in church work fields like pastoral formation, ministry work, teaching, music and more.

Several vendors are local to Ponca City and regularly participate in the weekly Farmers Market during the summer. The Market allows their customers to find some of their favorite producers after the Farmers Market is closed for the season. Items that can generally be found include handmade crafts, clothing, jewelry, jams and jellies, bread, candies, nail supplies, fire pits, 3D-printed crafts, handcrafted woodwork and more.

Christmas Market Oklahoma covers the FLCS campus with vendors in both the school gym and cafeteria; the cookie walk and lunch are in the fellowship hall. In addition, this year a blood drive will be available.

There is still time for vendors to register either online or in person. Applications can be found on the Facebook page, Christmas Market Oklahoma, or picked up at First Lutheran Church office Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The registration deadline is Nov. 26, or until all available spaces are filled, so you may not want to wait too long if you are interested. You can also email at christmasmarket@flcspc.com or call the church at 580-762-1111 during office hours with any questions.

The market will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 5 this year. Organizer Jennifer Heitman says, “First Lutheran Church loves hosting this event! It is a wonderful opportunity to welcome people from our community onto our campus, support local vendors and small businesses, and enjoy a fun and festive Christmas tradition.” They would love you to join them to shop, eat or just view all the unique gifts and foods while having a fun time getting into the Christmas spirit. Heitman continues, “Christmas Market Oklahoma is truly a community event, and we love being able to kick off the Christmas season in Ponca City!”