It doesn’t matter what time they arrive: Frankie Moss is already there when Jan and Gary Patrick turn into their store’s parking lot every Dec. 24. If another customer comes before the Patricks, Moss hurries to the door to keep alive his tradition of being the first shopper on Christmas Eve.
“He keeps count,” Jan said. “He always tells us how many years he’s been first.”
Kids and kids-at-heart can’t help but be wowed by the store’s selection of goodies. A whopping 50 tons of confections flow in and out of Patrick’s between October and Christmas each year. “That’s the equivalent of two and a half tractor-trailers full,” Gary said. Patrick’s holiday candy had a humble beginning. Gary’s father, E.L. (Pat) Patrick, was trying to decide what to sell during the slow season.
“He remembered that people would buy candy even if they only had a few cents in their pocket,” Gary said. “When you don’t have anything, something as small as a piece of candy can make your day.”
“When you don’t have anything, something as small as a piece of candy can make your day.”
Gary Patrick
Customers can pick up ready-made candy platters or customize their own. Orange slices are the most popular candy, but shoppers can choose from 200 different treats, including coconut macaroons, chocolate-covered pecans, peanut clusters and gumdrops. Many people combine their candy selections with a fruit basket, a tradition that harkens back to Gary’s childhood.
“At Christmastime, we always had a box of fruit on the table with bags of candy on top. We could have all the fruit we wanted, but we weren’t allowed to touch the candy until Christmas Eve,” Gary said. Customers still request to have their fruit selections placed in apple or orange boxes or in rectangular peach baskets. “They want those because they bring back so many good memories.”
One noteworthy customer is an airline pilot who flies in from California to get candy at Patrick’s. One December, after landing in Atlanta, he told a flight attendant that he was staying overnight to get some candy for his family. “There’s a little bitty store in Covington that has all kinds of candy,” he relayed, “and I always take it back home for Christmas.” It turned out that the flight attendant was the daughter of the Patricks’ bookkeeper, Pauline Smith, and she knew exactly where the pilot was heading.
The Patricks have enjoyed seeing families grow as they maintain the tradition of holiday shopping at the store.
“Some have been coming for 40 or 50 years,” Jan said. “We served them as children; now, they’re bringing in their grandchildren. We’re at least five generations in with some families. One big family brings 30 to 40 people altogether, grandparents down to newborns.”
Starting your own “Christmas Candy at Patrick’s” tradition is easy enough. Call the store to pre-order gift baskets, or visit to shop in person with your loved ones. It’s the only sure way to get what everyone likes—and you can enjoy free samples.
Click here to read more stories by Kari Apted.
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