A sampler of holiday events around the region
Dec 12th, 11am to 4pm. Pet Photos With Santa. It’s the Ulster County SPCA’s Pet Photos With Santa! Have your pet’s photo taken with Santa Claus by
Celebrations
Four ideas for a group of locally procured presents on a given theme
This holiday season is shaping up to be unlike any that we’ve experienced. Though there may be difficulties aplenty, try not to let them dim our festive spirits. Instead, let’s view our challenges as an opportunity to support and uplift our neighbors and communities.
Celebrating the wisdom of the twilight years
For me, reading’s been better than ever this year. It’s helped me and many others find a means of accepting, even understanding, the anxieties caused by pandemic. It’s been an alternative to the battles over truth that have forced their ways into our political souls via journalism and the social media.
The holidays take a new shape this year
With the second wave of Covid-19 still building steam, upcoming holiday celebrations, which generally involve intergenerational, indoor gatherings lasting several hours or more, are coming under scrutiny. Public health officials are urging Americans to celebrate only with those in their household; in essence, to skip seeing extended family this year so that everyone will be around to see next year.
Gathering for a county Covid-19 update
The arrows of crisis are all pointed up at precipitous angles, as officials and front-line workers scramble back into response mode, and a fatigued, near-broken populace moans “not that again,” as if it were another pointless Kardashian/Jenner news cycle. Some of the most embittered and suspicious among us arguing that is precisely what it is.
Our local winter requires us to live in balance and harmony
“Mushrooms galore, much snow in store. No mushrooms at all, no snow will fall.”
Ideas for the outward-bound on your shopping list
There is no pricetag on the outdoors, no substitute for the fresh air or the invigorating smell of snow on pine branches or the way the warmth of the sun heats one from the inside out. There is no Instagram pic or Facebook post of a waterfall or forested trail or sunset sliding down the back of a mountain that can transport the viewer. There is no 3-D printer for life. You have to go out and get it.
Local gift ideas for the Covid-19 holiday season
We’ve compiled a list with all locally sourced products from around the Hudson Valley. Purchase your loved one a wonderful gift, whether it’s a puzzle to provide some needed distraction, special soap and lotion to stay clean or a fun new face mask — all while supporting local businesses this season.
Where to get married in the Hudson Valley
Without a recommendation from a trusted friend, it can feel like you’re looking in the Yellow Pages for a place to get married. I decided to consult the pros — people in the wedding business, people in the know about what works and what doesn’t, people who have their own favorite places with their own special memories of working there. I turned to a wedding officiant, florists, musicians, photographers and caterers to tell me where they’ve really enjoyed doing their jobs.
Are there really 45,000 forms of love?
Recently a friend asked me: “If you could perform a wedding, what would it be like?” Let me see….