Holiday Giving, Catskills Style

from Holiday Life 2022

A Sweet Feat: ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet to Bring Back Holiday Magic

By Emily Helck

Emily Helck F rom gourmet treats to idiosyncratic housewares, local businesses offer holiday gifts that are anything but expected.

The most meaningful holiday gifts all have one thing in common: they feel personal. But how to sort through the overwhelm and anonymity of online shopping? Enter local businesses.

Independently-owned area shops reflect the point of view and personality of their owners and of the Catskills, offering not only distinctive objects not found at chains or big online retailers, but community and camaraderie to boot. Three Delhi shop owners discussed how they give meaningful gifts, and the unique ways they celebrate the season.

Photos Contributed

Tay Tea is foremost a tea shop featuring owner Nini Ordoubadi’s gourmet tea blends, but since opening in 2005, it has grown to encompass delicious edibles, artisan skincare, globally-inspired fashion and home goods, and much more.

Describe your store in three words: Inviting, entertaining, ever-changing.

What are you excited about this holiday season? To once again host fun and popular workshops and events like our Tea & Tarot, boho-style fashion shows, head-wrap tutorial workshop and seasonal, themed tea cocktail parties to bring the community together and enjoy the changing seasons.

What do you expect to be bestsellers this year? Our new seasonal artisan tea blends, offering new holiday fashion items in my curated fashion line (NINI O. COLLECTION) and our newly sourced eco-conscious local and global handmade gifts.

What’s your advice for giving meaningful holiday gifts?

Think about the person you’re giving the gift to and try and give a gift that they would want—not what you want! That’s key in “mindful giving.” And make an effort in wrapping it beautifully.

What’s a unique holiday tradition you practice? One winter tradition that I’ve insisted on repeating year after year is the forcing of bulbs, like paperwhites and hyacinths. Once they bloom they create a fragrant and heavenly spring garden inside the shop, when it’s cold and dreary outside. We enjoy it and our customers are absolutely mad about it!

Apple pie or gingerbread? Apple pie, because it’s the only dessert I can make with my eyes closed and it’s usually delicious (at least my husband tells me it is!). Location: 159 Main St., Delhi, NY Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday and 10 to 3, Sunday Visit: taytea.com

luck dragon, an arts and crafts supply, is the newest shop on Delhi’s Main Street, located in a beautifully renovated storefront. Kelli Cain and Brian Crabtree opened the shop in summer 2022. In addition to art and craft supplies such as art paper, paints, fabric and embroidery kits, luck dragon also hosts workshops and events, with classes that include drawing and sewing, and a monthly meetup to play Go, the ancient Chinese game of strategy.

Describe your store in three words: Spirited true blue.

What are you excited about this holiday season?

Handmade watercolor paint in the Hilma af Klint palette by the company Beam of M’Chigeeng First Nation, Herbin fountain pen ink in gris nuage (cloud grey), wood carving knives by Morakniv and Holbein watercolor, hues sap green and pyrrole red.

What do you expect to be bestsellers this year? All things mending related, fountain pens by Lamy, books about color, notebooks by Leuchtteurm, toolboxes by Toyo Steel and gift cards for luck dragon classes and workshops.

What’s your advice for giving meaningful holiday

gifts? We like gifts that endear themselves over time with use, and gifts that encourage the exploration of a new process or honor one in progress.

What’s a unique holiday tradition you practice?

Our annual combination garlic festival/Halloween party...lots of garlic, lots of costumes, lots of dancing.

Apple pie or gingerbread? We’d like to write in pumpkin pie! Location: 100 Main St., Delhi, NY Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday - Saturday Visit: luckdragon.space

Chef Matt Marchese opened This & That in 2020, the pandemic accelerating a long-held vision of a shop that offers engaging and unusual pieces, new and old, for the home. Don’t miss the treasures in the barn out back, The Market, featuring local vendors on Saturdays or Marchese’s weekly pop-up, The Kitchen, also on Saturdays.

Describe your store in three words: Curated, objects, design.

What do you expect to be bestsellers this year? Vintage ornaments and art prints, especially from Caroline Fay.

What’s your advice for giving meaningful holiday gifts?

The older you get, the less gifts matter. Think about someone’s favorite color/food/musical artist, and go from there. If nothing comes to mind, a copy of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein is always a go-to for me. Or just ghost the person a month prior to the holidays so you don’t have to buy them a gift.

What’s a unique holiday tradition you practice? I grew up on the short side of the dollar and my family often used food stamps. So when it’s holiday meal shopping time, I’ll buy a family’s groceries for them.

Apple pie or gingerbread? Apple brandy. Location: 110 Main St., Delhi, NY Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday - Monday Visit: thisandthatdelhi.com f