Holiday gift guide 2013 e sub

Holiday Gift Guide DECEMBER 5, 2013

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ULSTER PUBLISHING

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HUDSONVALLEYTIMES.COM

Shop local this year

Wrapped up in the season

Christmas tree care Artisanal gifts A good read Food and family Top tech and games Stocking stuffers Lauren Thomas

5, 2013 2 | December Holiday Gift Guide

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December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

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Welcome

Celebrate the season are one. At the heart of this guide, our mission is to open up our readers’ eyes to the cool things happening all around them, giving exposure to local shops you might not know.

We talked to talented artists in Ulster and Dutchess counties, all of whom have great one-of-a-kind gift

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”

— Charles Dickens

lauren thomas

Browse through Ulster Publishing’s annual Gift Guide to find ideas for that perfect gift.

options in store. Our food story should leave you hungry, and our holiday traditions story will make you homesick for the people you love. And if you’re curious about Christmas trees, check out our story about how to choose and care for a tree – living or cut.

During the holidays, we hope you’ll get to see friends, family and loved ones and share in the joy of the season and the magic of winter. Happy holidays and best wishes for the new year from the Ulster Publishing family. ●

By Mike Townshend

S

econds after the Thanksgiving Day turkey cools and the leftovers slide back into the refrigerator, wreaths, holly and festive pine trees will pop up everywhere – if they’re not there already. Yes, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has begun in earnest.

So make your list and browse through Ulster Publishing’s annual Gift Guide to find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. We’ve got you covered.

If you’re not a tech head, our technology and gaming stories should clue you into some of the top trends this year. If you’re gift hunting for a book, our literature story has five good options – most of which have ties to our corner of the Hudson Valley.

We’ve made an effort with Gift Guide 2013 to keep our focus local. Here at the paper, we get what it is like to run and work for a small local business – we

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O Christmas tree Finding the perfect conifer for the holidays

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The annual holiday hunt for that perfect Christmas tree has begun.

By Erin Quinn

T

he annual holiday hunt for that perfect Christmas tree has begun.

Most shoppers want the perfect tree for their abode. What makes a tree “perfect”? And once you’ve discovered one that is, how do you care for it?

Environmentalists might want to purchase a rooted tree, a living tree that can be stored and replanted once the holiday season is over. Laura Wyeth, of Victoria Gardens in High Falls, has clients who “buy a live tree every year and then plant it come springtime.” Doing so makes a beautiful family tradition, she said, and of course it’s always great ecologically to plant a tree.

A popular rooted tree variety is the blue spruce.

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“The needles have a blue tinge to them. It gives a real classic look, with thick, dense branches, and the color really comes out when highlighted with white Christmas lights or blue and green.”

These trees are on the small side, three or four feet tall. “I’m sure someone could find a large rootballed tree,” noted Wyeth, “but it would be incredible expensive and heavy and have to be brought in with a crane.” A good idea for Rockefeller Center, but not practical for the average homeowner.

Another live-tree variety is a small Korean fir, which is wide and squat, making it a great tree or for a small apartment or room.

The key to ensuring the tree lives to be planted successfully in the spring, according to Wyeth, is temperature and water. “Trees go dormant in the winter,” she explained. “So when you bring a live tree inside and the temperature goes up it’s going to

wake up and want light and water.” It’s essential to ensure that the tree stays well watered, and that it’s kept inside only three weeks at the most.

Once the tree has been de-trimmed, people should find a cold storage space for it, either in a non-heated

The best way to care for a pre-cut tree is to store it someplace cool and out of the sun in a bucket of water. garage or shed, or even outside in an area protected from wind. “Then you just want to keep an eye on it. Make sure the soil does not get too dry if the temperature goes up. Once the ground is no longer frozen you can plant it. Water it very well and give it a good soaking once a week.”

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Traditional cut Another choice is to buy a pre-cut tree at a farm market, nursery or store. Each variety of tree has specific weaknesses and strengths that should be taken into consideration before purchasing. Wallkill View Farms in New Paltz sells hundreds of trees each year – specifically, fir, spruce and pine trees.

“Our biggest sellers are our fir trees,” said Sandy Ferrante, of the multi-generational farm. “The Fraser fir has a great fragrance, a nice shape to it, and lon-

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

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another boost to a pre-cut tree, “the same way you would with cut flowers just to give them more nutrients.”

Lumberjack-style

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Laura Wyeth of Victoria Gardens. gevity if it’s cared for properly. The Douglas fir has less fragrance but has a dense, softer look. So there’s give and take with each variety. If you have a collection of heavy ornaments, the fir trees might not be the best fit. One of their downsides is that their branches lose strength fairly quickly even though the tree and needles have staying power.”

Spruce trees are the second most popular Christmas trees. Wallkill View has white spruce, blue spruce and Norway spruce. “These are also beautiful trees with color variations to the needles, strong branches, but their needles can be very sharp and they don’t last as long as the firs when brought inside.”

With their long needles, soft look and space be-

tween branches, pine trees are also popular. “It really comes down to personal taste,” he said.

The best way to care for a pre-cut tree is to store it someplace cool and out of the sun in a bucket of water, said Ferrante. When you’re ready to bring it in and put it into your tree stand the most important thing is to give it a fresh cut at the bottom. That gets rid of the sap plug, so that it can take up water.

“You want to keep the water level above the base of the tree. And those first few days, it will take up a lot of water. After that you have to keep watering it, but probably not as frequently as the first few days inside.”

Adding a tree preservative into the water provides

Those who want an experiential tree-hunting adventure without expecting a springtime replanting, there is no shortage of cut-your-own Christmas tree farms in the Hudson Valley. Fred Battenfeld of the fifth generation of Battenfeld Farm in Red Hook, said some customers come each year from as far away as Long Island, New Jersey and throughout the metropolitan region. “The great thing about a tree farm where you select and cut it yourself is that you know you have a fresh product that you harvested yourself,” he said. Battenfeld offers seven different varieties of trees. Fred said that “quality is critical, but so is the venue.”

“We have families who have been coming here since we began the farm in 1956,” he said. “They’re now into their second and third generation. It’s a family tradition, and many of them make a day out of it. They gather, set up a barbecue, a picnic, walk the farm. It’s a special thing.”

The most important thing to ensure the health of a freshly cut tree is to store it in a cold, unlit area and soak it with water, Battenfeld, like Ferrante, said.

When the time comes to trim the tree, “make that fresh cut on the bottom to get rid of contaminated soil or sap in the trunk, as that’s where it draws the water up.”

Another cut-your-own place, TJ’s Tree Farm in Highland, opened for the season on November 29, featuring Norway spruces, white spruces, blue spruces and Concolor firs. They also sell pre-cut trees, including Fraser firs.

Regardless if you grow your own, cut it yourself, or select a pre-cut tree or a live tree to replant, there are many high-quality venues with knowledgeable folks who will help you. ●

5, 2013 6 | December Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday craft Local artists a surprise source for unique gifts

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Laura Shapiro creates fine wooden art furniture and home decor in her Shokan studio.

By Sharyn Flanagan

W

hen we start our holiday shopping, we usually head for the stores. That’s all well and good, but what if we expand our notions about where to buy gifts? Think about local artists. An original work of art is a one-of-a-kind holiday present. And we have so many good artists in the Hudson Valley. Many will open their studios to the public by appointment, and some even hold open studio sales during the holiday season.

Don’t forget that local art gallery in the neighborhood, either. Some mount group shows in December of artists working in a variety of styles who produce small works in affordable price ranges.

For a few ideas on where to start, we spoke with some local artists.

Sophisticated functional folk art On a peaceful 95-acre horse farm in Shokan, Laura Shapiro creates fine wooden art furniture and home

decor. Her coat racks, key holders, lamp bases, mirrors and headboards show the influences of history – ancient Egyptian art, African tribal art, medieval and craftsman design, and even circus art – but their graphic qualities makes them decidedly contemporary as well.

Each piece is individually handcrafted by Shapiro.

She says she treats furniture-making as if she were creating sculpture, building it strong enough to function as a utilitarian object as well as a work of art.

Shapiro carves designs into panels of poplar and birch veneer, using motifs that include horses and other animals, birds, geometric shapes and stylized

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photos provided

Artist John Fischer. One of his original metal photographs is pictured to the right.

lotus flowers. She then paints the designs in a palette of rich, muted tones that begin as bright colors that are then “grayed down,” using multiple layers and glazes of oil-based enamel paint applied by hand.

She says she came up with the process through trial and error over the years.

While Shapiro’s initial focus in art was as a painter – she earned a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 1979 – she says that even as a young girl growing up in Baltimore she liked to make things out of scrap wood using an old saw in the basement.

After moving to Brooklyn in the early 1980s, Sha-

piro picked up basic woodworking techniques by watching cabinetmakers near her first workshop.

She’s lived in the Catskills since 1989. Her work has been fueled, she says, by the region’s wildlife, natural beauty, and peace and quiet.

Shapiro does a lot of custom orders but also has a number of pieces ready to ship out on her Etsy. com site or available at her Shokan studio by appointment. Prices start around $100 for key holders, which are decorative panels with hooks that could be used to hold other things, too, like belts or necklaces.

Shapiro plans to have pieces priced under $100

available for the holidays as well.

For more information, email laurashapirostudio@ yahoo.com, visit LauraShapiroStudioFurniture.com or find her on Etsy.com or Facebook.

Luminous metal photographs Photographer John Fischer grew up in Tillson, but now lives life on the road photographing what he sees along the way. He maintains an aptly named

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Holiday craft

mookie forcella

Carol Zaloom specializes in hand-colored linoleum prints.

website called “NoRoadUnturned.com,” where he regularly posts the latest photographs he’s taken while traveling throughout the country. Fischer does come back to the Hudson Valley from time to time, and had his first gallery exhibits this year are at Canaltown Alley Arts Center in Rosendale and Wired Gallery in High Falls.

Fisher’s body of work is about capturing the essence of a place, he says, sharing that feeling of being there and the stories each place has to tell. His process includes heightening the color during the printing process to charge the emotion in the image,

using technology to project what he feels about the scene to the viewer. And he’s fascinated, he says, by photographing how people have affected the landscape, finding that it reflects something about the history of America.

While Fischer has captured images from the beach cities of Southern California to Cape Cod – and everywhere in between – the Hudson Valley remains a favorite locale. His images of the area (or any other) can be purchased from his website and shipped from whatever location Fischer happens to be in, printed on photographic paper or canvas but also on metal.

The images fused onto aluminum deliver a striking luminosity and sharp detail in a contemporary format. The metal prints, which “float” directly on the wall with a detachable wooden mount (also available from Fischer), don’t require a frame or protective glass to display. Prices for metal prints start at $90 for an eight-inch-by-ten-inch work and increase according to size. Paper prints start at $30 and canvas prints at $80. The wooden mounts cost $25 or are included free with prints already in his inventory.

For more information, call or text 857-472-3071, visit www.noroadunturned.com or find John Fischer Photography on Facebook.

Hand-colored linoleum prints Saugerties-based printmaker Carol Zaloom specializes in hand-colored linoleum prints, a medium that results in bold, graphic designs with a fluidity of line that retains the hand of the artist. Her subject matter is drawn from a broad range of diverse influences that range from nature to literature to mythological creatures and Japanese fairytale motifs.

Her artwork is seen in fine-art exhibitions and also on book jackets. Many in Saugerties are familiar with her illustrations for local events like the garlic festival and the town’s recent bicentennial celebration.

Zaloom works out of a studio on the second floor of her home, an 1850s-era fieldstone-and-timber structure with historic landmark status. She opens her studio to visitors every August for the annual Saugerties Artist Studio Tour and in December for a holiday sale. This year’s open studio event will be on Sunday, December 15 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Za-

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Fay Wood of Saugerties displays her sculptures and painting.

loom will have unframed prints available from $15 on up as well as a few of her painted “mythopoetic” baseballs in the $150-to-$200 range.

The idea of painting on a baseball began with one made as a special birthday gift for her significant other — writer, performer and baseball enthusiast Mikhail Horowitz — but are now created for others, too, usually as custom orders, like the one she created for former major league pitcher Jim Bouton. One of her painted baseballs is even in the collection of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

For more information, call 246-7441 or visit www. carolzaloom.com. Open studio holiday sale on Sunday, December 15 from 11 to 4 at302 High Falls Road in Saugerties.

A multitude of mediums Another Saugerties-based artist, Fay Wood, is in the process of moving her home and studio to a new location in the Village of Saugerties at 123 Market Street. There Wood plans to open her doors to visitors for holiday shopping every Sunday in December from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment at other times.

She works in a variety of media, and will have an assortment of drawings, paintings and sculptures available, particularly the assemblage works she favors. Wood also has gift certificates available for the one-day workshops she conducts for small groups

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on how to create found-object assemblage art. The workshops run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and include lunch and a consultation with Wood to talk about the completed work.

Wood was born in Massachusetts in the Berkshires region. Her first experience with art was doing reverse paintings on glass with her mother, who had a shop that restored antiques. Wood went on to study at the Massachusetts College of Art and later at the

Art Students League and the School of Visual Arts in New York City. She has an extensive exhibition history that includes group and solo shows in the U.S. and Europe and her work is in many private collections.

For more information, call 246-7504 or visit www. faywoodstudio.com. Open studio sales on Sundays in December at 123 Market St. from 11 to 5.

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5, 2013 10 | December Holiday Gift Guide

Holiday craft

ley Seed Library’s art packs. Fowler lives in Esopus with her husband and their young daughter and son.

Fowler also creates necklaces with delicate papercuts sandwiched between thin glass framed with solder and hung from an antiqued brass chain ($34). Papercuts of nature and wildlife motifs start at around $20 and custom silhouettes cost $40 and up, depending on complexity. Orders for custom silhouette portraits from photographs sent via emailwill be taken through December 10 (extending that deadline to December 15 for locally shipped orders). Fowler can send PDF format gift certificates for custom silhouettes after that date.

For more information, visit www.jennyleefowler. com or find Jenny Lee Fowler on Etsy.com or Facebook.

Laser-cut bamboo for home and nursery

lauren thomas

Esopus silhouette artist Jenny Lee Fowler.

With two cats and an infant son in her household, artist Yvonne Laube, a graphic designer with a background in painting, first took up papercutting as an art form when searching for a creative medium that, unlike painting, could be taken up and put down easily and was simple to clean up after. Translating her papercuts into designs for laser-cut bamboo

Artful papercutting Esopus-based Jenny Lee Fowler’s niche in the world of handmade artisanship is artful papercutting. Her designs reflect the historical traditions of papercutting while exhibiting a certain contemporary freshness, appealing to the modern eye.

One aspect of Fowler’s work involves her portrait silhouettes, created using the traditional freehand method. She observes a person in profile from four or five feet away, either in person at various workshops

An original work of art is a one-of-a-kind holiday present. held in the region or on a computer screen – images sent to her by people commissioning custom portraits.

Using very sharp scissors and even sharper observational skills, Fowler cuts a likeness directly into the paper, almost as if she were drawing with the scissors.

She also creates complex papercuts with animal or nature motifs or as custom pieces with intricately detailed imagery that commemorates special memories or an important milestone in someone’s life.

In addition to paper, Fowler also cuts some of her most striking designs into birch-tree bark and leaves, which are then pressed flat and preserved by framing under glass.

lauren thomas

In addition to her delicate, intricate narrative vignettes, Esopus artist Jenny Lee Fowler also accepts commissions for custom-cut silhouettes. In addition to paper, Fowler also creates pieces from bark or leaves.

Fowler’s papercuts have been in several national magazines, and she had a solo show of her work earlier this year at the Esopus Library. She’s also one of the artists who has designed for the Hudson Val-

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turned out to be a natural extension of the process, and she now offers a line of eco-friendly bamboo items suitable for home and nursery. Her necklaces combine papercuts and bamboo ($25) that Laube sees as “a modern take on the locket.”

Laube’s woodland animal mobile ($99) for a child’s nursery features a bear, deer, fox, owl, rabbit and squirrel made from laser-cut bamboo with Laube’s signature pine-cone motif worked into the open-cut design, giving each animal a delicate filigree quality.

Laube says she’s strongly inspired by patterns, architectural motifs, tile designs and wrought-iron work.

Laube lives with her husband and their five-yearold son in Poughkeepsie. Since moving to the Hudson Valley about a decade ago from her native Connecti-

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

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photos provided

Yvonne Laube (top right) and a sampling of her laser-cut bamboo. cut, she has designed graphics for signs for the Locust Grove historic site and a Christmas ornament for the Wilderstein estate, as well as doing work for the

Vigneto Café

FDR Presidential Library and Museum replicating original documents for display so as to protect the irreplaceable originals from light exposure.

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5, 2013 12 | December Holiday Gift Guide

Readers’ glee Five fantastic holiday book suggestions tory, particularly the dynamic and tragic events that preceded the assassination of president John F. Kennedy.

Many history buffs might believe that they’re knowledgeable about Kennedy’s assassination. But this book offers an eye-opening look into the backroom politics of the time. Complicated political and personal relationships – particularly that among Lyndon Johnson and the Kennedy clan – come to life, as do the numerous conspiracy theories on assassination of JFK. Available in print, audio and eBook, this work of historical non-fiction leads the reader deep into the myriad of relationships, politics and social tensions of the time.

It’s an impressive follow-up to the authors’ previous bestsellers, Killing Lincoln and Killing Jesus.

If listening on audio, the audience is treated to the well-known and engaging speaking style of the TV personality and right-wing political pundit.

Price: $28 for hardcover, $14.99 for eBook, $14.99 for audiobook

Ocean at the End of the Lane lauren thomas

Betsy Haight enjoys a good read by a cozy fire.

By Erin Quinn ooks can take the reader on a great journey all from a seat in their favorite chair, couch, bed or hammock. They can transport readers to other places, times, worlds and points of view, bringing them closer to the depth and breadth of the human experience.

With that in mind, we recommend five books for the gift-giving season, ones which will transport, transplant, educate and entertain you.

B

The Company You Keep he Company You Keep (Penguin 2003) by Neil Gordon, is an astonishing tour de force, an emotional and historical thriller centering on some of the last surviving anti-Vietnam War radicals from the Weather Underground. After almost two decades of living safely “underground” with a new name and identity, Jason Sinai, an attorney and dad, encounters a young newspaper reporter in search of a great story. Sinai is forced to aban-

T

Presents

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don his daughter and his new life, spiraling towards the past while trying to avoid capture.

What makes this book so engaging is that it’s set in the Hudson Valley, referring to towns like Rosendale and Saugerties, and to trails and parks in the Catskills. Local readers will feel grounded as they fasten their seatbelts on this wild, historical-fiction ride.

Published in 2003 to rave reviews and selected as a New York Times notable book, The Company You Keep was recently made into a film directed by and starring Robert Redford, accompanied by another Oscar winner, Susan Sarandon.

Price: $14 for paperback, $11.99 for eBook, $14.99 for audiobook.

Sleeping Arrangements leeping Arrangements (Riverhead Books 1989) by Laura Shaine Cunningham is a piercing and funny memoir of a Bronx childhood written through the eyes of a ten-year-old orphan who lives with a loving but senile Russian grandmother and two eccentric bachelor uncles.

This is a book that the reader will enjoy so much that they’ll be sad it ended. It’s so endearing and humorous the reader will likely come back and read it again.

Lily, the protagonist, is described by her fifth-grade teacher as an unkempt, dirty child. Yet her backstory is so tragic and real the reader immediately falls in love with her. Despite all indications, Lily is living a blessed life within this mosaic of oddly constructed family ties. Her non-conforming ways are supported and reinforced by a web of loving relationships .

Cunningham, a local author based in Stone Ridge, has written a number of books and plays. Hopefully, the reader will want to pursue these after reading Sleeping Arrangements.

Price: $13 for paperback.

S

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot illing Kennedy: The End of Camelot, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard, is a perfect gift choice for anyone who enjoys American his-

K

cean at the End of the Lane is by Newberry Award-winning fantasy author Neil Gaiman. By the time Gaiman’s latest novel was released, the book was already on The Gray Lady’s best-seller list.

Ocean finds its 47-year-old narrator heading back to Sussex, England – where he grew up – after a long absence. Memories of the games he and his friend Lettie Hempstock would play and the magic of childhood start to flood back the moment he gets back into town.

Gaiman, also the author of Coraline and the acclaimed comic-book series The Sandman, is known for his dark and twisted tales. Ocean is a fantasy story with fairytale elements, where evil is unleashed after a boarder staying in the narrator’s family commits suicide.

While the English expatriate is associated with his adopted home of Minneapolis, Gaiman has a Hudson Valley connection. Bard College recently announced that Gaiman had been appointed as a full professor in the arts for spring 2014. He had been a visiting professor there.

A prolific writer, Gaiman this year released a children’s book about a sneezing panda bear, called Chu’s Day. He also did the first few issues of a prequel to the beloved The Sandman comic book.

For adult fiction readers, Ocean at the End of the Lane will be an interesting read.

Price: $17 for hardcover, $10 for paperback, $8 for eBook.

O

Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual ood Rules: An Eater’s Manual is a great stocking-stuffer book. The best-selling healthy-eating manual written by Michael Pollan is in paperback. It can also be purchased on eBay for as little as $6 with free shipping. If you buy more than one, you’ll often get a volume discount, allowing you to spread the joy to many friends and relatives. They will thank you for this witty, concise guide to shopping for and eating food. Whether you are eating in or dining out, the common-sense, nutritional rules easily guide the reader towards a positive path of healthy living.

The small, purse-sized manual is an excellent gift choice, particularly during the holiday season, when poor food choices abound. When guided through this funny, encouraging book, smart food choices can still easily win out.

Price: $19 for hardcover, $9.60 for paperback, $6 for eBook. ●

F

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

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December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

| 15

A Very Unique Boutique

• Women’s Clothing (Small to 5X) • Gift Items • Jewelry • Accessories Convenient Layaway Plan Hours: Tues.-Fri. Noon-5 pm • Sat. Noon-3 pm

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phone: 845-331-2210 fax: 845-338-2672

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gifts for the whole family

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The UPS Store ® In the King’s Mall On Ulster Ave. / Route 9W 230 King’s Mall Court Kingston, NY 12401 845.336.4877 Boxes Etc., Inc. is a UPS® company. The UPS Store® locations are independently owned and operated by hisees of Mail Boxes Etc., Inc. in the USA and by its master licensee and its franchisees in Canada. Services, ng and hours of operation may vary by location. Copyright © 2011 Mail Boxes Etc., Inc.

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5, 2013 16 | December Holiday Gift Guide

RE

E THEM WHAT TH GIV WANT FOR CHR EY I ST M Y ALL A

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Starpenny Puppetry performs: “The Little Troll” - 12:30 & 2:30 Community Chorus Sing-A-Long: 1:00 & 3:30 Lydia Pidlusky & Lora Cohan: Jazz Ling Kwan, cellist, and more.....

Saturday

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VENDORS: Jake Feltenberger: Solar Energy Car from New York State Solar Farm on display Gomen Kudasai: Japanese food Artemis Wool: Handmade slippers, sheepskins, children’s items from local New Jersey Suffolk & Dorset Sheep Karen Sawdey Jewelry Design also featuring beautiful items from Tibet Lyonsville Sugarhouse maple syrup and candy Reggae Boy Café: Jamaican food the New Paltz Karate Academy Christine Fromm-Thalemann Fashion Design Ora’s Amazing Herbal Rose Brennan’s Designs Hinode Farm: Pure beeswax candles Wickiti: Hand-crafted hemp wick dispensers & hemp wick Pacha Mama: Native American arts and crafts

Spring 2014 Classes offered in the visual arts, theatre and music for K-12 A UNIQUE HOLIDAY GIFT! Classes start February 22 and run for 8 weeks.

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December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

| 17

Home for the holidays From Christmas to Diwali, students keep traditions alive

By Maria Pianelli

A

s the nights grow longer and the temperature drops, local college students prepare to depart their adopted home and reunite with friends, family and holiday traditions. From Christmas to Diwali, students celebrate a variety of seasonal holidays, each of them tied to special celebrations.

For Nicole Iorio, 20, Christmas brings a special kind of magic.

“My dad is super into the holidays, but Christmas is his favorite,” said the major in communication disorders. “A couple weeks before Christmas, he rents a horse and buggy to ride around the neighborhood.”

Each year, the Iorio family invites family and friends to their Holtsville home to help spread holiday cheer. Together, they huddle around a fire pit in the front yard, sipping steamy hot chocolate and warm cider. Pretzels and knishes are served fresh from the grill before the group treks around the neighborhood, belting Christmas carols.

“My dad dresses up like Santa and brings gifts for all the younger kids,” Iorio adds. “It always makes the holidays interesting.”

After Christmas rolls around, Iorio’s father prepares for New Year’s with the same fervor.

“On New Year’s Eve, he sets up an imitation Times Square in the driveway and we have our own mini ball dropping,” said Iorio. After the holiday fanfare, the Iorio family bids winter festivities adieu with their annual trip to Montauk.

“After Christmas we usually drive to Montauk to see the lighthouse all lit up,” Iorio said. “They decorate it nice for the holidays.”

College student Payal Batra enjoys spending her winter break alongside her close friends. “I don’t celebrate Christmas, so every year my cousins and I go to the movies and eat Chinese food,” she said.

This November, Batra and her family celebrated Diwali, the South Asian Festival of Lights. “It has a long history of being a holiday where good has always triumphed over evil,” explained the public relations and Spanish double major. “It is celebrated mostly in India, though other South Asian countries celebrate as well.”

The Batras spend the holiday lighting candles, going to temple and giving gifts. This year, however, Batra, a residence assistant, celebrated in New Paltz by hosting a Diwali program in Bevier Hall.

“We pulled up videos of Bollywood Zumba routines and did henna,” she said.

The Wantagh native is eager to catch up with her crew this coming break. “I’m most excited to see my friends after not seeing them all semester,” she said.

“We usually go to the mall or just hang out at each other’s houses. On New Year’s, my friend always has us over to watch the ball drop.”

Roy Cohen, a sociology student from Jericho, Long Island, relishes his family’s Hanukkah traditions. “I

lauren thomas

From Christmas to Diwali, students celebrate a variety of seasonal holidays. usually have my family over for seder dinner,” he said. “We eat Jewish food and just enjoy each other’s company.”

Cohen received his favorite Hanukkah gift back in 2007, when he received a PlayStation 3.

“It was the best present ever,” he recalled.

He added: “I don’t really know what I have planned for the winter, but I’m going over my friend’s house for New Year’s Eve.” Both food and family play pivotal roles in students’ seasonal plans. Each year, Staten Islander Grace Kobryn bounces between her relatives’ homes to make the most of the holiday season.

“Usually Christmas is a blend of my mom’s and my dad’s family,” said the interpersonal communication major. “It alternates through the years between my aunt’s house and my house.”

On Christmas Eve, the Kobryn family embraces their Ukrainian roots, indulging on traditional

dishes such as holopchi (stuffed cabbage), pierogies and borscht soup.

The next morning, the family attends mass before exchanging gifts.

“The tradition is until you’re 25, you get a gift from everyone,” Kobryn said. “But once you’re over 25, you get involved in the Secret Santa and buy for one other adult.”

Though Kobryn’s winter break is deeply entwined with Christmas tradition, her fun will continue even after the holidays have passed. “I’m actually going to Disney World with my boyfriend and his family at the very end of break,” she said. ●

“My dad is super into the holidays, but Christmas is his favorite. A couple weeks before Christmas, he rents a horse and buggy to ride around the neighborhood.”

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5, 2013 18 | December Holiday Gift Guide

For gamers

1

By Mike Townshend hen you’re not shopping for yourself, selecting a video game or cellphone app isn’t always easy. But finding a good gift is a little easier in 2013, which saw the release of a bumper crop of great software.

Cell-phone apps continue to mature into their own phenomenon, drawing kids away from handheld gaming systems like Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita – much to the dismay of Sony and Nintendo.

The current generation of video-game consoles came to the end of their useful life this year with Microsoft and Sony announcing the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. This might seem to complicate things.

It doesn’t. As sometimes happens, most launch-day titles for PS4 and Xbox One are also coming out for the older systems – albeit with inferior graphics.

Since PS4 and Xbox One won’t have many games to choose from on Day One, this year’s list will hone in on games for the older systems.

W

For the casual cell-phone gamer Plants vs. Zombies 2 One of the greatest distractions ever invented for smartphones – outside of the Angry Birds or Fruit Ninja games – came in the form of a ninety-ninecent game known as Plants vs. Zombies. Simple and addictive like Pac-Man, PvZ, as it is known, saw players defending their in-game homes from the zombie horde by planting nasty greens that love battling the undead.

Earlier this year, Electronic Arts released Plants vs. Zombies 2, which quickly became one of the most downloaded games on the iPhone App Store and on the Android Marketplace. One of the best parts of PvZ 2 is the price. It costs you nothing. You download the game for free, and play it for free.

But Electronic Arts isn’t running a charity. They still have a plan to make money. Players who want more powerful plants or extra add-ons will have to fork up real-world cash.

If you happen to unwrap a smartphone under the tree this year, let Plants vs. Zombies 2 be a little gift you give yourself.

Potential gift-giving can come into play as well.

You could give your friend or loved one an iTunes or Google Play gift card to let them buy and download plants like the Snow Pea or Torchwood to make killing zombies a little easier.

Maker: Electronic Arts, PopCap. Price: Free. But add-ons cost between $2.99 to $9.99.

Ages: Nine and older, due to depictions of mild cartoon violence.

Available on: Android, iPhone and iPad.

2

For the hardcore gamer unafraid of violence in the media Grand Theft Auto V Universally reviled by conservative parent groups and prudes everywhere, the Grand Theft Auto games have delighted players since the first installment came out for PCs and the original PlayStation back in 1997.

Over the years, the game has drawn criticism for its graphic depictions of violence against police officers, sex, prostitution and crime. None of the games, though, are meant for kids. For the adults who’ve played them, they’ve seen a clever depiction of Mafia and gang life – the video-game equivalent of The Godfather films or Scarface – and a rousing send-up of modern American society.

Since they hit PlayStation 2, Grand Theft Auto games have included hilarious Easter eggs – like radio stations that play when your character drives off in a getaway car. Will your criminal listen to only Country Western? Or is he a more cultural, white-collar crook who’d like to listen to the fake NPR station?

Like Old-West movies to dyed-in-the-wool Easterners, or old-school gangsta rap music videos for suburban white kids, the GTA games gave players a fictional escape into an unfamiliar world – a safe and vicarious entry point into a dangerous, gritty land they wouldn’t otherwise know.

Grand Theft Auto V continues that trend by sending players back to San Andreas, the GTA universe’s fictional equivalent to California. This time around, the graphics are so realistic and the satire so timely that you can see the foreclosure signs on every other house in glorious high resolution. There’s even a silent-but-deadly electric car to steal and drive.

GTA V once again brings the dark comedy, amazing visuals and atmosphere gamers have grown to love.

Make sure to figure out if your husband, girlfriend, adult child or whoever else you’re giving this game to doesn’t already own it. Like a must-see water-cooler TV show, Grand Theft Auto games tend to prompt gamers to buy early just to have something to discuss with their compatriots.

If your gamer doesn’t own GTA V, and you know they aren’t turned off by on-screen violence, by all means necessary get them this game.

Do not – by any means – allow an underage kid to play this game. Any parent who gives in to whining and buys Grand Theft Auto V for a youngster – or lets their kid play it – should know that doing so is just an awful idea. Nobody will mind when the local PTA comes to drag you out into the street. Nobody will hear your screams when they clap you in the

3 stocks downtown.

Maker: Rockstar Games.

Price: $60.

Ages: 17+, due to graphic violence, depictions of blood and adult content.

Available on: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

For the comic-book-reading female in your life Comixology For women, video-game shops and comic-book stores can be testosterone-fueled places that aren’t always welcoming.

There’s an app for you if your daughter can’t get enough of Wonder Woman or your girlfriend has a secret crush on Captain America but doesn’t want to step foot inside a comic-book store. It’s called Comixology.

Or even if you’re a guy, the app allows you to skip the Wednesday drive to the comic-book shop and

Holiday Gift Guide EDITORIAL special sections editor: Mike Townshend copy editor: Geddy Sveikauskas layout: Deb Alexsa contributors: Jennifer Brizzi, Rich Corozine

Sharyn Flanagan, Mookie Forcella Rick Holland, Dion Ogust, Maria Pianelli Erin Quinn, Lauren Thomas, Mike Townshend ULSTER PUBLISHING publisher: Geddy Sveikauskas associate publisher: Dolores Giordano chief information officer: Joe Morgan advertising director: Genia Wickwire advertising project manager: Sue Rogers display ads: Lynn Coraza, Pam Courselle

Elizabeth K. W. Jackson, Ralph Longendyke, Linda Saccoman production manager: Joe Morgan production: Karin Evans, Josh Gilligan Rick Holland classified ads: Amy Murphy, Tobi Watson circulation: Dominic Labate HolidayGiftGuideisanannualpublicationproducedby Ulster Publishing, an independent media company in withofficesinKingstonandNewPaltz,NY.Itisdistributed inthecompany’sfiveweeklynewspapersandseparately at select locations.

For more info on upcoming special sections, including how to place an ad, call 845-334-8200, fax 845-334-8202 or go to www.ulsterpublishing.com.

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

| 19

BioShock Infinite, like the original, is a bit brainier and takes a bit more puzzle-solving to win.

Maker: Irrational Games, 2K Games.

Price: $60 or less.

Ages: 17+, due to graphic violence, depictions of blood and some drug references.

Available on: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360.

For the child (at heart)

4 download digital copies of your favorite titles from DC, Marvel, Archie and Image right from the comfort of the couch.

The software works a bit like the iPhone book store. You find a title you want, click on it, and it’s billed to your smartphone account or tablet account.

The app helps big-time comics fans do away with the giant cardboard boxes filled with back issues.

You can download and keep as many issues on your device as your hard drive allows.

The app has been out for a while now, but it is recently that DC Comics made a larger commitment to Comixology. Classic graphic novels like the Watchmen from DC and Vertigo are available – along with newer graphic novel collections.

Marvel had already had graphic novels and collections on the app, but the announcement about DC has expanded the offerings. The app also has digital copies of rare and Golden-Age comics for sale – like Action Comics No. 1.

Ask your comic-book fan if they already have Comixology downloaded. If they do, track down one of those iTunes or Google Play cards and buy them one.

Those cards will give them credit to make purchases on the app.

Again, if you are a comic-book fan who receives a smartphone or tablet this year, track down Comixology to see what it has to offer.

Maker: Comixology.

Price: Free.

Ages: Various. Check out the parental advisories and ratings on each title to learn what books are suitable for what age of reader.

Available on: iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire and Windows 8.

5 of Rapture remained in the sequel, the love of history, American politics and masterful storytelling he brought to the first game vanished.

Levine came back with BioShock Infinite. Columbia – based in part on the look of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago – oozes history. Run by a group of religious zealots who worship George Washington and America’s other founders as literal gods, the floating paradise is also a town fractured at the seams. Instead of delving into the political ideologies that fueled World War II and the Cold War, Levine explores the idea of American exceptionalism, jingoism and the racism of the 1910s. Quantum physics – and how a futuristic floating city could exist in 1912 – are at the heart of a mystery that Booker DeWitt starts to unravel.

More of a detective story than the original, BioShock Infinite ends with a surprise so haunting that you’ll want to play it again – all over again – right away. BioShock Infinite plays the way a good novel reads, and comes with the visual pizazz and soundtrack of a blockbuster summer movie. If you get through it, you won’t want it to end, and you’ll carry around the world of Columbia in your mind long after the off switch is pressed.

This game came out earlier this year, so there’s a chance your gamer might already own it. Ask them about it. And the game isn’t exactly over yet. Levine recently released an expansion pack that brings players back to the city of Rapture.

A gamer without BioShock Infinite will find it a well-appreciated gift. Although it’s a first-person shooter game, it might not appeal to people who love games like Call of Duty or Battlefield.

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BioShock Infinite In the late summer of 2007, something happened when people weren’t looking. Video games went from being the playthings of children to an entertainment medium capable of putting up a fight with books and movies.

BioShock – a dystopian nightmare set in 1960, in the underwater city of Rapture – changed the rules.

Developer Ken Levine crafted a story that had heft and political nuance. Run by an Ayn Rand-style, ultra-capitalist billionaire named Andrew Ryan, Rapture felt like a real city. You could almost smell the ocean water leaking in through the cracked windows and doors.

Ryan’s underwater capitalist haven succumbs to civil war during a socialist revolt. By the time players get to Rapture, it is in ruins – overrun by genetically modified goons and twisted monsters.

BioShock Infinite, the third in the series, shares a lot of thematic similarities with the original but instead explores the floating city of Columbia in a fictional 1912. This time players take the role of Booker DeWitt, a private detective hired under mysterious circumstances to track down a missing girl.

Levine, the mastermind behind the original BioShock, did not have a direct involvement with BioShock 2. While the gameplay and atmosphere

Pokemon X and Y When Pikachu, Mudkip and friends first busted onto the scene in the Game-Boy era of the late 1990s, it wasn’t ever really certain how long they’d stay around. Now, nearly 20 years after the Pokemon games first came out in Japan, there’s a new Pokemon trainer in town, and you’d better believe they’re ready to catch them all.

For those people still unfamiliar with the series, Pokemon games tend to come out in multiple editions of the exact same game. Different versions feature different Pokemon creatures to collect. Players who own one version cannot collect some monsters without trading with someone with the opposite version.

Pokemon X and Pokemon Y for the Nintendo 3DS are the latest versions of the games. Featuring overhauled graphics and more creatures to capture and train than ever, X and Y also rely on cloud storage and Wi-Fi. Back in the day, players had to physically link their Game Boys to trade creatures. Those days have are totally gone now. Since Pokemon Black and Pokemon White came out in 2011, the games have opened up to a more massively multi-player experience.

A player with Pokemon X can trade with someone over the Internet, or pit their Pokemon in a battle with a stranger.

That Pokemon social networking aspect is smoother than ever in the new versions.

Pokemon games have always appealed to kids, but the purity and fun of the gameplay has attracted older players, too. Many adults and even some parents now grew up with the games. In X and Y, familiar characters like Charizard and Squirtle now have the ability to evolve a fourth time – a development which should appeal to older gamers looking to revisit their old stomping grounds.

Young or old, there’s not much to object to about Pokemon. And for people with multiple 3DS systems lying around, it could be a great way to come together as a family.

Maker: Game Freak, Nintendo.

Price: $40.

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5, 2013 20 | December Holiday Gift Guide

TechTop5

By Mike Townshend ooking to buy tech gifts in 2013? Get ready to go big or go home this year. A halfdecade has passed since Christmastime last made video gamers and tech heads this happy – Sony and Microsoft are both releasing their new consoles this year.

Elsewhere in the gadget world, lots of cool things are happening.

Google ranks a spot on our list this year for one of the simplest, most elegantly engineered gadgets we’ve ever seen.

Also, Apple gave people another reason to go tablet for the holidays, and Nintendo finally has a few good reasons why you should buy a new handheld.

Here are our top tech gifts for 2013.

L

PlayStation 4 ack in the early 2000s, Sony reigned as the undisputed King of the Console with its PlayStation 2. But the PS3-era saw the electronics giant slip against unexpected competition from Nintendo’s explosively popular Wii and Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

Back in 2006, hardcore gamers flocked to Xbox 360 – and into the ever-loving arms of the Halo franchise – while casual gamers and families played Wii Sports bowling in the living room.

Despite PlayStation 3 being an unarguably beautiful machine – with a really sleek interface – the last generation of console wars left Sony the red-headed stepchild, sitting alone in the corner of the room.

Microsoft ran afoul of gamers at E3 2013 – the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles – when it announced that its new Xbox One restricted sales of used games. That feature prevents gamers from easily trading software with friends.

Unable to bottle the lighting that struck with the original Wii, Nintendo also hit hard times and is still working to convince people that its next-gen console Wii U has something to offer.

It’s clear to say, that’s probably good news for Sony.

Where Microsoft irked its fan base, Sony announced a PS4 that was friendlier to used games and trade-ins. Gamers with a PS4 can also brag about their feats by uploading gameplay footage directly from their consoles. They can instantly post screenshots to Twitter.

PlayStation 4 will have all the Triple-A, blockbuster games that Xbox One does, but the console is $100 less than Xbox One at launch. Fans of Superman, Batman and Green Lantern should also be happy, since PS4 will also launch with the superhero MMORPG, DC Universe Online.

For people in the market for a Blu-Ray player, Sony’s new console – like the PS3 – also doubles as a high-definition Blu-Ray device.

Maker: Sony Price: $399, for the basic unit.

B

Xbox One box One is the successor to Xbox 360, and has about the same graphical processing power as the PS4. Both will have roughly the same software titles at launch.

Since the original Xbox invaded living rooms and dorm rooms back in 2001, Microsoft has built a rabid fan base mostly dedicated to the Xbox-exclusive Halo franchise. But 2013 might be the year where Redmond, Wash.’s biggest software company starts to bleed customers.

Microsoft doubled down on that aforementioned breach of trust with gamers when it was also learned that their Kinect camera system – which comes

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illustration by rick holland

Get ready to worship at the altar of cool tech this year when PS4 and Xbox One are released.

standard with the Xbox One – never really shuts off. On the upside, that always-on camera feature allows Xbox One to turn on through vocal commands.

On the downside, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and just about every other tech giant found themselves in the middle of a privacy rights storm – one brewing since Congress first passed the Patriot Act. Edward Snowden blew into town, leaking scandal about the National Security Agency all over the place, and proved the paranoid right. So Microsoft’s installing a Big Brother-esque, ever-watching eye into the personal space of gamers hasn’t – as you might imagine – been the Xbox One’s most popular feature.

Xbox One also irked longtime gamers at E3 because it required a constant Internet connection.

Microsoft scrapped that always-online feature after fans protested this summer. They also backpedaled by allowing users with privacy concerns to disconnect the Kinect camera from the system.

Despite the fumbles, loyalty to the Xbox brand remains high. If you’re thinking of buying an Xbox One for your gamer this Christmas, don’t make assumptions – even if they owned an Xbox in the past.

Ask them to make sure that’s the next-generation system they really want.

Maker: Microsoft Price: $499, for the basic unit.

iPad Air pple has a new iPad tablet out in time for Christmas, and it might present a good upgrade point for longtime iPad owners.

The iPad Air – like the Apple’s other “Air” products – makes a name for itself because it is lighter than its predecessors. It weighs about 180 grams less than

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the last large iPad. But it also features the upgraded 64-bit chipset inside the iPhone 5S. It also has the high-resolution Retina display sported by newer Apple laptops and tablets.

For people who just purchased a new iPhone or for those who got an iPad in 2012, upgrading probably doesn’t make much sense.

However, if you are or know an early adopter – one who has clutched that bulky iPad 1 at their side for years now – iPad Air is probably the jumping point to a better machine.

Maker: Apple Price: $499, for the basic unit. The top-of-the-line model retails at $929.

Nintendo 3DS XL: The Legend of Zelda bundle p until this year, there wasn’t a huge reason to run out to the store and grab a Nintendo 3DS. But in two years, Nintendo has finally built up a wonderful catalogue of games for their new system.

There’s Pokemon X/Y, Super Mario 3D Land, Resident Evil Revelations and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon – the sequel to the criminally underrated GameCube game where Luigi fights ghosts with a vacuum cleaner. Another one of those amazing – and already critically acclaimed – video games is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.

The 3DS is an amazing piece of technology that allows users to see 3-D, stereoscopic images without the use of silly glasses. Instead of popping out at you, the images fade into the background like a bas relief.

Some people have issues seeing in 3-D at movies,

U

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide and that’s also a concern with for gamers. However, the 3DS comes with a switch that turns off the stereoscopic images.

Sporting a black-and-gold paint job – and the Triforce – this version of the 3DS should let whoever receives this gift stand out of the crowd. Limited edition versions like this one sometimes go fast, though.

Normally, the Nintendo 3DS retails for $200 and buying Zelda: A Link Between Worlds would cost an extra $40. People who buy the bundle end up saving about $20.

Maker: Nintendo Price: $219, for the whole bundle – including the game.

Google Chromecast

on your TV. Don’t rush out to buy Google Chromecast for someone else as a gift until you know for sure what kind TV they have. If they’re still rocking an oldschool tube TV, there won’t be an HDMI slot for Chromecast to plug into. And if the TV is too new, it might already be Net-enabled.

If your intended gift recipient already has a Wii or Wii U, PS3 or PS4, an Xbox 360 or Xbox One, or a Roku box – they won’t need a Chromecast either because they already have access to streaming video on their TV.

| 21

Since it picks up a Wi-Fi instead of needing a hardwired connection, potentially Chromecast could also help bring streaming video to a secondary TV in an upstairs or far-flung room. Chromecast is controlled either through a laptop or through a smartphone.

If you know someone who has been begging for a Roku – or if you’re shopping for a teen who wants to watch TV in their bedroom – this device is a good choice. You’ll make them happy, and your wallet can live to fight another day.

Maker: Google Price: $35 l

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hile it has become so popular as to rival network television and cable, streaming video is not in every home. Not everyone has access to Netflix or Hulu instant video on their TVs. For many people, devices like Roku, a video-game console or Apple TV bring streaming home. Many newer flat-screen HDTVs also support Netflix and Hulu streaming directly, usually through a broadband port in back.

Google Chromecast solves the problem of streaming for everyone else without those devices or Netenabled TVs. What makes Chromecast cool is how small it is.

The device looks a like a USB thumb drive, but instead it plugs into the HDMI port of your TV. Compare that to Roku box or PlayStation 3, which take up vastly more space and require external power.

It’s also cheap as heck.

For people with a non-Net-enabled HDTV, Chromecast solves a problem in an elegant way. It supports streaming from Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, Pandora Internet radio, and lets you surf the Web

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5, 2013 22 | December Holiday Gift Guide

Stocking stuffers

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holiday season, look no further than the midHudson Valley.

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t’s that time of year again. Seeking the perfect gift for your animal-loving aunt?

How about your fashion-forward sister or crafty younger cousin? For unique, affordable buys this

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1. For the dog lover Chocolate dogs: $8.35 to $13.60 Add some four-legged fun to your holiday season. Dog enthusiasts will relish Krause’s chocolate designs, consisting of pit bulls, Labradors and German shepherds. With these dark, white and milk

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chocolate confections, pet owners can celebrate their love of dogs with a silky, savory treat.

Chocolate pit bulls, labs and German shepherds can be purchased at Krause’s Chocolates, 41 South Partition St., Saugerties.

2. For the environmentalist with kids Eco-Crayons: $8.50 If making art and sustaining the environment are among your interests, look no further than EcoCrayons. Designed for “creative play the natural way,” Eco-Crayons are great way to introduce children to the creative arts and while entertaining the young at heart.

These earthy crayons are made using 25 percent bees wax and 75 percent fruit plant and vegetable extracts, including beets, carrots, purple sweet potato, red cabbage and spinach.

Crayons can be purchased at Waddle n Swaddle, 41 E. Market St., Suite 4, Rhinebeck.

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| 23

December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

3. For the hippie

7. For the music lover

The Quotable Sixties, edited by Rob Kirkpatrick: $14.95 For many, the 1960s are regarded as a period of politics, protest, drugs and defiance. In those ten years, we watched as Neil Armstrong treaded across the moon, the Vietnam War waged on, and teenagers fell headfirst for the British Invasion. Now, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;60s are celebrated in Kirkpatrickâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s collection of iconic quotes from public figures, perfect for any free spirit on your wish list.

The Quotable Sixties can be purchased at The Golden Notebook, 29 Tinker St., Woodstock.

Van Morrisonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Astral Weeks: $12.99 The works of Satie: starting at $5.99 Though Astral Weeks, the second solo album of Van Morrison was released in 1968, the album is still held in high regard today. Described by one record store employee as â&#x20AC;&#x153;one of the best, most magical records ever made,â&#x20AC;? the album is a blend of folk, blues, jazz and classical sounds. Also recommended were the works of Erik Satie, a French composer and pianist.

Find those albums and more at Darkside Records, 782 Main St., Poughkeepsie.

4. For a young boy

8. For the activist

10. For the sweet tooth

Cubebot: starting at $9.50 Though most robots are made of plastic and require batteries, Cubebot stands in a league of his own.

Inspired by kumiki puzzles, Cubebot is a wooden puzzle that assembles into a robot. His hardwood frame can hold a multitude of poses while durable limbs protect him from even the roughest of play.

When playtimeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s over, Cubebot can be folded back into a perfect cube until his next adventure.

Cubebot can be purchased at Cocoon, 67 Main St., New Paltz.

Fair trade telephone-wire jewelry: starting at $20 Do good this holiday season by purchasing products that support artisans abroad. These handcraft earrings and bangles were created by Zulu weavers living in rural South Africa. Comprised of telephone wire, the Zuluâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s jewelry combines traditional weaving with modern-day material to create unique artwork.

These creative endeavors enable more than 500 Zulu families to gain the dignity of work and selfsufficiency while maintaining rich artistic traditions.

Zulu fair trade jewelry can be purchased at Isabellaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Treasures, 7 N. Front St., New Paltz.

5. For the book worm

9. For the fedora lover

A Slant of Light, edited by Laurence Carr and Jan Zlotnik Schmidt: $20 A collection of contemporary prose and poetry, A Slant of Light features the voices of female writers from the Hudson Valley. From SUNY New Paltz students and professors to well-known writers native to the region, A Slant of Light explores the relationships women have towards their body and gender and identity. It also features a section exploring the representations and revisions of women as well as their place in the world.

Dynamic and passionate, this collection is sure to inspire audiences of all ages to embrace their identity and make their mark on the world.

A Slant of Light can be purchased at Inquiring Minds, 200 Main St., Saugerties.

Hats, accessories and blues music: $10 and up.

Know someone desperately looking for an old

Presents from the Past eclectic gift ideas

Nancy Adams Nostalgia Candy Mix: $9.99 Prepare for a flashback in candy form. These delectable mixes pay homage to some of our favorite decades by packaging up nostalgic sweets.

Fifties fans can snack on Necco wafers, Chuckles and button candy while flower children can soothe cravings for Sugar Daddies, Smarties and candy necklaces. Pixystix and Laffy Taffy will take loved ones back to the disco while Ring Pops and Hubba Bubba Bubble Tape will celebrate those â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80s days.

Even todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s college students can appreciate sweet throwbacks with the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s variety pack, including favorites such as Airheads, Warheads and Bubble Yum. Nostalgia Candy Mix can be purchased at Candy, Candy, 10 Main Street, Water Street Market, New Paltz.

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6. For the budding artist Royal & Langnickel: Painting by Number: $5.99 Want to paint like a pro without having to take expensive art classes? Look no further than Royal & Langnickel. With art kits ranging from gallant horses and cuddly puppies to fierce tigers and extreme sports, Royal & Langnickel gives budding artists the tools to turn their artistic curiosity into a full-blown passion. Suitable for artists â&#x20AC;&#x153;ages 8 to 88,â&#x20AC;? Painting by Numbers comes with seven-piece paint set and a brush.

Royal & Langnickelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Painting by Numbers kit can be purchased at Mannyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Art Supplies, 83 Main Street, New Paltz.

bowler or porkpie hat? Blue-Byrds Haberdashery & Music in Kingston is a wonderland of old-fashioned hats for men and women.

Anyone looking to make a statement with their headwear will want to check out this funky shop on Wall Street. Since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re quality felt and straw, the hats can run upwards of $50.

If thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s out of your price range, the shop carries an assortment of clothing accessories and harderto-find blues albums. Look around, check out what they have to offer, grab a CD or some suspenders and let your fedora-loving friend know youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve found the mother ship.

Fedoras and other interesting items can be purchased at Blue-Byrdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Haberdashery & Music, 320 Wall Street, Kingston.

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5, 2013 24 | December Holiday Gift Guide

A taste of home Holiday menu ideas to evoke fond memories

By Jennifer Brizzi

W

hen it comes to planning a holiday menu, there’s always the tried and true: stuffed turkey, mashed potatoes and green-bean casserole. Some do the exact same menu for Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. Though there’s nothing wrong with that, if you want to mix it up a bit with atypical fare, do like these local folks do and serve something different.

Think game meats, think healthier alternatives or go with your heritage. Skip the turkey and try something like Dana Page’s chocolate-spiked veni-

You may want to supplement or replace your rich and decadent holiday fare with some healthier dishes. For Janet Irizarry that means soothing cauliflower-squash soup. son or Sarah Hutchings’ truffled capon. Or serve an unusual and delicious soup like Janet Irizarry likes to bring out before turkey and all the fixings. On the side, you can go healthy with Alexis Carter’s sweetpotato smash. Or stick to homeland traditions like with Sarah’s gratin dauphinois.

A savory, chocolate hunter’s treat Rhinecliff mom-of-four Dana Page’s favorite holiday dish is enjoyed on opening day of hunting season as well as festive occasions.

“For the men in my life, this means waking in the middle of the night, donning 17 layers of clothing and underwear – long and short – driving to the middle of nowhere, climbing a tree with a thermos

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Janet Irizarry shops for cauliflower and squash for her festive favorite holiday soup at Adam’s Fairacre Farms’ Kingston store.

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December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

by a herd of rambunctious toddlers.”

In spite of her herd, she takes the time to make roast leg of venison with chocolate sauce, which she has adapted from the L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook by Angus Cameron and Judith Jones (Random House 1983).

“The chocolate does not make this a sweet dish, I swear,” she insisted. Two or three days before the feast, she simmers oil with finely sliced carrots and chopped onions, celery and garlic. In it she marinates a seven-to-twelve-pound leg of venison, taking breaks from herding toddlers to turn it now and then, and remembering to take it out of the fridge a while before she starts the cooking process so it comes to

room temperature.

She roasts it to rare, then strains and boils the marinade, adds a stick of butter and bastes the roast.

She melts sugar to make a caramel, and then adds vinegar, some of the roasting juices, whole cloves, cinnamon, fresh parsley, thyme and a bottle of “red lusty wine.”

Also there are more sliced carrots, onions and celery, plus four ounces of dark chocolate. To start, that is.

Page said that it’s essential to taste it as she goes along, and when it comes to the chocolate, “I always add more.”

| 25

A five-star French feast In nearby Rhinebeck, Sarah Hutchings, a native of Nice, France, cooks one or both of two favorite standbys for holidays. “My favorite side dish is gratin dauphinois, Julia Child’s version with starchy potatoes, butter, grated Swiss and boiling milk or cream.”

She slices the potatoes thinly, soaks them in cold water, while she preheats the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, and rubs a baking dish with a half-clove of garlic and a bit of the butter. She drains the potatoes and dries them with a dishtowel and layers them with the cheese, more butter, and salt and pepper.

Then she pours in the milk or cream and bakes until the potatoes are tender.

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Down-home comfort recipes 1 scallion (green onion), minced 1 tablespoon minced onion 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley 1 small clove garlic, minced 3 oz. lump crabmeat

By Jennifer Brizzi

M

y Thanksgiving essential is a stuffing based on my mother’s Southern-style cornbread sausage stuffing. It was so good I would sneak tastes of it before it even got into the bird. My own version, which I make most years even if I’m going elsewhere for the holiday, is based on equal parts day-old homemade cornbread and cubes of crusty baguette, with onions and celery, Jimmy Dean sausage, toasted pecans and fresh herbs (sage, parsley, thyme) held together with chicken stock and egg. Ma spiked hers with white wine, and sometimes I do that too.

When my holiday get-together is a cocktail party or includes an appetizer component, I like to serve these popular mini quiches, crab remoulade-stuffed tomatoes or melting Camembert surrounded by a nutty crust.

Slice tops off cherry tomatoes, and cut tiny slices off bottoms so that they’ll stand up. Scoop out insides carefully and turn upside down to drain on paper toweling.

While tomatoes are draining, reserve white of boiled egg and mash the yolk with mayonnaise.

Add lemon juice and whisk. Don’t worry about any little lumps.

Add mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, paprika, Tabasco and cayenne, and mix well. Mince egg white fine and add it to sauce along with scallion, onion, parsley and garlic. Mix well and fold in crabmeat without pulverizing it. Stuff tomatoes with crab mixture and serve.

Mini Quiches You will need a mini-muffin tin. Quantity depends on the size of the cups.

1 bunch/bag fresh spinach 2 loaves Pepperidge Farm original white bread or their square sandwich bread 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 3-4 oz. Baby Swiss cheese, grated coarsely 2 large eggs 1 cup heavy cream 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg Preheat oven to 350 F. Soak (if from a local farm), trim and steam spinach in its own water, then drain and squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Chop and set aside.

Take a piece of bread and roll it flat with a rolling pin. Using a biscuit cutter or drinking glass, cut it into a circle the right size to fit into one of your mini-muffin tin cups. Press into muffin cup and do the same for the rest of the bread. Depending on the capacity of your muffin tin, you may have to do this in batches.

Bake for 10 minutes, then cool in pan.

Meanwhile whisk together eggs, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

But Hutchings has more up her sleeve.

“Another Christmas essential comes from an English-French cookbook, chapon facile a la truffe,” capon with truffles, she adds. This sumptuous bird – a castrated rooster – is stuffed with milk-soaked bread, egg, chicken liver, mixed mushrooms, black truffles, garlic, shallot, parsley, thyme, duck fat, fine sea salt and white pepper. Sarah serves the roasted bird with a lovely gravy made from the drippings.

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jennifer brizzi

Alexis Carter chooses the best sweet potatoes for her healthy holiday side at Mother Earth’s Storehouse in Poughkeepsie.

Put cooled quiche cups on cookie sheet, and put a pinch of grated cheese in each. Add a pinch of spinach to each, then pour in egg mixture not quite to the top, because it will rise. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until egg is set.

Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Crab Remoulade Makes 24 2 dozen cherry tomatoes 1 large egg, boiled for 15 minutes 4 teaspoons Hellman’s mayonnaise 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon stone-ground (grainy) mustard 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika 1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce Dash cayenne

Healthy soup to feed the soul You may want to supplement or replace your rich and decadent holiday fare with some healthier dishes. Janet Irizarry of Gardiner precedes heavy holiday meals with her soothing, light cauliflowersquash soup. She is a 25-year veteran of restaurant ownership who consults for other restaurant owners, established or prospective (see www.therestaurantplaybook.com).

Of the soup, she says, “It’s refreshing, not heavy.

It’s pretty. It’s festive. I take a head of cauliflower cut into florets and a butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into pieces one-half-inch square. I toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 425 degrees on a cookie sheet about 35 to 40 minutes, until they’re brown and crispy.

“Then I boil some chicken stock – I make it myself, but you don’t have to – and put in a pinch of saffron and let it steep. In another pot I sweat onion and celery in olive oil. Then I mix everything together and puree it with my immersion blender. You can then add cream or half and half if you want to, but it’s not necessary.”

Baked Sheep Camembert with Almond Crumb Crust Makes 2 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 very small shallot, minced finely 1/4 cup slivered almonds 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs 3 tablespoons dried cherries, chopped 2 teaspoons minced Italian flat-leaf parsley Pinches of salt and pepper 1 large egg, beaten 2 (two) 4 oz. squares Hudson Valley Camembert from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company, or two small wheels French Camembert Plain Melba toast, “petit toasts” or thin slices of baguette, toasted, for serving Melt butter over low heat in skillet. Sauté minced shallot and almonds until the almonds are golden, then stir in panko and remove from heat. Let cool, then chop up a little to break up almonds. On a plate, add chopped cherries, parsley, salt and pepper and mix well.

Coat Camembert squares with beaten egg and dip all sides in almond-crumb mixture, pressing in slightly to help it adhere. Place the coated squares in a shallow baking dish corner-to-corner and chill one hour or longer.

Preheat oven to 350 F about 20 minutes before baking. Bake squares for about 7 to 8 minutes, until slightly toasted, and serve.

Sweet potatoes for the vegetarian set Alexis Carter, of Beacon, celebrates Kwanzaa each year, and as a health-minded vegetarian eater and cook, cooks something nutritious and delicious both.

“One of my fave dishes to bring to a Kwanzaa celebration is a sweet potato smash. I skin and boil sweet potatoes, drain them, then add agave, molasses and turbinado sugar. I put in a hint of nutritional yeast, Earth Balance [a vegan buttery spread] or a teaspoon of olive oil.

“I also like to make mashed red potatoes with rutabaga. I add onion and garlic that I’ve chopped small and sautéed, Bragg Liquid Aminos [a liquid soy-based protein concentrate], pepper, Earth Balance, olive oil and nutritional yeast.”

Explore and be rewarded So whether traditional or innovative, decadent with chocolate or truffles, or extra-healthy with natural ingredients and a light touch with the fat, try something a little out of the ordinary for your holiday meals this year. ●

Make the most of your home.

Read Home Hudson Valley.

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December 5, 2013 Holiday Gift Guide

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