By THÉRÈSE MARGOLIS

Heralded in with steamy, hot coffee, homemade pumpkin bread and a live performance by kilted bagpipers, Mexico City’s Christ Church Parish’s annual Christmas bazaar had an unprecedented turnout this year as more than 600 people showed up on Saturday, Dec. 2, to buy homemade marmalades and sweets, holiday decorations and handcrafted gifts despite an unusual cold spell that gripped the capital last week.

The annual Christ Church fundraiser, which dates back over a century and a half and has become a favorite end-of-year gathering to see old friends and catch up on social news within Mexico City’s British and Commonwealth community in a family-friendly setting, had a total of 36 stands this year and more than 600 attendees.

As always, the day began with a stirring parade of Scottish piobaireachd by the internationally acclaimed Saint Patrick’s Battalion Pipe and Drum Band.

In addition to a raffle and tombola with exceptional prizes, there were stands selling handicrafts, clothing items, jewelry, books, toys, toiletries, homemade jams  and pub grub, with giant po-boy sandwiches and hot chili con carne.

Christ Church Guild president Linda Saucedo, whose has held that post for over a decade and whose father, José Guadalupe Saucedo, was the congregation’s first archbishop, noted that the annual bazaar is a continuation of a tradition that has been at the heart of the Anglican parish since its founding in 1871.

“It is also a way for our congregation to pair with members of our neighboring communities, offering them a place to sell their wares and get to know us better,” she added.

“And it is a triumph of continuity. The children and grandchildren of some of our founding members are running the very same stands that their ancestors did, selling the very same goods as their parents and grandparents did.”

All the money raised from the event — which Saucedo calculated would amount to about 140,000 pesos this year — will go to help maintain the church and its main charities, including the parish’s own Santa Juliana de Norwich health and wellness programs for low-income persons living in Mexico City’s Centro Histórico and the La Divina Providencia home for mentally and physically challenged children and adults in Texcoco, in the State of Mexico.

Christ Church in Mexico traces its beginnings back to 1871, when English-language services were first conducted on a regular weekly basis at various locations throughout the capital city.

Finally, in 1895, the first cornerstone of a neogothic-style church was laid at Artículo 123 in downtown Mexico City, and the structure was opened for regular public worship on Pentecost Day three years later.

But years of aging and the devastating effects of the Sept. 19, 1985, earthquake finally forced the congregation to move to its current location in Lomas de Chapultepec.