December 15 - One of the best events is coming up on Christmas Eve. The Shohola Area Lions Club will have the Annual Luminary candles placed on the Shohola Barryville Bridge.

The luminaries are a way to remember your lost family and friends during Christmas. It's unbelievably beautiful to walk the Bridge over the Delaware River when the luminaries are displayed, and I do it every year.

You can purchase a luminary Candle for $5.00 and can come to the bridge at 4:00p.m. on Christmas Eve and light your luminary yourself or the Lions Club members will do it for you. You can purchase a Shohola Lions Club luminary at Wayne Bank, Milford Auto Body Shop, Harry's Gas Station and Rohman's Inn in Shohola and Back to Baker's and Il Castello Restaurant in Barryville, and St. Ann's Church in Shohola after mass.

You may also send a check for $5.00 made out to the Shohola Area Lion's Club and mail to Carol Mittlemark, 183 Laurel Drive, Shohola, PA 18458. If you have never seen the luminaries take a walk across the Bridge on Christmas Eve its really lovely to see.

The Barryville Farmers Market Christmas Shop online store is up and open for business. With over twenty farm vendors and local small businesses and one hundred and seventy selections you literally can buy everything you need from soup (Nikki C fresh seafood bisques and soups) to nuts (Five varieties of Forkin Good Nuts from the Stickett Inn) This very popular online shop has an excellent variety of farm fresh produce, meats, poultry, cheeses, prepared foods, baked goods you won't easily find anywhere else.

Need a house gift for a friend? How about a bottle of Ramp Vodka or Pumpkin Spice Vodka from Coopers Daughter, a line of locally distilled spirits, a woman owned and family operated distillery in Claverack-Red Mills New York.

Another great gift idea on the Market's shop is 2 Queens Coffee, Tea and Bees Gift Box featuring their popular locally roasted Jazz Hands blended coffee, some lavender Earl Grey loose tea and a jar of their amazing Summer Wildflower Honey harvested from their beehives right here in the Delaware River community.

After my very disastrous attempt at making an apple pie at Thanksgiving, I am just tossing in my rolling pin and order an apple crumble pie from Beach Lake Bakery and for the kiddos who will be around a nice box of gingerbread cookies from the Bake House.

So, if you need a fresh ham roast, Hilly Acres has a good selection, or rose veal, grass fed lamb you can choose your cut, or order a T-bone steak (two pack) or a classic Delmonico steaks-Twin Brook Farms selection has you covered.

When shopping please consider donating to a local family in need, these donations have been a miracle feeding local families freshly prepared food during the Covid pandemic. Your orders will be available for pickup on Saturday, December 19th, between 11:00a.m. and 1:00pm at the Market's site at 3409 Route 97 in Barryville. Visit their online shop at barryvillefarmersmarket.org.

Sadly, for the first time in fifteen years there won't be the Santa Express flying through the winter nights. But Lou Monteleone's Village of Giving is up and accepting donations for several local charities.

This year there is a free kid's craft project going on to give Santa a helping hand making toys. There are wooden toy kits kids can assemble and decorate any way they want with stickers, paint, glitter or whatever they can dream up.

Once assembled and decorated the toy now ready for Santa's Workshop can be put back in its plastic bag and dropped off at the toy bin at Santa's Village of Giving.

To get your free kit go to the Corner Ice Cream Shop in Eldred between the hours of 11:00am and 7:00pm.

For more information on the toy craft project or to learn how you can get your very own elf name as a Santa's helper, go to the Corner in Eldred's Facebook page.