Home for the Holidays 2020

Home for the

Holidays

A Collection of Local Holiday Gift Ideas and Seasonal Scenes December 10, 2020

2 • Gift Guide | December 10, 2020

Home for the Holidays W Remembering our past, looking to our future

ith COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions, maybe the phrase “home for the holidays” takes on new meanings this year. Practical practicing of social distancing will mean changes to our favorite hometown celebrations, like tree lightings, outdoor caroling, holiday window shopping and, hopefully, a visit from Santa Claus himself.

(We’re sure Santa knows the best ways to make all his holiday rounds in the safest manner for all concerned.)

Traditionally, we begin to see the

twinkle of holiday lights being added to downtown street lamps and around our town plaza, squares and public parks.

These are days we like to visit our other small towns in north and west Sonoma County to share in all the unique local holiday customs and local shopping opportunities. This year, Hanukkah begins the evening of Dec. 10 and ends Dec. 18, and Christmas (Dec. 25) is on a Friday, so everyone will have a full season to leisurely complete our gift lists.

Continued on Page 6…

Sebastopol Tree Lighting Spectators

Cloverdale Holiday Horse Carriage

Windsor Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove

Healdsburg Holiday Carolers

COSTEAUX.SHOP Treat Yourself. Treat Others.

The best presents under the tree are spreading love & serenity.

Jewelry • Stones • Journals • Crystals Statues • Cards • Scarves • Artwork

We Offer

Cinnamon Walnut Bread | DELECTABLE. DELICIOUS. DENSE. 707.433.1913 or online at www.costeaux.shop

Online Shopping Delivery Shipping & Curbside Gift Cards

707-824-1155 123 North Main St. Sebastopol, CA Shop online: milk-and-honey.com

Gift Guide | December 10, 2020 • 3

Local Holiday Gift Ideas For the naturalist

For the pets

For the plant lover

Cloverdale Nursery

Clover Dog

The Gardener Clover Dog has an assortment of holiday items for pets and people!

Pictured are handmade beds and toys for cats and dogs!

Looking for unique?

Shop local and global gifts at Cloverdale Nursery this Holiday Season.

The Gardener in Healdsburg has a variety of Paper White bulbs in stylish containers to bring a little bit of the outdoors inside. A wonderful gift idea for the plant lover in your life. Perfect for thank you gifts for the person who has everything.

For the kids

Garrett’s Ace Hardware Garrett’s Hardware in Healdsburg has a full line of amazing gifts for everyone on your list, including the children. The Melissa & Doug line of learning toys will keep your little ones busy with creative, imaginative play for hours.

Continued on Page 9…

Gift Guide 2020 is a special advertising supplement to the December 10, 2020 edition of:

The Healdsburg Tribune Publication Staff Administration Rollie Atkinson Sarah Bradbury Jan Todd

Holiday Toys Pet Food & Treats Pet Wash Supplies & More!

Advertising Sales Teresa Elward Cherie Kelsay Laura Tew

Production Maci Martell Jim Schaefer Cover photo by Sarah Bradbury

Handmade in Minnesota, the company has great standards and makes beautiful durable items!

Open 7 days • 10am - 6pm • 1129 S. Cloverdale Blvd, Cloverdale (707) 669-0212 • cloverdogpetsupplyandwash.com

4 • Gift Guide | December 10, 2020

C'est Magnifique Pâte à Choux

P

âte à choux (pronounced pattyshoe), is a light pastry dough made of butter, flour, eggs and water. The pastry is used in many European and European-derived cuisines and pastries.

History (as told by Wikipedia) According to some cookbooks, a chef by the name of Pantarelli or Pantanelli invented the dough in 1540, seven years after he left Florence with Catherine de’ Medici and her court. He used the dough to make a gâteau and named it pâte à Pantanelli. Over time,

the recipe of the dough evolved, and the name changed to pâte à popelin, which was used to make popelins, small cakes made in the shape of a woman's breasts. Then, Avice, a pâtissier in the 18th century, created what were then called choux buns. The name of the dough changed to pâte à choux, as Avice’s buns resembled cabbages — choux in French. From there, Antoine Carême made modifications to the recipe, resulting in the recipe most commonly used now for profiteroles.

Supplies • 2 baking sheets • Parchment paper • Saucepan • Mixer (hand or countertop) • Piping bag with tip • Oven Ingredients • 1 ½ cup water • 1 stick unsalted butter

Steps 1) Preheat oven to 400, line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2) In saucepan combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium.

3) Add flour stirring vigorously until flour is fully incorporated 4) Transfer dough to a mixer, medium speed add eggs one at a time. Once all eggs are added, mix for 8 minutes.

5) Fill piping bag with desired tip.

Pipe onto the baking sheets, leaving 1-2 inches between each mound.

6) Brush dough with egg wash or spray with non-stick cooking spray.

7) Bake for approximately 35 minutes – until puffy and browned.

8) Cool and use for desired application.

Savory ideas: Fill with egg salad, tuna salad, or lox + cream cheese.

Sweet ideas: Fill with whipped cream (add some peppermint or cinnamon), chocolate or lemon curd.

(plus 1 tablespoon butter) • 1 tsp. sugar • ½ tsp. salt • 1 ½ cups flour (all purpose)

Costesux French Bakery 417 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg (707) 433-1913 • costeaux.com

Charlie Brown and Snoopy dress for the holidays and present their festively decorated tree at the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree Grove on the Windsor Town Green.

Gift Guide | December 10, 2020 • 5

Holiday picks from the library Gift yourself a holiday diversion with the library’s top picks

E

verything is always free at the Sonoma County Library.

No library card? No problem. Visit sonomalibrary.org and sign up online.

1

The Snowy Day

by Ezra Jack Keats The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.

Christmas Baking: Festive Cookies, Candies, Cakes, Breads, and Snacks to Bring Comfort and Joy to Your Holiday

2

by Joyce & Laura Klynstra This collection brings together more than 100 irresistible treats to enjoy and share.

3

Home Alone An eight-year-old boy is left home alone on Christmas, and has to defend his home against two bumbling burglars.

Art of Hanukkah Through its selection of forty-eight masterpieces of holiday ceremonial and fine art, this book tells the story of the desecration of the holy Temple, its subsequent reclaiming and rededication, and the miracle of the single, tiny cruse of oil that continued to provide light for eight days.

5

4

The Miracle of the First Poinsettia: A Mexican Christmas Story (we also own this in Spanish)

by Joanne Oppenheim A retelling of a Mexican legend that describes the origin of the Poinsettia plant.

My Jewish Year: 18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew

by Abigail Pogrebin The author describes her research on the holidays of the Jewish calendar and how she came to understand how these celebrations have lasted for thousands of years.

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6 • Gift Guide | December 10, 2020

Home for the Holidays Continued from Page 2…

As we are being extra safe and staying away from too large of crowds, everyone can take the opportunity to support local shops, restaurants and other businesses by purchasing gift cards or participating in seasonal online benefits, like the Rotary Club of Healdsburg’s Crab Feast auction on Dec. 12. (Check our holiday event announcements and coverage on our four news websites.)

In this Christmas and holiday season like none other, families may wish to share the spirit of the giving season with extra donations to the local community food pantries and the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Toy drives in Cloverdale, Healdsburg, Windsor, Geyserville, Sebastopol and Guerneville

also are being held by various local nonprofits, firemen and others.

There are many ways to share the holiday spirit and send season’s greetings to friends and neighbors and to also be safe during the COVID-19 restrictions. Old traditions like exchanging Christmas cards should be extra popular this year and everyone would enjoy joining a holiday cookie exchange.

And we can all expect more than few invitations to join a Zoom session where there might even be some attempts to share the singing of Christmas songs and other holiday rituals.

— Rollie Atkinson Check out our photo gallery of past local holiday celebrations.

Too much stuff?

Lakewood Village Self Storage can help!

Take care of the golfer in your life with the perfect social distancing activity.

We offer the Cleanest Cheapest Gated Well-Lit Drive-Up Units in Windsor

Holiday Gift Certificates Available!

24 Hour Security Cameras Call to reserve your storage unit today!

707-838-7867 • lakewoodvillageselfstorage.com 903 Adele Drive, Windsor, CA

707-838-7888 1340 19th Hole Dr., Windsor windsorgolf.com

Gift Guide | December 10, 2020 • 7

Santa Claus (Roger Collins) and Sebastopol Fire Chief at the Sebastopol Fire Station. This was a toy drive for Toys 4 Tots.

If you brought a toy, you got your picture taken with Santa and got to take the picture home in a frame. (December 2006)

Rollie Atkinson, Cherie Kelsay and Dick Bertapelle at a holiday party. (January 2011)

Sebastopol residents (Lorraine Giusti, Cindy Varner, Sue Fomasi and Linda Collins) enjoying a bus tour of the Christmas Lights throughout Sonoma County. (December 2010)

Locals gather for a community lighting of a menorah during Hanukkah.

Shop Mark West

Linda Collins and Santa (Roger Collins) at the Sebastopol Fire Station collecting toys for Toys 4 Tots. (December 2010)

Mr. and Mrs. Claus greet the townsfolk in Windsor.

GIVE THE GIFT OF FITNE SS !

Now offering gift certificates includinng membership, training, t and even nutrition packagees. Scan the QR code or contact us to t learn more and purchase a giftt certificate today!

ANY TIME FITNES S L ARKFIELD | 6 20 L ARKFIE LD CENTER S ANTA RO S AA, CA | (7 0 7) 5 7 88-44 900

! s y a d i l o H Happy

The perfect Christmas gift is safety and security for your family...

Backup generators from Firebrand Safety Systems, Inc.

707-303-7270 3632 Airway Drive, Santa Rosa, CA 95403 www.fbssi.com

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&

partnership with

8 • Gift Guide | December 10, 2020

A Special Holiday Message from Your Friends at Sonoma West Publishers

RO

LLIE

CH

SAR H A

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ZOË

TER

LAURA

ESA

AT H E R

CA

MACI

JIM

JAN

ERIE

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THERIN

MILLE

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GREG

JACK

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Thank You & Happy Holidays

Gift Guide | December 10, 2020 • 9

Local Holiday Gift Ideas For the griller

For the fashionista

For the spiritual gift collector

Johnson Pool & Spa

Continued from Page 3…

Rust Boutique

Sebastopol Hardware Sebastopol Hardware has a unique selection of holiday nativity figurines, angels and spiritual themed statues and décor. For those who are missing going to church services in person, these make nice additions for creating a spiritual sanctuary at home this season.

The Traeger line of BBQ's makes the perfect gift that keeps on giving when you feast on the fabulous meals your chef will be preparing. Johnson Pool & Spa in Windsor can set you up with everything you need and a luxurious spa too!

Great food, relaxation make for a perfect holiday backyard staycation!

For the royals

For the decorator

Milk & Honey

Forestville Pharmacy

The HOBO line of leather wallets, purses and clutches are designed with beauty, soul and purpose. These timelessly could designs and flawless functionality are made to last.

You'll find a great selection at Rust at The Barlow in Sebastopol.

Forestville Pharmacy has a great selection of Christmas gift items and décor. This O'Tannenbaum Santa Nutcracker wooden nutcracker was hand carved in Germany by the world famous nutcracker maker Christian Steinbach. They also have an extensive collection of Kurt Adler nutcrackers.

For a whimsical gift, check out the LOSCHY line of hand-sewn Crystal Crowns available in Sebastopol at Milk & Honey.

Created by designer Melissa Loschy, when you see her pieces in person, you can truly see how much love goes into each crown. The perfect gift for yourself or someone you want to feel royal.

Here’s a gift for all the “River Rats” on your holiday shopping list — and for anyone who likes great stories!

Givi e a Parks M Your annual memb

neral enior

• free parking at 50 • free night off cam • festival admissiio • free boat launchh • discounts to W

Newspaper columnist and retired pastor Robert Jones has collected 150 pages of his favorite writings about the people he fondly calls his fellow “River Rats.”

Available at Guerneville 5&10 and Northwood Golf Club.

E-book versions available on Amazon.

Gift Mem mberships available e at REI, Oliver ’s Marrkets, Sebastopol Hardware, and other re etail p partners throu ugh g Dec. 24

SonomaC CountyPa arks.org

10 • Gift Guide | December 10, 2020

Holiday dates and traditions Christmas Eve — Thursday, December 24 Christmas Day — Friday, December 25

C

Give the gift of • Community • Journalism • Democracy

hristmas traditions include a variety of customs, religious practices, rituals and folklore associated with the celebration of Christmas. Many of these traditions vary by country or region, while others are universal and practiced in a virtually ubiquitous manner across the world.

Traditions associated with the Christmas holiday are diverse in their origins and nature, with some traditions comprising an exclusively Christian religious character with origins from within the religion, while others have been described as more cultural or secular in nature and have originated from outside the realm of Christian influence.

Christmas traditions have also changed and evolved significantly in the centuries since Christmas was first instituted as a holiday, with celebrations often taking on an entirely different quality or atmosphere depending on the time period and geographical region.

Here’s a fun Christmas tradition: Hide the Christmas pickle.

The jury is still out on the true origins of this tradition. Most would say it started in Germany; however some would beg to differ. No matter how this peculiar tradition of the Christmas Pickle came about, we care more about

What happens each day of the Mexican Christmas season?

• December 12: Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe (Dia de la Virgin de Guadalupe) • December 16-24: Las Posadas • December 24: Christmas Eve (Nochebuena) • December 25: Christmas Day (Navidad) • December 28: Day of the Sainted Innocents (Dia de los Santos Inocentes)

supported by:

• January 6: Three Kings Day (Dia A 501c3 tax-exempt non-proft.

www.socolocalnews.org/s/

Donate Today!

where the ornament is hidden now — and being the first to find it. The night before Christmas an ornament shaped like a pickle is hung in the tree secretly.

And on Christmas morning, the first to find it will get a special gift or surprise.

de Los Tres Reyes Magos) • February 2: Candlemas (La Candelaria) • The poinsettia originates from Mexico, and like the evergreen tree, it is a plant that thrives during the winter and symbolizes new life. But it doesn’t stop there! Their shape resembles a star, like the one that led the Wise Men to Jesus.

What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah (also spelled “Chanukah”) is an eight-day winter “festival of lights,” which begins each year on the 25th day of the Jewish month of Kislev.

Because the Hebrew calendar is based on the lunar cycle, the dates of Jewish holidays, according to the Gregorian calendar, change from year to year. For this reason, the beginning of Hanukkah can range from early November to late December.

In short, Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the Temple in

Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying Greek armies. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and of spirituality over materiality.

When is Hanukkah?

In 2020, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Thursday, Dec. 10, and continues through Friday, Dec. 18. The first candle is lit on the Chanukiah (menorah) on the first evening of Hanukkah.

Winter Solstice of 2020

P.O. Box 518, Healdsburg, CA 95448

The winter solstice of 2020 in the Northern Hemisphere will be on Monday, Dec. 21, at 5:30 a.m.

Here are some customary ways to celebrate the solstice — you might notice that some resemble beloved Christmas traditions.

• Build a Yule Altar.

• Make an Evergreen Yule Wreath.

• Burn a Yule Log. • Decorate a Yule Tree.

• Exchange Nature-Based Gifts.

• Give Back to Nature.

• Celebrate in Candlelight.

• Set Up a Meditation Space.

Gift Guide | December 10, 2020 • 11

Shopping local for the holidays You can help build a strong local economy — shift your spending to local businesses

D

espite the many differences residents of Sonoma County may have, there is one thing we all share in common — we want a better quality of life. Quality of life can mean different things to different people. But most people agree that having a strong local economy is a major influence.

After all, we all want good jobs for ourselves and our neighbors.

A strong local economy creates higher quality of life for all residents.

It starts with you and the few simple choices you make every day about purchases.

The average Sonoma County household spends slightly more than $60,000 a year on goods and services. If all of that were spent with local goods

and services providers, then an estimated $15,000 or 25% more per average household would re-circulate in Sonoma County. That’s $2.3 billion every year.

Buying online is the worst possible scenario for where to put your money.

Sonoma County residents spent approximately $560 million online last year. Poof, gone. Not only did we lose the sales taxes on most of that, there was no benefit to any locally owned business nor to other businesses with a location here.

So, what can you do? We may be idealistic, but we’re not unrealistic.

We’re asking you to shift some of your purchasing to locally owned businesses.

Go Local Sonoma County 707-888-6105 • golocal.coop

THIS YEAR R MORE THAN EVER, E IT’S GOO OD TO BE

HO OM ME for the

HO OL IDAY S LET US HE LP YOU FIND YOURS THIS SEA ASON

DRE#01486075

VA N G U A R D P R O P E R T I E S . C O M