Christmas mice ring in the shopping season

The holiday season doesn’t officially begin until the Christmas mice arrive. That was the feeling at the Church of St. Jude in Wantagh, which hosted its annual Country Fair on Nov. 7.

There were dozen of vendors featuring handmade crafts, seasonal decorations, holiday gifts and much more. The 41st annual fair had a steady crowd of shoppers throughout the day.

As usual, the popular table was the one that featured the Christmas mice. These stuffed, costumed ornaments have been sold at the church for 30 years and are made by a group of volunteers known as the Mice Ladies. New costumes this year included an angel, Dutch girls and Cinderella, as well as a new-look Santa Claus mouse. The bride and groom mice sold out.

While adults did their shopping, children enjoyed games and face painting, supervised by teenage volunteers from the church.