The strong aroma of candles and birch filled the lower gymnasium and cafeteria of McLean high school as a student orchestra band played classical holiday songs. Even though it was cold outside, many people arrived to enjoy the annual festivities and shopping of the annual holiday bazaar.

On December 8th, McLean hosted one of its most popular events of the year, the holiday bazaar. The bazaar allowed many local vendors to showcase their goods and promote possible gifting ideas.

“It’s really cool seeing all the different artisanal goods there. There [were] a lot of familiar faces so [it was] cool to be able to say hi to everyone, and it [was] the perfect event to get into the holiday spirit,” said sophomore Joy Kuai, member of the McDance-a-thon club.

However, aside from the unique shopping, many students took the opportunity to boost their own clubs and fundraisers.

Various clubs and extra-curricular associations participated in the bazaar to raise money for their causes. The bazaar allowed many students to get more involved with clubs and earn service hours as well.

“[I] wanted to participate in the bazaar because it would be a good place to start since we’re a new club,” said sophomore Anna Proctor, member of the Red Cross Association club. “The bazaar is a place to go if you want to work with your club or check out other clubs.”

“I’m trying to get more involved, and it sounded fun because my other friends were [volunteering] as well,” Kuai said.

Various stands promoted fun activities for shoppers to participate in. The Red Cross Association club provided materials to make cards for veterans.

“Our goal was to make 100 cards, and we successfully met that goal, as well as recruiting other people to join our club,” Proctor said.

McDance-a-thon also promoted their cause by selling delicious treats at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“I tried to get donations by making puns to make [people] laugh. I said “donut say no to donating” because [people] got a donut if [they donated],” Kuai said.

Overall, the holiday bazaar brought in many customers and helped advertise new causes and clubs.

“The atmosphere was nice. It was kind of crowded, but it was a beautiful chaos,” Kuai said.