Kristen Gill brought her baby goats to March Farm store sip, shop and shine event in Bethlehem for people to enjoy while they buy gifts for the holidays.<\/p>\n
BETHLEHEM, Conn. \u2014 Santa and his reindeer may be Christmas staples, but baby goats are quickly becoming holiday favorites at March Farm\u2019s Sip, Shop and Shine event.<\/p>\n
Emily March with the farm invited Kristen Gill, owner of Got Your Goat, to bring her baby goats to the farm store as part of the festivities.<\/p>\n
\u201cGoats just make everybody happy and it’s going to make the event in and of itself that much cooler having these baby goats to hold,\u201d March said.<\/p>\n
Gill\u2019s love for goats began years ago while she was working from home and spending time in a neighbor\u2019s goat barn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would take my conference calls from the barn, and I would basically sit there all day long watching these goats as they were getting ready to give birth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Sign up for the FOX61 newsletters: Morning Forecast, Morning Headlines, Evening Headlines<\/a> <\/p>\n She now owns more than 70 goats on her own farm. Despite the long hours, demanding work and even a few broken bones, she said the payoff is seeing people of all ages light up when they meet the animals.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can’t believe who just screams with joy and grabs the goats and wants to hold them and be part of it. It’s male, female, old, young,\u201d Gill said.<\/p>\n Gill brings her goats to birthday parties, offices, senior living facilities and other unexpected destinations, and the reaction is almost always the same \u2014 pure excitement. She dresses the goats in Christmas outfits, from elves to reindeer, and lets them roam or nap in people’s\u2019 arms.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s just the most beautiful experience. We love the joy they bring. It’s extremely positive,\u201d Gill said.<\/p>\n March discovered Gill on Facebook and invited her to take part in the event, hoping the goats would draw more visitors to the century-old farm. March Farm, which has been operating since 1915, is known for its farm-fresh products.<\/p>\n Gill said she hopes the goats help encourage more people to shop locally like at the March Farm store.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re going to have the babies in a little igloo here at March Farms where you can come and buy local gifts for Christmas as well as have a moment with your spouse, your date, your child, your mother and snuggle some goats,\u201d Gill said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is just a little special get out of work, come down, support local, have some free cider and a donut, grab a drink if you’d like to, get some dinner and be on your merry way,\u201d March added.<\/p>\n You can find Kristen Gill on Facebook at “Got Your Goat” or by email<\/a>. You can find more information about March Farm and their Sip, Shop and Shine here<\/a>.<\/p>\n The event runs Friday and Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the March Farm\u2019s store.<\/p>\n Joe Monte is a Multi-Skilled Journalist for FOX61 News. He can be reached at jmonte@fox61.com<\/a>. Follow him on\u00a0X<\/a> for more.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you have a story idea or something on your mind you want to share? We want to hear from you! Email us at newstips@fox61.com<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS \u00a0<\/p>\n Download the FOX61 News APP \u00a0<\/p>\n iOS:\u00a0Click here<\/a> to download \u00a0<\/p>\n Android: Click here<\/a> to download \u00a0<\/p>\n Stream Live on\u00a0ROKU:\u00a0Add the channel from the ROKU store<\/a> or by searching FOX61. \u00a0<\/p>\n Stream Live on FIRE TV: Search \u2018FOX61\u2019 and click \u2018Get\u2019 to download. \u00a0<\/p>\n FOLLOW US ON X<\/a>, FACEBOOK<\/a> & INSTAGRAM<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n