T-shirts are just one of the many holiday gift items available at Get Baked by Christina located in the Azalea District.

A bakery tucked away in Tyler’s historic Azalea District is hard at work preparing for the holiday rush.

Get Baked by Christina opened last December and has been going strong ever since. The bakery is set to celebrate its one-year anniversary on Friday.

Owner Christina Alvarado, a Tyler native, said December is a busy season as customers look to bring baked goods to family get-togethers, buy special gifts for loved ones, and more.

Alvarado said she is spending extra time getting ready for this upcoming rush.

“We are doing hours and hours of preparation and planning. We are planning a Christmas cookie preorder and we’re also now offering E-gift cards,” she said. “We have lots of cute handmade mugs, ornaments and gifts in our front of house customers can walk-in, browse and purchase.”

Alvarado started baking and selling cookies from her home in 2017 until last year, when she felt it was time to open a storefront close to where she lives.

“Business has been great so far, we have a great community backing us up. I’ve been doing cookies since 2017 from our home, so when we opened our brick and mortar our customer base followed along and thanks to word of mouth, has grown exponentially,” she said. “We live right down the street from our bakery.”

The bakery offers decorated cookies, macaroons, cookie cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, cocoa bombs, drop cookies, and more in a variety of flavors.

All decorating is done freehand using cookie cutter designs that the bakery makes in house.

“I draw up the design on my iPad then we print the 3D cutter then make that into a cookie. Everything is made with tons of love,” Alvarado said. “We like to keep our designs and flavors fresh. We didn’t want to be an average bakery; we wanted to be one of a kind. We didn’t want our cookies to just look adorable but also taste delicious.”

Alvarado said she has enjoyed baking since she was younger and has always had an artistic side.

“I’ve always enjoyed baking since I was younger, I started selling cupcakes in high school and loved the hustle of it all,” she said. “As for the designs, I’ve always been super into art, graffiti, and lettering.”

“My dad really supported me and let me draw and graffiti my entire room and always bought me supplies,” she added. “Art really transferred over and this became my creative outlet.”

Alvarado said she likes that she can bring something new and fun to her hometown.

“Cookies and desserts really bring people joy and we work hard to provide the best desserts and gifts around. We spend countless getting everything just right for our customers and community,” she said. “We are a family business and locally owned, we take pride in that and appreciate the support of our family, as well as other families in our community.”

Alvarado said for the one-year anniversary celebration on Friday, the bakery will be doing cookie giveaways and other small business giveaways as well as have a few vendors onsite.

“Come out, shop small, and help us celebrate one year,” she said.

Get Baked by Christina is located at 726 South Bois D’Arc Avenue and can be reached at (903) 630-4226. Hours of operation are Mon. through Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For more information, visit the Get Baked by Christina Facebook page.