CHRISTMAS has officially arrived in Skerries with the opening of the craft shop at the local Mills complex.

Each year they kick off the festive season with a mulled wine and homebaked mince pie weekend at the end of November and this year was no exception. Despite the weather there was a large number of people visiting the shop and picking up Christmas Gifts for friends and family. The shop is well known for its Christmas event and stocks many of the product ranges that are to be found in the likes of Kilkenny and Avoca as well as a good proportion of locally sourced or produced items. This year there were also some craft demonstrations in the gallery which they hope to repeat again next year. 'On the go now for ten years people come for the old world and unique ambience and very competitive pricing,' according to Ray Hunt. They can also enjoy a break in the Watermill Café without any hassle as there's plenty of free car parking attached to Skerries Mills. The craft shop at Skerries Mills is open daily from 10am to 4.30pm for the winter and until 5.30pm during the summer.