CARBONDALE -- There is not much room inside Barbour's Bakery on a typical day.
The crowded chaos on Christmas Eve is part of the appeal for customers who have been coming to Barbour's on this day for decades.
"It's the only bakery really left here in town, and I`ve been coming here for years. I used to work at old Barbour's Bakery years ago when a different owner had it," said Ray Barrese of Carbondale.
The bakery on Salem Avenue in Carbondale has been passed down through three generations of the same family. The owners said Christmas is undoubtedly the busiest season and everyone in the family has to lend a hand.
The owner's son Fran comes in early from California to help out.
"When we were knee high to a grasshopper, we were doing this here making cookies when we were kids," Fran Price said.
Barbour`s Bakery has been open since 1912. That`s 102 Christmases now.
The cookie recipes are the same as they always have been.
"We sell all kinds of cookies, we have hundreds and hundreds of pounds of cookies. And we have fruit cakes, we have pies, but the cookies are the biggest seller for Christmas," said owner Janet Price.
Price said her grandmother came up with most of the recipes. Newswatch 16 found customers buying cookies by the dozen along with uncooked dough that many fry up for Christmas Eve dessert.
"Today is just busy busy, we close early though we close about 1:30 this afternoon so we can get ready for Christmas Eve supper. It`s just always busy and we`re thankful that it is," Price added.
The Prices work around the clock for 48 hours before they close up Christmas Eve.
Despite all the work, they said they're ready for Christmas #103.
