Stephani Teran
Express staff
Well, the pumpkins are on their way out, the cranberry harvests and frozen turkeys are front and center at the grocery stores, and the only ghosts on our minds are the ones of Christmas Past. It’s the in-between time of year where some are still reveling in late Autumn and looking forward to the culinary customs of Thanksgiving, while others already have their tree up and gifts slowly making their way into closets and attics to hide until the big day -whichever “big day(s)” you celebrate in the coming month with its various festivals of light. Regardless of which group you find yourself in, it is the perfect time of year to bring your focus as local as possible for your gifts, activities, and all your upcoming holiday needs.
If there is one thing I have learned after a little over a year of being a part of the PHK Express, it is that our area of coverage may be on the smaller side compared to the big-time newspapers up north, but the amount of talent, services, brilliant minds, hard workers, opportunities, life-enhancing experiences, and overall goodness offered in our area is boundless and, frankly, a bit overwhelming, in the best way. So, whether you are looking for a special gift, a meaningful experience, a holiday card picture of the fam, the perfect tree, a delicious meal at home or out and about, or something to do with your friends and loved ones when its cold out and you are off from work and school, you don’t have to look or drive far!
Here is an outline of some of our favorite local businesses and services -many of them featured in the PHK Express over the last year and a half. Though online one-click purchasing might be tempting, and grabbing takeout on the fly might be quick, I hope you at least occasionally gift your patronage to one or many of these local gems where your support makes more of a difference than you could possibly imagine. Happy Everything Season! Let’s make it local!

Some of Our Favorite Retail Stores, Goods Suppliers, and Farms:
Mayflower Mercantile: A beautifully curated, country-chic retail store in the heart of Plympton offering local, handmade goods, antiques, and specialty foods.
4 Mayflower Rd., Plympton
http://www.mayflowermercantile.com
Nessralla Farm: A charming full-service local farmstand offering fresh produce, flowers, groceries, and locally sourced foods.
416 Plymouth St., Halifax
(781) 293‑6792
Bamps Toy Vault: Good old-fashioned toy-store charm meets a fantastic, imagination-fueled shop with a huge selection of toys, games, dress-ups, trinkets, and an ice-cream bar.
https://www.bampstoyvault.com
36 Main St., Plymouth
Pewter and Sage Hand-Painted Signs and Wall Art: Whether you need a sign for your business or a lovely holiday decoration, Sarah has you covered. Her natural talent, eye for aesthetic, and remarkable painting skills will be sure to give you a product better than you could have imagined.
Tinyurl.com/Shop-Our-Fall-Collection or @pewterandsage on Instagram
Once Upon a Thyme Farm: A lovely local flower farm and stand right out of a fairytale offering floral services, fresh honey, and natural-seasonal decorations.
http://onceuponathyme.ag
32 Parsonage Rd., Plympton
Revival Farm: A local pork farm providing sustainable, humanely raised pork with a farm shop.
http://www.therevivalfarm.com
6 Cross St., Plympton

Some of Our Favorite Christmas Tree Suppliers:
The Farm at Raven Brook: A family-run Christmas tree farm on some of the most beautiful acreage in Halifax. They offer stunning trees, a food truck, and seasonal décor in their farm shop.
http://www.thefarmatravenbrook.com
137 Wood St., Halifax
Schatten Berg Tree Farm: A family-owned, cut-your-own Christmas tree farm with winding woodland paths and stunning views of the Plympton forests.
Follow: Shatten Berg Tree Farm on Facebook or call: 339-832-8212
134 Brook St., Plympton
Falconer’s Garden Shop: A local favorite for all your gardening and outdoor space needs, Falconer’s offers pre-cut Christmas trees, local goods, and festive ambiance.
@falconersgardenshop on Instagram or call: 781-585-6035
94 Center St., Plympton

Some of Our Favorite Businesses to Take a Class:
Hello Peach Arts: Join local fiber artist, Jennifer Godbois, in her local workshop, to learn various fiber art techniques and make beautiful projects to be proud of.
https://www.hellopeacharts.com
North Main St., #1, Carver
The Cosmic Bee: Join local artists, Kara LeClair and Melissa Kowal Duggan on an art-fueled adventure to learn new art techniques and let your creativity flow uninhibited!
https://cosmicbeeart.wixsite.com or follow @cosmicbee.art on Instagram
Peaceful Pines Farm and Floral: Join Stephani on her beautiful flower farm, often in her cozy farmhouse kitchen for a seasonally themed craft or project and a seasonal meal. Visit the roadside farm cart for seasonal floral arrangements and decorations or contact her for event and floral design.
Follow @peacefulpinesfarmandfloral on Instagram and Facebook or call: 801-949-2232
109 West St., Plympton
Children’s Art Classes: Kids can learn about, and make art in, all kinds and mediums in a positive, self-esteem building environment from October-June.

Hanover, MA (Serving Boston and South Shore)

1376 Washington St., Suite B, Hanover
111 Love Yoga: Explore the practice of Yoga in an accepting, calm space with Meg Murphy Garfield -all experience levels welcome.
Follow @111loveyoga on Instagram and Facebook
111 Upland Rd., Plympton
Middle Street School of Music: Gift your kids or yourself (they have more adults enrolled than children!) the adventure of music lessons with a team of professional teachers and musicians in a healthy, positive environment.
ttps://www.middlestreetmusic.com
12 Middle St., Plymouth
Plimoth Patuxet Museums: Aside from the infamous living history museum we all know and love, don’t miss out on the vast array of incredible classes and workshops, seasonal feast and dining opportunities, as well as free lunchtime lectures to attend online or in person to enhance your own education and interests in local history. They also hold a large craft fair in early December for your gift-giving needs.
https://plimoth.org
137 Warren Ave., Plymouth

Some of Our Favorite Local Places to Eat:
Keegan Kreations: If you are looking for the most delicious, straight-from-France quality, creative patisseries around, you must visit Keegan Kreations. Watch out for the eggnog morning bun -your taste buds won’t soon forget it.
https://www.keegankreations.com
136 Main St., Kingston and 20 Court St., Plymouth
The Tasty: Comfort food with a twist, locally featured, fresh ingredients, creative cocktails, and a local following, you can’t find a bad meal here.
42 Court St., Plymouth
https://thetastyplymouth.com
A3 Pizza: Coming from a legacy of family-centered, Italian food and business, Chef John Cataldi’s menu is anything but boring at this unique, locally beloved pizza place with plenty of delicious non-pizza items on the menu. The Ricotta Crostoni is a frequent flier in our household.
65 Summer St., Kingston

A3 Pizza Pasta Parm, Kingston, MA

Solstice: Creative American cuisine and time-tested favorites fill the menu at Solstice with each seasonally-featured dish. The “Chicken Under a Brick” is never a miss here.

Home

63 Summer St., Kingston
Rye Tavern: Come enjoy exquisite farm-to-table food in a 1792 Tavern located deep in the Plymouth pine forests on the oldest highway in America (unpaved and perfectly spooky).

Home

517 Old Sandwich Rd., Plymouth
Grille 58: For classic dinners and something on the menu for everyone in the family, Grille 58 is a great place to gather family for a nice meal.
http://www.grille58.com
284 Monponsett St., Halifax

Some of Our Favorite Places for Entertainment:
Blake Planetarium: A perfect adventure for family and friends, enjoy a feature educational presentation under a full-dome screen. On the first Friday of each month, local astronomy expert, Steve Davies, will talk about the current night sky and teach you how to find and identify celestial objects.
http://www.blakeplanetarium.com
117 Long Pond Rd., Plymouth
True Repertory Theater: Local theater at its finest, don’t miss a chance to see passion and professionalism combined to give both tried-and-true pieces, as well as locally, modern day-written plays and artists a place to shine.
https://www.truerepertorytheatre.org
222 Main St., Kingston
Spire Center for Performing Arts: Enjoy a concert via local and well-known musicians and bands in a historic, specially restored venue with marvelous acoustics and a unique indie music atmosphere. Shows run most weekdays and weekends.

Home

25 ½ Court St., Plymouth
Pilgrim Festival Chorus: Enjoy one of the many holiday programs from a premier local choir right in your backyard. With members from amateur to professional, each performance is pure artistic excellence.

Home

Plymouth Philharmonic
Edaville’s Winter Wonderland: South Shore’s beloved holiday outdoor lights and train-riding experience is back!
https://www.edaville.com
5 Pine St., Carver

Some of Our Favorite Services:
Allison Thompson Photography: Professional, local photography for all portrait, headshot, and family events and occasions, Allison will make sure your images are the highest quality. They will easily become your personal treasures or great assets to your business profile.
http://www.acephotographyne.com
The Hot Mess Healer: Do you need some help with home organization for the holidays or to start the new year? If so, don’t hesitate to call Kelly of the Hot Mess Healer. Her expertise in home organization and functional design will take you from scrambling to find the Christmas decorations to having your ornaments color-coded.
https://thehotmesshealerma.com or call (781) 915-4050
Jillian Walraven: Professionally trained and brilliantly creative, Jillian offers the most incredible personal chef experience for every occasion. Each dish features seasonal, fresh, and local when-possible ingredients with a personal flare that is unmatched in the area. If you need inimitable food for a holiday party or a quiet dinner with friends, Jillian will deliver an unforgettable dining experience.
https://chefjillianwalraven.com
The Barker House: If you are going out of town for the holidays or just need somewhere for your beloved pup to play during the busy season, Dr. Bartlett of The Barker House and her team will make sure your pup is loved and spoiled to the fullest extent until you return.
http://www.barkerhousedogs.com
4 Elm St., Plympton
Colchester Farm: Though the growing season is coming to an end, don’t forget that beautiful Colchester Farm offers rental for their restored barn for your holiday entertaining needs.
Follow on Instagram @colchesterfarmsince1751 or call (781) 422-3921
90 Brook St., Plympton

Some of Our Favorite Local Publications and a Literary Haunt:
The Plympton Halifax Kingston Express: For the news that matters close to home, don’t miss out on weekly issues about important topics, events, and happenings in the tri-town area of Plympton, Halifax, and Kingston. Local newspaper is the heart and soul of communities and a gift subscription makes the perfect present for anyone in the area!
www.plymptonhalifaxexpress.com
ArtyPants Magazine: Subscribe to this independent print publication spotlighting New England-based artists, stories, and creative inspiration, blending curated art with editorial storytelling.
https://www.artypantsmagazine.com
edible Southeastern Massachusetts: Treat yourself to this regional food magazine covering local farms, restaurants, markets, and food culture across the South Shore and South Coast of Massachusetts.
https://ediblesema.com
Modern Midwife Mystery Series, by Duxbury-based author, Christine Whelan Knapp: Christine Knapp practiced as a nurse midwife for many years and is also a writer of academic texts and journal articles. Now, she combines her passion for midwifery with her love of mysteries in her award-winning fiction series.
https://www.thoughtfulmidwife.com
Balance is a Scam, by Plympton-based author, Dr. Amber Bartlett: Business psychologist and multi-business owner Dr. Amber Bartlett had written an unapologetically honest, psychology-driven, laugh-so-you-don’t-cry account of what it actually means to be an ambitious mother in a culture obsessed with the myth of balance.
Available for purchase on Amazon
Book Love: Visit a locally owned, independent book store in the Pinehills featuring local events, author talks, classes, and book clubs. Forget the box-stores for books and support book stores with heart and community in mind.
https://www.book-love.com
7 Village Green South, Plymouth

Some of Our Favorite Local Public Groups and Services:
Plympton, Halifax, Kingston Public Libraries: For a constant line-up of interesting classes, enriching events, clubs, and speakers, don’t forget to check out your local libraries! They are working hard to provide free activities, learning opportunities, and resources for your everyday needs.
Holidays in Halifax: Each December, the town of Halifax gathers in its town center for Holidays in Halifax, an evening of tree lighting, holiday cheer and family festivities organized by a dedicated volunteer committee. A tradition since 1996, it is the town’s warmest celebration of the season. This year’s event will take place on December 12.
https://www.festivalsinamerica.com/festival/holidays-in-halifax-halifax
Kingston Luminary Walk: Don’t miss this beloved evening of entertainment, food, fun, crafts, and music -all beautifully illuminated with luminaries.
https://www.kingstonma.gov/753/Luminaries

Some of Our Favorite Charities and or Community Service Programs:
South Shore Community Action Council: SSCAC offers fuel assistance, weatherization, childcare, food resources, transportation, and other support programs for residents across the South Shore.
https://www.sscac.org
The Arc of the South Shore: The Arc is a nonprofit organization in Hingham, Massachusetts, providing programs and advocacy for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism, across the South Shore region.
https://arcsouthshore.org
South Shore Foster Closet: A 501c charity that helps to provide clothing and supplies to families who foster children.
https://www.southshorefostercloset.com
End Hunger New England: End Hunger New England is a regional branch of The Outreach Program that packages and distributes meals across New England, operating from a warehouse in Pembroke, Massachusetts and having delivered over 50 million meals since its launch.
https://www.endhungerne.org
Plymouth Area Coalition: The Plymouth Area Coalition for the Homeless provides emergency assistance housing for families at the Pilgrim’s Hope Shelter. Clients are placed at the shelter by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Living Conditions (EOHLC). Coalition shelters provides clients with safe temporary housing for their families, professional case management, and support services.
https://plymouthareacoalition.org
Here at the PHK Express, we hope you find this list helpful in making your holiday more local and special for you, your loved ones, and the businesses and organizations you will be supporting. If you are a local business, there is no greater gift you can give your local newspaper than supporting us by placing an advertisement with us to reach several thousand residents each week. Happy Holiday Season!

Humans are creatures of habit and comfort. We choose certain traditions, customs, and practices and weave them intricately into our lives for a myriad of reasons -often without fully understanding their origins or purposes other than our entertainment and love for them. On Oct. 31 as the sidewalks fill with youngsters in costume (hopefully plenty of adults, too), and the early darkness is pierced by glowing jack-o-lanterns and illuminated inflatable lawn decorations -as clubs for adults blast “Thriller” over speakers while serving “Bloody Mary’s” and kitchen tables are set with dough-wrapped mummy-dogs and pumpkin shaped cookies, it might be worth considering why we go to such extensive lengths (and expense) to continue doing these things year after year. At first, you might think the reasons for all of this beginning centuries ago may be drastically different from the reasons we do them now, but once you get the bigger picture, you will find that you need a bit of Halloween as much as the first revelers in ancient Ireland did. Halloween is, after all, entirely rooted in community and hope.
Halloween was first Samhain (pronounced sow-win). Samhain means, quite literally in Irish, “to assemble or gather”. It was one of four main festivals in ancient Ireland, Imbolc (the waking up of nature and lengthening of days), Bealtine (the start of the growing season and renewal), Lughnasadh (the summer’s peak harvests), and Samhain (the end of the harvest season and beginning of shorter days and winter). The first records of Samhain celebrations and traditions date back to the 9th century BCE in mythological cycle tales such as Cath Maige Tuired and The Dagda and the Morrigan -both origin stories of ancient Irish heroes, wars, and how the island was saved from the villainous Fomorians.
For people in ancient times, their entire lives and quite literally their survival, largely depended on how things went for them at these times of year via harvests, hunts, slaughters, preserves, and storage. To head into the Lughnasadh with a lower-yield harvest meant a more fervent worry that things would be very difficult for you and your loved ones or community until Imbolc. In ancient Ireland, cattle were currency, and having security meant good breeding years, plenty of slaughter, and preservation of the yield to last the winter through. In fact, although there were many physical tests and trials required for the process, the people often chose their Ard Rí (high king) and Rí’s (lower king but above a chieftain) somewhat based off who had the largest herd and harvest of cattle to take care of the community.
Samhain was a time of inventory, stockpiling, and connection for communities as they headed into the most dangerous time of year to be human -the season of no growth, cold, and easily spread illness. To facilitate the mass harvests and to boost moral for the season ahead, various customs and traditions were kept by the communities -some fun, some tragic, some logical, some frivolous -but all tying back to the human need for connection, community, and hope.
The Celtic calendar was divided into segments based on the alignment of the moon and sun, growth cycles, and harvests. The first part of November -which scholar’s debate could have ranged from November 1-10, was marked as the beginning of winter and the end of harvest. October 31st, then, was the eve of this poignant time -a gateway to the new season and a fine line between life as it was and possible or pending death. This meant, to the Irish, that the veil between their world and the Otherworld was at its thinnest. The Otherworld was the sacred land where their deities, the Tuatha Dé Danann of the Land of Tír na nÓg, resided. The portals to Tír na nÓg were believed to be the ring forts and “fairy mounds” throughout the countryside, and sometimes near peat bogs, and there are legends of seeing masses of spirits entering and exiting the mounds, at will, on Samhain -therefore, it was best to be at home or in your settlement around groups of the living until dawn.
In Irish homes, steps were taken to both welcome and shun these visiting spirits -the welcome extended to loved ones who were missed or honored, and the casting out of visiting troublemakers. The Irish table was set with an extra place setting or serving of food as a gesture of hospitality for the presence of those yearned for or missed.
Candles were set in the windowsills as a sign to passing spirits that they were welcome in the home if their heart was pure. To counter that, ox blood was blessed by the village Ollamh (wise man and court-appointed scholar) or Cailleach (wise woman and healer) was smeared above the door or hide-flap frames to make entering difficult for those with “dark hearts” as they called it.
The Samhain feast included meat from the cattle harvest, dried fruits, fish, and two very important staples: Barmbrack and Colcannon. Barmbrack is a flour-based, sweet, dried-fruit-filled speckled bread. Oftentimes, symbolic objects were placed in the dough before baking, that forecast the fate of the person who cut into that part when eating it. A popular token to place in the Barmbrack were small rings or other pieces of jewelry and the person who discovered these was said to be next to marry. Colcannon, a potato dish with milk, kale or cabbage, and a well in the center holding a fresh pat of butter, was also used as a vessel for tokens of fate and fortune to be found by those consuming the meal. Of course, many of these tokens were placed with an agenda in mind via the maker -perhaps a mother eager to urge her child into a marriage, or to urge a young adult to choose a certain trade. Anyone who has an Irish mother, ancient or modern, knows how these not-so-subtle hints seem to find their way into many aspects of life.
Another way to ward off the malignant spirits wandering on Samhain was with masks and costumes. It was believed that ill intent made one physically ugly, so spirits who were traveling that night to make trouble were depicted as hideous and frightening. As a way to keep them in check and appear too foreboding to bother tormenting, the Irish would spend days before Samhain constructing masks and, sometimes, entire costumes, of natural materials to be terrifying. The scarier the mask, the more maligned spirits you would likely be spared from. Samhain gatherings featured people wearing these masks and costumes, and usually one person wore them at the feast table as an extra precaution to make sure only welcome guests were at the table.
Community was at the heart of Samhain, and the main event featuring this gathering was the local tine chnámh, or bonfire. As many historical tales recount, a large tine chnámh was made on the nearest hill adjacent to settlements -ignited from the torch brought by the local Ollamh, Rí, or chieftain’s own hearth fire in their home or fort. Community members would come in masks or costumes or as they were with bones or other offerings from that season’s harvests and cast them into the fire. Thus, the term “bone-fire”, later “bonfire” came to be.
This was a symbolic gesture of cleansing the soul of the person adding to the fire and invoking the powers of the Otherworld to watch over them through the dark season. Some families had carved boxes from sacred trees and types of wood, or satchels made from the hides of prized family bulls to carry their offerings to add to the fire. Dancing and singing naturally took place around the tine chnámh and the more cheerfully rowdy the gathering, the better chance at keeping bad fortune and spirits away. As dawn approached, each family would take their own torch brought with them and light it from the tine chnámh. They would take it back home and light their own hearth and the longer you could keep that fire and embers burning from the night of Samhain, the better your fortune and fate were said to be through the winter.
One common story of light associated with Samhain, but less inspiring, is Jack of the Lantern. Stingy Jack was said to be a local miscreant who caused great harm and trouble to any community he wandered into. He was also a notorious drunk. One Samhain, he was passed out in a roadside ditch when the devil came to claim his soul. Jack, still strikingly clever even when inebriated, was able to fool the devil into leaving him there and coming back for him later. When the devil returned, Jack was gone. In the following years, Jack fooled the devil two more times out of taking his soul.
When it came time for Jack to die of natural causes, his soul was obviously rejected at the gates of heaven, but he was also rejected at the gates of hell for thrice offending the devil. He was given a single ember from the pits of hell and sent to wander the earth, neither fully dead nor alive, for eternity. He placed his ember in a hollowed-out turnip that had been left on a stone wall by a farmer and is said to wander the Irish countryside with his glowing lantern as his only light. Carved out turnips were lit with candles and placed on doorsteps and windowsills to keep mean spirits away for they, too, were said to fear the man who was so evil that hell rejected him. Jack of the Lantern was passed down as a cautionary tale in later Samhain celebrations and carried on to this day on our front porches.
In addition to customs of food, light, and costume for Samhain, there were also games played to pass the long hours of the last night of autumn. Apples, long believed to be a sacred fruit brought from Tír na nÓg by the Tuatha Dé Danann, were used in most feasts throughout the year and especially during Samhain. They were baked, dried, pressed, shared, and used as divining tools to forecast fates on sacred nights.
One custom was to have freshly harvested apples placed in a tub or trough of water. A group was selected to gather around the tub to “bob” -or try and retrieve the apples with their teeth -which is very difficult to do! The more people able to secure the fruit in their teeth from each group, the better the fate was predicted to be for each person in that group. Later on, it became a game of one person claiming victory by being the fastest to retrieve an apple. Apples were also commonly peeled and then the peels thrown over the shoulder of the peeler. The letter nearest the shape that the peel landed in was said to be the first letter of the name of the person you were to marry -or sometimes, depending on the diviner, the name of the person next to die.
Perhaps it is easy for us tech-clad, overstimulated, logic-bound moderners to dismiss all this as superstitious, primitive, or strange, but if you take each custom for what they are rooted in, you will see their needs were not so different from ours in spite of centuries between us. They missed deceased loved ones and looked for ways to connect with them again, they sought wisdom from trusted elders and community members, they celebrated with food and drink and games, they found coping mechanisms to dilute the very real fear of not making it to the spring.
They gathered together as families and communities to support and encourage each other in spite of basic existence being incredibly challenging, and they made light of a time when most of us would feel like spiraling into depression and panic. Imagine knowing that every single winter you would not have much to eat, you would be very cold, resources for survival were quite finite, illness was likely to take at least one of your loved ones, fatigue from survival would be consuming, and this would repeat again and again for your entire life.
Of course, there are still plenty in the world who face these things every day -not just in winter. In modern times, perhaps we are facing our own season of darkness and isolation as the world continues to seemingly fracture as a safe, dependable place before our eyes. Screens are our companions, meals often come from a drive-through windows or frozen boxes, superstition and frivolity is for “weirdos”, and bonding together is a rare occurrence when we allow ourselves to pause from our career-driven, over-saturated with hustle-and-bustle lifestyles which are sadly required to stay afloat in the current economies. Perhaps it is our modern society that need a bit of Samhain again. I hope you and your loved ones carve out a bit of time for warmth, hearty food, friends and family, light, superstition, games, and a bit of healthy nonsense this coming Saturday.
As the song taught to me by my Irish-Samhain loving family members went: “Samhain, Samhain, Let winter begin, Bring the harvest home, Let no traveler roam, Keep the tine lit from within, Samhain, Samhain.”
A blessed Samhain and Happy Halloween to all~