Santa Claus Parade Floats make their way by the United Church, home of the Gift of Hope Chistmas Market

The High River United Church will be a hub of activity on parade night, Fri. Dec. 4.

Joy Duncan says once again they'll be holding their annual Gift of Hope Christmas market.

"We actually started it when we had a lot of Christmas material come in for a spring garage sale, realized it wasn't going to sell, so we stored it and decided to have a sale the night of the Santa Claus parade," she explained. "That was eight years ago, we've been doing it ever since."

She says there are all kinds of Christmas themed items on sale along with the One World Market which goes year-round. It includes thing like fair trade coffee from South America, pure cane sugar and tea, along with new products like olive oil from Palestine as well as the spices that go with it and embroidery and there's jewelry from Nepal made by women trying to flee the sex slave trade.

Duncan says the money goes to some good causes. "All of the money goes to social justice causes around the world," she says. "We'll be concentrating this year on Syrian Refugee relief and there'll be other things supported, Doctors without Borders is one of our favourites, the U.N. Commission for Refugees, we support a program in Africa called Farm Radio Africa, and the President of that is Lloyd Robertson, so it has a real Canadian connection. They help train African farmers so they can improve their crops."

On top of all that the things the church's craft group makes will be sold to support the Stephan Lewis Grandmothers project, helping women in Africa raising children because their parents died of AIDS.

It goes Fri. Dec.4 from 4 until it slows down again around 8 or 9, and again Sat from 9 till 2 at the United Church.

And Duncan says the washrooms will be open for the public before, during and after the parade and during the sale.