ABOVE: Giddy-Up Boutique Associates Jackie Hecht, Gretchen Jorgensen and Alexis Rojo stand with what’s left of the winter clothing. Owner Denise Rouse said the winter items, including snow pants, jackets and boots were the most popular items during the Christmas shopping season.

FAIRMONT – With Christmas behind us, businesses are looking back on the Holiday season and which items were the most popular.

At the Giddy-Up Boutique, a consignment clothing business on Downtown Plaza in Fairmont, Associate Alexis Rojo said the Christmas season treated them amazingly.

“Especially in the Christmas season, people bring in their friends and family from everywhere,” she said. “We have a guest book because of so many people from all around the state, even different countries. We’ve had people from South Africa and Mexico. They bring their friends and family.”

They got into the holiday spirit last weekend with Grinch Saturday, which also brought them plenty of demand.

“We all dressed up like different characters from Whoville,” Giddy-Up Owner Denise Rouse said. “The Grinch was here, of course. It was so cute, a couple little girls brought them onions.”

It’s the first time the business has done an event like this, but due to the reception it received, it is expected to make a comeback next Christmas.

As for what flew off the racks this December, Rouse said warmth was on everyone’s mind.

“Snow pants, boots, coats, sweaters,” she said. “Anything that wraps you up and makes you warm. Scarves, ugly Christmas sweaters, those are huge.”

For those who had pictures to take and send out in their best attire, Seifried Portrait Design Owner Steve Seifried said this year they had a really good season.

“The community was very supportive with our studio, in not only choosing us for their photography, but making print purchases,” he said. “One of the things we like to let people know is we’re in one of the most photographed generations ever, that don’t have [physical] photographs.”

From sports and team photos to family cards, Seifried said the purchasing patterns were spread across the board. While the situation has changed in several ways since Seifried started 35 years ago, he said the demand for Christmas cards is still there.

“It’s less probably per photographer because people do have easier access to capturing that themselves and the internet making those products,” he said. “The families that entrust us to pick their family portraits, it’s still a pretty important item to get something like the Christmas card to share with their friends and family. Christmas cards are still a thing for sure.”

On the food front, Butcher Block Owner Jeff Schmidt said they pulled out all the stops for what people in the area get for Christmas.

“Pickled herrings, crab salads, salmon dips, smoked salmon and oysters,” he said. “We have ham balls that are very popular for the holidays, and Swedish potato sausage.”

Due to the holiday season, Schmidt said they get a three-week boost in sales overall.

“Last week, people did Christmas on the weekend,” he said. “We have the actual holiday coming up… and then the weekend after, and then you fall right into New Year’s as well. It’s been about three weeks’ worth of good sales.”

However, there have been a downside or two this Christmas season as Schmidt said the price of beef has increased. This created concern for him before December about how prime rib and other red meat sales would fare, and whether the prices would deter people. Thankfully, this did not come to pass.

This Christmas season, prime rib, oysters, beef sticks and summer sausage were the most popular items. Schmidt said the sticks and sausage have been popular for stocking stuffers, while the oysters are used to make oyster stew.

“Real popular Christmas and New Year’s,” he said. “Then after that, you’d better be out of oysters, because people aren’t looking for them anymore.”

Regarding men’s clothing and trophies, Fairmont Awards Owner Kim White said demand during the Christmas season was pretty average. Where they did have success was in their seasonal offerings.

“The most popular men’s item this year was our quarter-zip sweater,” she said. “From what I have been told by several men who have come in, it is the item from the Hallmark movies that are going on this season.”

What’s popular one year isn’t necessarily guaranteed for the next. White said the quarter-zip is an example of something that has fallen in and out of popularity over time.

“Not so much last year,” she said. “A couple years ago, it was a trend, and it’s been a new trend this year again.