Do You Believe in Magic?
A Guide to This Week’s Magical Offerings
By Claudia Taller
If there’s any time this year you would believe in magic, this is it. Remember when a relative dressed up like Santa Claus and you thought it was the “real” Santa? Or how about those cookies Grandma used to make? How about the awesome decorations or the family tradition of looking for holiday lights?
Otis’ Old Curiosity Shop (named after the cat named Otis and the book by Dickens) has opened at Loganberry Books in its Annex Gallery. Winsome wooden yo-yos and Kikkerman wind-up toys, books, holiday cards and calendars and games, curiosities and vintage collectibles — including the work of over two dozen local artists — bring out the starry-eyed child in all of us. Loganberry Books is at 13015 Larchmere Boulevard in Shaker Heights.
Maybe you’ve seen The Nutcracker ballet a million times but have your children seen it? Start a holiday tradition and keep ballet alive in Cleveland by taking the family to see the traditional ballet featuring an interesting old uncle, warring mice and toy soldiers, costume dancing from many lands, the sugar plum family and the nutcracker prince. Every girl wants to be Clara and every boy wants to wield a sword like the prince. The Winnipeg Ballet will perform Thu 12/8 – Sun 12/11 at Playhouse Square. See their faces light up when you take the family.
Stan Hywet Hall — the place where I spent a summer in acting, art and music lessons — always brings out the child in me, and that’s why I still visit it. Head to Akron to see the grand old Seiberling house decorated as it was when the family lived there, and explore yesteryear traditions and treasures as you walk the house and gardens. You won’t want to miss the greenhouse or the gift shop for unusual gift finds. The website gives you 15 more reasons to go.
For a winter wonderland (and memories of Rudolph and the Abominable Snowman), head out to Penitentiary Glen in Lake Metroparks in Kirtland for their Twelve Days of Winter celebration. You can explore the snowy paths (let’s hope for whiteness), interact with a large game board and other hands-on activities including craft making and scavenger hunting. While you can remain inside, you may want to forget about your cold nose while snowshoeing across the countryside. That should prove to be fun.
If making homemade gifts is your thing, you may want to see how to make ornaments while sipping wine on Tue 12/13. Or watch your preschooler make ornaments at a holiday workshop with kids in mind on Fri 12/9. Older children can spend four hours creating gifts and holiday decorations while listening to Christmas music and sipping hot chocolate on Sat 12/17. Get ye to BAYarts in Bay Village to create some magic of your own.
If you don’t believe in magic yet, you soon will at the end of this holiday season on the North Coast. Step out of the ordinary and find some extraordinary magic.
Claudia Taller’s book Ohio’s Lake Erie Wineries was just released by Arcadia Publishing. Find out more about the book by going to http://OhioLakeErieWineries.blogspot.com and order it through Claudia by sending an e-mail to claudia.taller@yahoo.com.