If you’re in the market for unique gifts ...

By Manor Ink Staff

Here’s how to sleigh your gift list. Sorry, we couldn’t resist the pun!

But if you are looking for special holiday shopping experiences that support dozens of local artisans, businesses and vendors, yule be sorry if you don’t check out these very merry markets (again with the puns!).

So here’s a list of great places to find gifts and get in the holiday spirit.

Bethel Woods Holiday Pop-up Markets
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts’ holiday markets might be the mother of all holiday markets. This year there will be a different pop up market every Saturday in December leading up to Christmas, with more than 20 unique local businesses set up at each market. These markets are free to attend and take place on Dec. 6, 13, and 20, from noon to 9 p.m., at the Center, 200 Hurd Road in Bethel. Learn more at bethelwoodscenter.org/events/detail/holiday-market.

Dickens on the Delaware
On Saturday, Dec. 13, the hamlet of Callicoon will host its annual Charles Dickens-themed holiday market, complete with shopkeepers and townsfolk in Victorian costumes, as well as horse-and-buggy rides, caroling and other festive activities. The whole town will participate in the good tidings, but there are two market locations – the Western Hotel Terrace at 22 Upper Main Street, and the Callicoon Depot at 40 Lower Main Street. For more information, visit visitcallicoon.com/dickens-on-the-delaware.

Hancock Christmas on the Square
On Sunday, Dec. 6, shop with local stores and vendors, and participate in many other festive activities in Hancock in Delaware County. Kids can enter Rudolph’s Reindeer Run scavenger hunt starting at 2 p.m., families can view a live nativity from 2 to 4 p.m., and can take photos with Santa from 4 to 7:30 p.m. There will also be a holiday parade from 6 to 6:45 p.m. More at hancockny.org/o/chamber/article/2519423.

Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce Holiday Market
Held on Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 6 and 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both days, this holiday market will take place at the Liberty Mall, located at 15 Sullivan Avenue in Liberty. In past years, it has featured a variety of handcrafted items from the community for the holiday season – everything from antiques to artwork to jewelry. Updates at business.catskills.com/community-events.

Livingston Manor Chamber of Commerce Holiday Market
This market will be held Saturday, Dec. 6, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Catskill Art Space, located at 48 Main Street in the hamlet. There will be free gift wrapping services and a free Livingston Manor tote bag with purchase at any business in town of $75 or more. Details at livingstonmanorny.com/event-6342001.

Narrowsburg Union Holiday Market
The Union’s market this year will take place on Saturday, Dec. 6, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., in the facility located at 7 Erie Avenue in Narrowsburg. In addition to a long list of holiday vendors, there’s a wreath-making workshop that you will need to pre-register for at narrowsburgunion.com/holiday-market24.

The Junction Holiday Market
Roscoe will hold a holiday market at The Junction on Thursday, Dec. 4, from 4 to 9 p.m., with tattoos by Dan Nelson, food from Pizza Althea and Grizzly Bagels, and Misty’s handmade knits and rugs direct from Morocco. The Junction is at 60 Stewart Avenue in the hamlet. More at instagram.com/thejunctionroscoe.

Cool places to shop locally

Sullivan County has many wonderful shops offering locally crafted items and unusual gifts. Manor Ink’s staff has compiled a list of their favorite retailers as a help to readers who are looking for that perfect gift.

• Jitterbug, 67 Main St., Livingston Manor: Cool games for little or big kids, new and used vinyl records, and art supplies for young and old. jitterbugcatskills.com

• Funky Hippy Chic Boutique, 679 Resorts World Dr., Monticello: Groovy clothes for men and women, purses, jewelry and other fun accessories. funkyhippychicboutique.com

• Drooz + Co., 16 Pearl St., Livingston Manor: A modern day general store with art, gifts, decor, vintage items and furniture. droozandcompany.com

• Bashakill Bazaar, 138 Sullivan St., Wurtsboro: Vintage keepsakes, including jewelry, clothing, vinyl records, CDs, wall art and a large collection of cameras and novelty items. facebook.com/p/Bashakill-Bazaar

• Morgan Outdoors, 234 Main Street, Hurleyville: Hand warmers, cozy pairs of warm socks, warm layers, coats and winter boots; morgan-outdoors.com

• Canal Towne Emporium, 107 Sullivan St., Wurtsboro: A beautiful collection of locally handcrafted gifts, furniture, holiday items, clothing and foods. canaltowne.com

• The Roscoe Collective, 57 Stewart Ave., Roscoe: Fine artwork, including original ceramics, paintings, fiber arts, block prints and photos. theroscoecollective.com

• The Hound Books, 3 Union St., Roscoe: Gifts for bookworms, offering a wide range of literature, from rare vintage editions to the newest releases. thehoundbooks.com

• Ratty Books, 4893 Main St., Jeffersonville: Books mostly catering to young children, but also stories and gifts for older kids and adults. rattybooks.com

• Litt Home & Book, 43 Lower Main St., Callicoon: New and vintage books, clothes, toys, novelties, art, posters and more. instagram.com/litthomeandbook

• Life Repurposed, 62 Main St., Livingston Manor: A gift and thrift shop with a mix of antiques, primitives, refinished furniture, vintage clothing, novelties and more. liferepurposed.net

Local musician makes good: Irving Berlin and ‘White Christmas’

By Rachel Zuckerman | Manor Ink

’Twas the edition before Christmas, all was still, and the radio or music player was playing Christmas jams that we all know. All the classics. “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” (my personal favorite), etc. But right now, we’re going to learn about Irving Berlin and his famous holiday tune “White Christmas,” which has been recorded endless times. Everybody knows he lived in nearby Lew Beach for many years – oh! you didn’t know that? Well then, let’s get cracking! (As in nutcrackers, haha!)

On May 11, 1888, Israel Isidore Beilin (Berlin’s given name) was born to Moses and Lena Lipkin Beilin, the newborn either the youngest of six siblings or one of eight, no one really knows. His first years were spent in Imperial Russia, but his family moved to the United States when he was five because of pogroms or attacks against Jews. Berlin remembered “lying on a blanket by the side of a road, watching my house burn to the ground. By daylight the house was in ashes.” It was time to go.

The family arrived at Ellis Island in 1893 and took up residence in New York City, struggling to make a living. “Izzy” took odd jobs to sustain the family. Sadly his father died when Berlin was thirteen, forcing the boy to make a bunch of different life choices.

Leaving school life around that age, he began singing in saloons on the Lower East Side, and music was his only income. At 18, he got a job as a singing waiter in Chinatown and would make up blues parodies, all while serving drinks. During his free time, Berlin taught himself to play piano, though only in the key of C, so the story goes. In 1907, he wrote and published his first song, “Marie from Sunny Italy,” and got all of 33 cents in publishing rights.

In 1912, he met his first wife, Dorothy Goetz, the sister of one of his collaborators. But this is where it gets sad. See, during their honeymoon, she had gotten typhoid fever, and the doctors couldn’t do anything to treat her, so she sadly died in July of that year. Then in the 1920s, he fell in love with Ellin Mackay, who was a young author and heiress. Because Berlin was Jewish and Mackay was Irish Catholic, theirs was a complicated love story. But, in the end, they married, and made it work. In their 63 years of marriage, they had four kids.

It was in the early 1940s that Berlin and his family moved to Sullivan County, finding a rustic home in then very rural Lew Beach. Here’s what County Historian John Conway says about that:

“Irving Berlin often said that buying the Lew Beach property was the best thing he’d ever done. He told interviewers that he loved the mountains of Sullivan County because of the fresh air they provided, and because they reminded him of pictures he had seen of his birthplace in Russia. Besides, he loved to fish, and his property included a long stretch of Shin Creek, which emptied into the world famous Beaverkill trout stream.”

It was in Lew Beach that Irving Berlin composed his famous “White Christmas.” Well, at first he drafted it in California, but then brought it back home and finished it, maybe with the snow falling outside his window.

In 1989, Irving Berlin sadly died in his sleep at the remarkable age of 101.

Now that you know about Irving Berlin, and how he came to be, I hope you can enjoy listening to those Christmas tunes that everyone so loves. Have a Merry Christmas, my fellow readers!

Have kids on your list? The Ink has a few gift suggestions

Finding the perfect gifts for the young people in your life can be a challenge, especially with all the other preparations necessary in the days leading up to the holidays. To help make the task easier, this year Manor Ink once again offers a few helpful suggestions.

For children

Threeking RC Stunt Car | $29.99 (Pictured)
This remote control stunt car flips, driving both rightside up and upside down. With flashing headlights and explosive power, this easy-to-control toy will thrill young gift-getters.

ETIKEZ Kids Camera | $27.99
This colorful point-and-shoot camera instantly prints pictures your little tike takes using thermal technology. It also saves the images as downloadable color digital files. The camera includes printing paper, so it’s ready to shoot right out of the box.

COOLNIGHT Night Light Projector | $16.99
This rotating night light projects soothing images on your child’s bedroom ceiling, with three colorful films to choose from – stars, mermaids or unicorns. It comes with a remote control and three brightness levels.

For Pre-teens

DDAI Friendship Bracelet Maker | $35.97 (Pictured)
This easy-to-use craft kit lets kids create colorful bracelets for friends in 16 different configurations. The loom can make necklaces, too, and includes unique clasps.

Flying Orb Ball | $22.99
This dazzling ball has a propeller inside which causes it to fly, hover, bank and spin while flashing psychedelic lights. Cause it to swoop and loop in a game of catch with friends without ever touching it. Amazing!

Pindaloo Ball Game | $32.99
The latest craze for preteens is this ball-and-tube skill game, a surefire blast right out of the box. Learn to do a variety of tricks while catching and looping the ball without dropping it.

For Teens

Vinyl Records | $25-$50 (Pictured)
LPs are great gifts for a teenager. Music has been proven to help with stress and focus. Vinyl records also add an aesthetically pleasing element to a teenager’s room. They allow your teen to combine a love of music with an appreciation of vintage audio technology!

KOMBOID Ball Bouncing Skill Game | $29.99 (Pictured)
A game of hand-eye coordination, this box-and-ball challenge has players bouncing a ball on one of five box sides, matching whatever symbol is called out on an accompanying set of symbol cards. Not as easy as it looks, and hilarious fun!

dbsono Magnetic Phone Speaker | $29.99
This magnetic speaker attaches to the back of your iPhone or android phone, syncs up with its audio output and plays whatever music your teen is currently into. It comes complete with a power cable for charging, metal attachment ring and a quick start guide. Rock out!